NATCHEZ — When the new Natchez mayor and board of aldermen takes office next week, something will be different about the faces behind the board table.

For the first time in Natchez’s 300 years of history, the majority of Natchez’s elected representative government will be black.

Natchez’s first black mayor and aldermen held office during reconstruction, but the city would wait until 1972 before another black alderman was elected and until 2004 before another black mayor took office.

In more recent years, the board has appeared racially balanced, with three black aldermen and three white aldermen, even if it didn’t reflect perfectly the racial makeup of the community.

That balance shifted after the recent elections, when Benjamin Davis, who is black, was elected to the Ward 5 seat, which was held by a white incumbent. It’s the first time in modern history that balance has tipped to be black dominated.Working together for better

Members of the board say, however, that in today’s world, that shift is much less important than the work that’s ahead.

“Having been around all the new members of the board and the returning members of the board, I think this is going to be a wonderful situation to work with,” returning Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said.

“We are at a point where, yes, race will always matter in this country, but this will be a group of people who look out for the entire city. We’re looking at where we come from, but mostly we are looking at the future — we know that the past will always be in our lives and affect our lives, but we are looking to go to the future.”

Incoming board member Billie Joe Frazier, who was elected to the Ward 2 seat, said he didn’t realize he was going to be elected to a board that is in some sense historic.

“I know where I came from, I am an African American, and I am not ashamed of my history — and I am aware of the injustices that were done to us — but that is in the past and it is time to move forward,” Frazier said. “It is not about whether you are white or black, it is about what you are going to do for Natchez, and our goal is to move Natchez forward. We are not just going to be working for one race — our eyes are going to be open to all citizens of Natchez-Adams County.”

Mayor-elect Darryl Grennell echoed one of his campaign talking points when addressing the shift, saying the issue of the day, “is not about black, it is not about white — it is all about green.”

“When you look at the board members-elect along with the members who have already been on the board, overall we are looking at people as people,” Grennell said. “We are not looking at it from an ethnic standpoint, we are looking at it as the people of Natchez.

“It is about working diligently to get jobs in the community so all the people can benefit. Natchez is a diverse community, and we are representing every single person.”

Returning Alderwoman Sarah Smith said she thinks Natchez, “is seeing non-color, making goals and working to further Natchez.”

“I think we have such an opportunity to do that. History is there, and we learn from history. You take situations and you grow from them and learn from them, and we are at a place where we can make a plan and move forward.”

Drawing lines, erasing lines

The election that officially brought the change in the board makeup followed a redistricting lawsuit filed in federal court in June 2015 by former Mayor Philip West, retired Judge Mary Toles —who is now finishing a term as interim Ward 2 alderwoman, though she wasn’t on the board at the time — the Rev. Clifton Marvel and Jaqueline Marsaw alleging that the voting districts in place were drawn in a way that fractured “geographically concentrated African-American population and dilutes African-American voting strength.”

Because voting patterns in Natchez often fall along racial lines, the lawsuit contended, the fracturing of voting blocs meant the black community was underrepresented on the board.

Statistics from the 2010 U.S. Census, which the lawsuit cited, show the population of Natchez is approximately 58-percent black.

The board voted to draw new district lines in November, and the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed in March because, the judge said, the city had already addressed the issue.

The 50-percent split on the board shifted to an approximately 67-percent black representation on the board with the switch in district seats.

West said he was somewhat surprised that the election happened the way it did after redistricting.

“I did not have any idea that it would end up being a majority-elected African-American board of aldermen, but at least it offered the opportunity for that based on the law,” he said.

“I see it as progress from when we were at the point where there was not one elected African American in any position of leadership in the whole city or county, even if we were half or even a majority of the population. But we have reached a mindset now and have the political representation that will require all of us to work together, and no particular race can be ignored.”

Mathis said she realizes that some people will have to see the board work together before they become comfortable with the change, but she’s confident the city will move forward.

“We have some really bright ideas that have been brought forward, and everybody is committed — and has always been committed to — doing what is best for Natchez,” she said.