Monday evening’s community discussion was needed and good.

Did it resolve all of our area’s problems? Certainly not.

But as organizer Bishop Stanley Searcy said, “It’s a start.”

His assessment was spot on.

Any project must have a beginning, and we believe Monday night could be a new beginning for Natchez-Adams County.

Purposefully, the meeting was setup to avoid open debate amongst the most vocal voices in the room.

As a result, more voices were heard instead of just the loudest that unfortunately tend to often control public discussion through the sheer power of vocal chords and their choice of often-inflammatory words.

The importance of proving community leaders can meet together, talk about common ground and do so without fighting or arguing should not be overlooked.

Monday was a start to something that could be a long-term solution to many of the challenges our community faces.

That solution, however, is not rocket science, but common sense, which can easily be overlooked.

For Natchez and Adams County to succeed, its residents must work together.

Interestingly the person in the room who may be the newest member of the community may have summed up what we need to remember best of all.

“Unity — we have to mean it when we say it,” Natchez Police Chief Walter Armstrong said.

We could not agree more.

Unity does not mean we will always agree with one another, but it does mean we should always work together for the common good.