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Tough choice, but Brown gets nod

Published 12:06am Sunday, June 3, 2012

Voters in the City of Natchez face tough decisions Tuesday as they head to the polls to choose the next mayor and two of the six city aldermen.frightened

Natchez’s next mayor will either be former mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown or first-timer Bill Furlow. Both men are articulate and capable of bringing new ideas to the office.

After speaking at length with both men, we know they couldn’t be more different in terms of personality and variety of experience, however.

We see pluses and minuses in both men’s capabilities, so much so that we were not 100 percent in support of either candidate.

In the end, however, we feel Brown’s skills in organizing and leading diverse teams of people edges him out over Furlow. Brown’s critics worry that he tends to be heavy-handed in his leadership style. But that should only be a concern if no one else in leadership — elected or civic — is willing to stand up and speak out if that ever becomes the case.

We trust that our community would never roll over to a one-man steamroller if Brown attempted to do that.

Voters in wards 3 and 6 will choose aldermen on Tuesday.

In Ward 3, we feel newcomer Sarah Carter Smith brings a new voice to the board of aldermen that is much-needed. Her communication skills and intelligence will serve voters well.

Ward 6 voters have two good options on their ballot with incumbent Dan Dillard challenged by Forrest Foster.

Both men are well spoken and would bring common sense to the office. Dillard’s willingness to stand up and speak his mind, ask tough questions and challenge conventional wisdom gives him the edge. Those traits also make him less than the most popular guy in the room sometimes, but leadership isn’t always about being most popular.

We hope all registered city voters will head to the polls Tuesday and exercise their right to choose their next leaders.

 

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  • Anonymous

    WHO IS WE ?

  • Anonymous

    The Natchez Democrat accused Smith of intelligence!  Yes, she communicates well, but what she communicates is non-sensical and certainly never pertinent to the issues or question at hand.  Cooper, et al, please substantiate your claim to this woman’s intelligence.  The rest of us have been denied the opportunity of your profound conclusion…but the endorsement could actually be related to the intelligence of the fact finder(s)? 

  • Anonymous

    According to what I’ve heard about these endorsements the “we” in the article must be the editorial staff which is the “think-tank of three”… Kevin Cooper, Julie Findley Cooper, Ben Hillyer.  

  • Anonymous

    Well, she DID live in two progressive cities. What more do you want?

  • Sullivan Lawson

    LOL.  I think you are dead on Nom.   It would appear based on the very poor endorsement of Butch that they tried very hard to find a reason to endorse Furlow but could not find one.  This should not even be a decision that would require any sort of thought.  Brown is clearly the the candidate that has much more experience and knowledge of how government works at all levels, and has proven that he can get things done like NO other Mayor in Natchez for at least the previous 25 years.  Again, NOT a tough decision.  Furlow brings NOTHING to the table!  Looking forward to the Tuesday Massacre!

  • Anonymous

    What did the candidate do in those progressive cities which qualify her for leadership in city government? LIttle has been said publicly about the success or failure of those businesses she claims to have run in those cities.  The only substantive policy statement this woman has made is “make opening a  business easier” or something like that. In other words trim the regulations so anyone and anything can open shop anywhere at anytime.  I appreciate Brown’s explanation that every city has rules and regulations for opening a business and our little hamlet probably has fewer procedural requirements than most.  Let’s hope his policy promises are real!  

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    My question is to which one that will bring our Ms. State Flag back out in all places in Natchez for that will b e the one I support!!!

  • Anonymous

    Sarcasm is apparently lost on you.

  • Anonymous

    No, it wasn’t lost on me, FM.  I well understood your suggestion that she feels simply because she’s lived in two progressive cities she is now qualified to sit on that board and make snide remarks about how difficult it is to start a business here, which is worrisome.  (Will she be another empty-head wishing to weaken the regulatory commissions?)   From what I’ve been told, she’s only attended one city council meeting and that was after she won against Ball in the primary.  So, I guess she wasn’t going to waste any time sitting through one of those meetings if it wasn’t in HER best interests.  In other words, she really doesn’t care about the issues, just winning the election. 

  • Anonymous

    That is spot on, NDG. I couldn’t agree with you more. 

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