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Let’s change our city government

Published 12:01am Friday, April 27, 2012

As I read the headlines in The Natchez Democrat regarding the board members walking out of a public meeting on Tuesday, I felt anger, sadness, frustration and embarrassment among other emotions.

It was like a children’s game of follow the leader. Do any of you have minds of your own? If one of you jumped in the river will the rest of you follow? Based on Tuesday’s meeting it seems like you would.

I don’t care who you are or what race, creed, nationality or ward you represent, walking out of that meeting was unacceptable.

Did your widdle feelings get hurt? Shame on all of you! Your job is to represent the people of Natchez. Your agenda should be to uphold the laws in Natchez.

How is Natchez going to move forward when you are not there to vote on issues? You’re getting paid taxpayer dollars to sit there, conduct city business and do it in a timely manner.

You ran for the position, so you knew what it entailed (or perhaps not…). Do your job! I don’t care if you don’t like what you see or don’t see, hear or don’t hear during a meeting. You get the respect you give during those meetings.

I have watched a few and have had to change the channel. It is laughable how the meetings are conducted.

Let’s be honest here. Natchez is a town divided and under siege, racially, morally and ethically.

I see it, neighbors see it, and tourists see it. No big surprise. And you know who is encouraging and participating in the drama? The people we elect.

Again, no big surprise. And, the reason our elite board of aldermen/alderwomen and mayor act as they do? Because we allow them to.

Once more, no big surprise. Do we call for them to step down? No!

It is our fault. Yours, mine and ours. Again, sad, but no big surprise.

I have had enough of all the political drama.

It is immature, unprofessional and comical at best.

Is Natchez better off than it was four years ago, eight years ago? How many jobs have been brought to Natchez? Are our infrastructure and streets in need of repair? Do we have abandoned and unsafe buildings? Is our city safe? How do our neighborhoods look?

If you answer these questions honestly, I don’t know how all of you sleep at night.

Think of your position as though you worked in the real world and were held accountable for your job.

Act accordingly. Learn what is required of your position. Represent your constituents. Earn your pay. And leave the drama outside the office.

Otherwise, voters will be forced to exercise their electoral rights and say, in the immortal words of reality TV, “You’re fired!”

 

Johnnie Galer

Natchez resident

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  • Anonymous

    People want their voice heard which is happening, try the dictatorial style of 2 other former mayors and compare.

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for a very good opinion piece. I agree with a lot of what you said. Let’s hope the electorat can weed out truths from lies and leaders from trouble-makers.

  • Anonymous

    WELL SAID!!!  Thank You

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    I agree with you and the three should have their check docked!!! This is my opinion that I predict that it will never improve city  goverment in the racial lines of votes as long as you have 3 blacks and 3 whites alderman and if its a black mayor it will always turn black and the opposite of a white mayor it will turn white!! With the population of Natchez in the benefit of the blacks that is larger than the whites tell the story of who gains the power as that of Jackson Ms.. Last night on the state news the Jackson public schools aren’t going to have accreditation now don’t that sound similar to Adams County huh”????!!!! It will take a act of God Almighty to ever bring harmony of both races and yes I remember the 50s’ and 60s’ well and history may make a repeat??!!!

  • Anonymous

    THANK YOU JOHNNIE GALER!!!!!!!!. My thoughts exactly. I’m just a little person in Natchez, but I will be doing my best to make changes with my vote. Instead of voting For someone, I will very strongly vote AGAINST all that I possibly can. Moving here from the big city of Los Angles, Cailf., thirty some odd years ago, it was such a drastic change coming to the beautilul little city of Natchez. Everything was so great then. The people had great pride back in those days. To watch this community fall into the TOILET that it has regressed to is a completely despicable state of which our city leaders has led it. It is past time to make a change. Bring back the pride that made this a wonderful community it once was.

  • Anonymous

    GOOD MORNING, JOHNNIE. YOUR ARTICLE: ( LET’S CHANGE OUR CITY GOVERNMENT ) . JUST LIKE TO ASK YOU, WHY NOW DO YOU FEEL OUR CITY GOVERNMENT NEEDS CHANGING ? DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF: * FREEDOM-TO-PROTEST* ? NOW JOHNNIE, DO YOU REALIZE, IF IT WASN’T FOR BOYCOTTING AND PROTESTING WE WOULD BE STILL SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE BUS. JOHNNIE, YOU SOUND LIKE A PERSON  ANYTHING IS ALRIGHT WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE, THERE ISN’T ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT. IS THERE  ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD YOU WOULD FIGHT FOR; JOHNNIE, IF NOT, YOU DON’T NEED TO BE HERE, YOU JUST TAKING UP SPACE. JOHNNIE, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE, WASN’T ANY LAW BROKEN WHEN THOSE FINE PEOPLE WALKED OUT OF THAT MEETING; ( I-DON’T-UPHOLD-BREAKING-ANY-LAW ). NOW JOHNNIE, I LOVE YOUR FIRST NAME; AFTER READING YOUR ARTICLE, I FELT ANGER, SADNESS, FRUSTRATION, AND EMBARRSSMENT AMONG OTHERS EMOTIONS. I’M GOING TO TAKE ME A NERVE-PILL.    

  • Anonymous

    And no law will be broken if I get up right now and go home from work.  I will likely be fired, or at best, reprimanded. 

    I understand you have the mental capacity of about an 8 year old and endorse others acting like 8 year olds because you can grasp that.  I know its not your fault.  The genetic lottery can be cruel.  You do need to realize though that people with adult minds run things and make the decisions in the real world, or at least they used to before universal sufferage.  You completely lack the capacity to understand this.  You lack even the most basic understanding that you embarrass yourself, and according to some other black posters, your race, by posting here.  I implore you, do yourself a favor and just stop.  You are not intelligent.  Not even a little.  Quite the opposite.  You have no understanding of the real world or how anything in it works.  Let me see if I can explain it to you in terms you may be able to understand.

    When groups of people get together to make decisions, sometimes they don’t all agree on what is the best decision.  In government, those disagreements are resolved through a process called voting.  Everyone involved votes on what they want and the idea with the most votes wins.  Basic rules of decorum (that which is right and proper) and respect for the democratic process (the voting) says that the losers accept their loss like mature adults.  That is what those of us with adult minds expect of our leadership, win or lose.  We expect them to adhere to decorum.  We expect them to play by the rules that are in place.  Not to do so, to just change the rules on the fly in order to gain an advantage (to cheat), is wrong.  People with adult minds know this.

    Now, since you do not have the mind of an adult but one of a child, I think you should refrain from discussing such topics that are clearly beyond your intellectual capacity to understand.

  • Anonymous

    Vote Hispanic, American Indian, Chinese, East Indian, Pakistani, or other alternatives to resolve this problem.  They already own all the restaurants, casinos, hotels, and other businesses.  And, on top of that, our federal government is sending tons of foreign aid to their home countries which is not very appreciated. The only exception is the Chinese which sends us tons of foreign aid in the form of national debt.

  • Anonymous

    For Pete’s Sake:  Would it kill you to TRYTOCARRYONACONVERSATIONINBASICENGLISH, ORISTHATASKINGTOOMUCH?, 

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