NATCHEZ — August primaries whittled down the number of District 5 supervisor candidates from four to two.

And in the push this fall toward the Nov. 8 General Election, Calvin Butler, a Democrat, and Grady “Cookie” Wilson, a Republican, are sticking to their original platforms, they said.

Calvin “Jyrod Buford” Butler

Butler said if elected, he would support development of an industrial park to lure industries to town.

“We (need) something to offer industries,” Butler said.

However, he said the board of supervisors’ biggest role in creating jobs is a role of support to Natchez Inc.

Butler also said he would like to see the creation of a volunteer litter control committee in Adams County to help clean up by giving committee members authority to issue tickets to litterers.

In addition, Butler said he would like to see the creation of a penal farm where inmates can grow vegetables and the county can sell them to the community for profit. The penal farm would also provide healthful food options for inmates, Butler said.

Butler said he supports the construction of a recreation complex in Adams County.

“When companies are coming in, they (want) strong education in the community and recreation for their family and kids,” Butler said.

Butler said he would not support a tax increase for recreation. He believes a recreation complex can pay for itself through tournaments and other events.

“(The complex) should be economic development for the community,” he said.

Butler said he is the best choice because he has shown he is involved in and committed to the community through work with the United Way, the Sadie V. Thompson Head Start Center, the Robert Lewis Middle School mentoring program and through his job as the operations manager of WTYJ/WMIS radio stations.

Grady “Cookie” Wilson

Wilson said after talking to people in the community, he still has the same views. But some of them, especially about education, have strengthened.

“(Education) is the key to getting the community turned around,” Wilson said.

As a supervisor, Wilson said his role in education would be to appoint school board members and support them in implementing changes.

“The board of supervisors has to help (school board members) with (changes) and make sure those things happen,” Wilson said.

The world has become much more technologically based, Wilson said, and local education needs to better prepare the children of Adams County for those demands in today’s workforce.

“(Industries) don’t have to be large paper mills anymore,” he said. “Businesses out there are more technologically advanced,” he said.

Wilson said he does not take his candidacy lightly.

“I’ve thought about (running for supervisor) long and hard.”

Wilson said more than 20 years of owning and operating his own business, Wilson Tile & Marble, and his seven years of experience as divisional manager of Craft-Croswell prove he can work well with others and manage employees.

“I know what it takes to meet budgets, time lines, goals, expectations and move forward,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he is 100 percent committed to Adams County and has seen both good times and bad times in the past. He said he wants to move forward and raise his children in Adams County.