Robert Costa wants voters to know that &uot;hope is easy.&uot; The letters in the phrase spell out the basis of Costa’s platform in his campaign for Natchez’s mayor.

Running as an independent, Costa will not have to run in the May 2 Democratic primary. Instead he faces the winner of that race, along with independent Phillip West, in the June 6 general election.

Costa said he believes Natchez needs honesty, organization, progress and expansion — the &uot;hope&uot; in &uot;hope is easy.&uot;

Costa, who owns T.A.S.S. House Antiques and T.A.S.S. House Bed and Breakfast, said Natchez’s hospitality is among its greatest assets.

&uot;The hospitality, the generosity — no one touches it,&uot; he said.

Costa said he believes Natchez needs to continue using that hospitality to build on the tourism industry. He wants to see the city expand its advertising of tourism sites such as antebellum houses. Costa also said he believes tour tickets should be taxed, a function he knows would require legislative approval.

But Costa knows jobs associated with tourism — waiting tables and guiding tours, for example — aren’t high-paying.

&uot;But that’s not the only thing we want to do; that’s not the only thing we can do,&uot; Costa said.

&uot;There is so much room for expansion. The biggest asset we have is the river, and it hasn’t been used in 100 years. We’ve got to change more than attitude.&uot;

Costa believes that Natchez needs to attract more industries with higher-paying jobs.

He said he believes one hindrance to attracting industry, at least downtown, is the ban on tall buildings.

&uot;I would repeal the ordinance against three-story buildings,&uot; he said. &uot;If you wanted to build a corporate headquarters in downtown Natchez, you couldn’t do it.&uot;

And as a downtown business owner, Costa, who has lived in Natchez for 22 years, said he has seen the area busier than it is today.

&uot;Downtown Natchez used to be a thriving metropolis for a small town,&uot; Costa said. &uot;People would come in from everywhere.&uot;

Costa has been vocal about downtown parking problems. He said he would like to see a downtown parking garage or underground parking facility.

Costa is opposed to the city’s not building a parking lot with the new convention center.

&uot;How do we build a convention center without a parking lot?&uot; Costa said. &uot;People haven’t wanted to come downtown. The problem isn’t the parking lot — it’s whether (the city) wants to build it.&uot;

Costa said that as mayor he would continue the city’s practice of going after grants. For example, he would try to get a grant for library computers from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The rest of Costa’s slogan &uot;hope is easy&uot; stands for integrity, sincerity, education, accountability, service and &uot;yes&uot; – to each of the other terms.

Costa said service is the main function of a city government — to provide everything from law and order, schools and libraries to water, waste treatment, sanitation and streets. And as for recreation, Costa said he would like to see the city provide another swimming pool for youth. The Duncan Park pool is about 50 years old and has had its share of problems.

&uot;I’d have not only fixed the swimming pool, I’d have built another one,&uot; he said.

&uot;It is not the function of city government to interfere or compete with private industry or wield high-handed control over its citizens and their rights,&uot;&160;he writes in his platform.

In the future, Costa said he would like to see Natchez grow by 25 percent — increasing the population to about 25,000 people. &uot;The population of Natchez hasn’t fluctuated in 10 years,&uot; he said. &uot;And I feel it’s going down some more.&uot;

When Costa announced his candidacy, he said he wanted more people to enter the race for mayor, and he wanted to decrease the complacency of Natchez voters.

Since he announced his candidacy, three other people qualified to run, in addition to incumbent Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown.

So Costa believes he’s won part of his battle already.

&uot;If the people in Natchez want a change, maybe they’ll get on my wagon, or let me get on theirs, whatever the case may be,&uot; Costa said. &uot;But I’m batting 1.000.&uot;