John Pullen, owner of Pulley Bones restaurant, said he hasn’t decided whether he will make a run for mayor of Natchez.

&uot;My name has come up,&uot; he said Tuesday. Pullen, a Natchez native, headed a group called Citizens Against Higher Taxes when he lived in Vidalia, La.

&uot;I am looking at (the possibility of running)&uot; Pullen said. &uot;I’d have to find out if there’s enough money out there. You can’t run a campaign without a lot of money.&uot;

Pullen said he thinks people are asking him to run because they want more competition in the race.

So far, only Natchez businessman Robert Costa has qualified to run for mayor, but Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot;&160;Brown has said he will run for reelection.

&uot;Butch and I are friends,&uot; Pullen said. &uot;We’ll see what happens.&uot;

Pullen grew up and attended school in Natchez. He was once a partner in a wholesale electric company and lived briefly in Vidalia, where his citizens group was active in raising awareness of their opposition to higher property and school taxes in Concordia Parish.

&uot;I believe we pay too much in taxes already,&uot; he said.

Pullen said he sold his house in Vidalia about two years ago and now lives at 302 Lambert St.

Pullen said he picked up a packet of information about the qualifications for the mayor’s office because his granddaughter needed the information for a school project.

The deadline to qualify for Natchez municipal elections is March 31. To qualify, candidates must be 18 and residents of Natchez. A $10 filing fee is required, along with a statement of intent. Candidates qualifying as independents must also submit 50 signatures of registered voters.

So far, only two offices besides mayor are contested in city elections this year. Alderman George Harden faces opposition in the Ward 2 race from James&160;&uot;Ricky&uot; Gray, and four people have qualified for city clerk: Billy Geoghegan, Donnie Holloway, Peter Rinaldi and Dr. Fredericka Todd.