Archived Story
What Natchez needs is a City Mom
Published 12:02am Sunday, May 13, 2012In two days Natchez voters will pause to select the Democratic candidate for mayor.
It’s interesting to think about the choices facing voters — in Tuesday’s Democratic run-off and in next month’s general election. Voters are selecting the person who will essentially be the city’s father.
But today, Mother’s Day, I wonder what would happen if we had a city mother instead of a father.
It seems odd to me that we haven’t had more female political leaders in the city. Clearly women lead the community in a variety of ways, however.
Many of the things that we view as successes in Natchez’s history can be attributed in some way to women’s efforts.
The one thing that makes us so famous in the first place — our annual pilgrimages — were the idea of some quick-thinking women who wouldn’t let rain dampen their hospitality.
Without going too far into stereotypes or making vast general statements about women, it’s clear that for the most part their minds work differently than most men’s.
In some ways, they’re better suited for public life, on camera and always under the microscope than men are.
Scientists tell us the average woman has a mastery of a great many more words than her average male counterpart.
One would hope that a female mayor would be able to better communicate to the masses than some of our male leaders who sometimes struggle to cobble together a coherent sentence.
But it’s not just language issues; women outshine man in many other ways, too.
A silly, but important, example has to do with their ability to shoot firearms under pressure.
Expert instructors will tell you that a female shooter is much less likely to be intimidated by a crowd of people watching her as she attempts to hit a target.
They simply aren’t fazed by it. Put a man in the same situation and his testosterone-laced ego often will make his fear of embarrassment overpower any real firearms skills he has.
Women are often more compassionate than men, too.
Some folks say Natchez is a town women run. But that’s not really the case, at least not publicly or officially.
So what would the city look like if it had an official, in-charge momma?
I’d bet folks would behave more, particularly aldermen — many of whom tend to act like children.
Most moms are pretty good at handling groups of children and keeping them in line. One of the posted rules would almost certainly be: No back talking.
One also has to think that the Natchez City Mom would also make sure the rules were outlined clearly and levied to all children equally and fairly. We wouldn’t have any confusion over application of the rules.
Like a good Cub Scout den mother, Natchez City Mom would make darned certain that everyone played fairly, treated one another with respect and communicated clearly to one another.
Make no doubt; our rooms (aka, public places) would also get regular attention, too.
Although no females are on the ballot this year, perhaps a few of the candidates get in touch with their feminine side and make a huge impact on our community.
Of course, they’ll probably just laugh it off and suggest the idea is a silly notion.
Happy Mother’s Day to all (especially you, Mom) and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.
