Hank Smith had a chance to leave Natchez once. But he didn’t want to leave his hometown. Smith, a Democratic mayoral candidate, worked for BellSouth in Natchez for 22 years. When they began downsizing, he had the opportunity to move with the company. But instead he chose to stay in the city.

&uot;I had lived here all my life,&uot; he said. &uot;I was raising my children here. I didn’t want to leave Natchez.&uot;

So Smith tried his hand at selling insurance, getting his securities license. &uot;That’s a tough job to break into when you’re in your 40s,&uot; he said.

Then the chance to open a gift shop came along, and Smith opened Hullabaloo Gifts downtown.

Smith faces incumbent Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown and fellow business owner John &uot;Pulley Bone&uot; Pullen in the May 2 Democratic primary. The winner of that race faces independents Robert F. Costa and Phillip &uot;Bucket&uot; West in the June 6 general election.

Smith said one of the reasons he decided to run for mayor is the restrictions and regulations on the tourism industry. &uot;That’s what got me in this race,&uot; he said. &uot;To say you’re for tourism and then to add fees and to add permits isn’t right.&uot;

Smith believes the city should support tourism — and try to attract industry as well. &uot;I don’t think we need to put all of our eggs in one basket,&uot; he said. &uot;Tourism is only one slice of the pie. We have got to get some good-paying jobs in here.&uot;

Smith said Natchez voters have been telling him they want to see progress in job creation.

&uot;They want to see a concerted effort at getting good-paying jobs,&uot; Smith said. &uot;They’re telling me the grants (the city has received) are great but they do not sustain jobs.&uot;

Smith said city government should be run as business is run.

&uot;You’ve got to run government like I run my business,&uot; Smith said. &uot;I don’t think you need to obligate the people of this town to a huge bond issue without putting it to a vote.&uot;

In the future, Smith said he would like to see Natchez’s population trend reversed.

&uot;I’d like to start bringing people back to Natchez on a permanent basis,&uot; he said. &uot;We’re got to create good-paying jobs, jobs that will allow parents to support a family.&uot;

Smith has said he thinks Natchez should concentrate on some of its current resources — such as timber, the river and farmland.

&uot;We can do a lot more than we’ve already done,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;Lumber mills do a great job, but we don’t have a user for that resource.&uot;

As far as recreation, Smith said

&uot;We’re dealing with the same facilities now that I had when I was a kid,&uot; he said. &uot;We have even less facilities for summer league baseball.&uot;

Smith said he doesn’t know how much it would cost to build the St. Catherine Village Sports Complex, which the city has proposed to build next to Natchez High School on land rented from the National Park Service. &uot;I’d like to see something that’s a little more attainable in the near future,&uot;&160;Smith said.

Smith said one of his qualifications to run for mayor is that he knows &uot;the difference between right from wrong.&uot;

&uot;I live by hard work and clean living,&uot; he said.

Smith, an avid outdoorsman, said his favorite things about Natchez are its view of the river, cleanliness, historic houses and hunting and fishing opportunities.