Natchez city clerk candidate Peter Rinaldi said Saturday he has decided to withdraw from the race, citing anticipated reaction from an unpublished article about his financial background as the reason.

&uot;I know politics well enough that too many people will believe the substance of (the story) … is true, even though it is not,&uot; Rinaldi said in the statement. &uot;The article will leave a cloud of suspicion that is impossible to remove in just a few days.&uot;

The Natchez Democrat had been preparing an article about a federal tax lien against Rinaldi which is on file in the Adams County Courthouse.

&uot;The Democrat’s staff has been in the process of gathering information for an article in response in part to questions from readers about the lien,&uot; said Stacy Graning, editor. &uot;The process has been a lengthy one, as we’ve tried to be thorough and fair throughout. We’ve given Mr. Rinaldi multiple opportunities to set the record straight and share information about this situation with the readers and voters in Natchez, but he has declined repeatedly to do so. It is regrettable that he has chosen to react with this statement and action.&uot;

An IRS lien filed in January 1992 against Rinaldi is on record in the Adams County Chancery Clerk’s office. According to Rinaldi, the lien involves K-10 Sun Broadcasting, which Rinaldi operated. He now publishes Miss-Lou Magazine.

&uot;A Natchez Democrat article will inaccurately document my financial troubles from the late 1980s-early 1990s,&uot; Rinaldi’s statement says. &uot;At one time K-10 Sun Broadcasting owed over $250,000 including $38,000 to the government. Through hard work and good management we paid the amounts due. The filings at the Adams County Chancery Clerk’s office still show $19,000 as a lien still due. I have releases and cancelled checks for nearly all of the $38,000, but a few have been misplaced. The IRS collection center in Indianapolis reports to me they have no record of any current liens. So I have written the IRS Memphis service center asking for a copy of the complete documentation and a follow through on the release of lien.

&uot;I know politics well enough that too many people will believe the substance of The Natchez Democrat story is true, even though it is not. The article has eliminated my chance of winning. Therefore, I should withdraw now, even though many people still support me.

&uot;As soon as I get the paperwork together, I will publish an abstract of that information in Miss-Lou Magazine. This will set the record straight and begin the process of restoring my community standing.

&uot;I want to thank all the people who have supported me and wished me well. A special thanks to all the campaign workers and volunteers who made phone calls and worked door-to-door.

&uot;I will continue to write about local government, its successes and failures. This particular battle has been lost. But the fight will continue to make government more responsive to you. And I will be part of that fight. I wish Fredericka, JoeAnne, Donnie and Billy the best of luck in their campaigns.&uot;

Rinaldi is one of four Democratic candidates — including Billy Geoghegan, Donnie Holloway and Fredericka Cain Todd — on the May 2 primary ballots, which have already been printed. The winner of that race faces independent JoeAnne Hicks in the June 6 general election.

Neither Hicks nor Holloway had any comment about Rinaldi’s withdrawal Saturday evening. Neither Geoghegan nor Todd could be reached for comment.