NATCHEZ &045; Bringing in jobs, cutting government costs while maintaining services, and giving residents a stay in government &045; these are issues candidates for District 2 supervisor said they address if elected.

David Atkins

David Atkins said he is running for District 2 supervisor because he is scared &045; scared that if Adams County’s economy doesn’t improve, his children won’t be able to come back here to live.

&uot;I’ve seen friends who are picking up and moving,&uot; Atkins said. &uot;And if things don’t turn around, this old boy might have to move, too.&uot;

With that in mind, Atkins said he knows what he would do to attract industries if he is elected.

&uot;If you look around, the economy around the nation is in bad shape,&uot; Atkins said. &uot;Everybody’s begging for industry &045; we’ve just got to beg a little better. Š And that’s what I would do.&uot;

That’s especially true since Natchez is a fairly isolated town, Atkins said.

But he added that, if elected, he would work as closely as possible with the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to more improve highways in the area.

Atkins also said he would work to cut fat from the county’s budget wherever possible. &uot;Whoever gets (in office) will have to make some very tough decisions,&uot; he said. &uot;We already pay enough in taxes, Š so we’re just going to have to get creative with our money.&uot;

Henry Farmer Jr.

All government agencies must work together to move Adams County forward economically, and Henry Farmer Jr. said that’s what he would work toward if elected as District 2 supervisor.

&uot;It is critical that we bring jobs and industry back to Adams County,&uot; Farmer said. &uot;We must work tirelessly and effectively to not only bring new jobs to the area but to also retain the ones that are currently here.&uot;

To do that, he said, supervisors must work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Authority and all business recruitment and support organizations.

&uot;We must promote Adams County as the progressive, unified and strong community (it can be) with the right leadership,&uot; Farmer said.

Farmer said that, if elected, he would meet with and listen to resident of District 2, allowing them to have their opinion on big issues such as road repairs and garbage pickup days.

&uot;We cannot continue to raise taxes, cut services and deplete jobs,&uot; he said.

&uot;All events go through cycles and changes in order to grow. It is time for Adams County to make these changes.&uot;

Brad Fondren

Brad Fondren wants to make one thing clear &045; political leaders aren’t to blame for all of Adams County’s economic woes, since outside factors have much to do with that.

While industries could have been pursued more aggressively over the years, Fondren said NAFTA takes much of the blame. But, he said, supervisors can manage money responsibly. Just as businesses do, county government must make cuts &045; although Fondren said he would have to see more budget information to see where cuts could be made.

But Fondren said he would vote to maintain funding for a countywide recreation program.

Fondren said that, if elected, he would work to communicate to residents the options the county faces in making big decisions, the recent reduction in garbage pickup days being an example.

He wants supervisors to meet monthly with aldermen and the school board to discuss issues.

But most of all, Fondren said he wants &uot;to bring unity to Adams County and common sense to the Board of Supervisors office.&uot;

We can talk about the issues all we want to, Fondren said, &uot;but we’re headed for tough times in this community if we don’t start working together.&uot;