With a new mayor — whether it is F.L. &uot;Hank&uot; Smith or Robert F. Costa — inevitable, members of the Natchez Board of Aldermen are looking ahead at the next four years under a new administration.

Smith, who beat incumbent Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown in last week’s runoff for the Democratic nomination, faces independent Costa in the June 6 general election.

Ward 4 Alderman Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West said he thinks it is &uot;premature&uot; to talk about a new administration until a new mayor is in place.

&uot;I think it’s premature to comment on the election until after the election results are in and certified and all protests are cleared,&uot; West said.

Brown has not yet made a decision on whether he will contest the close results of the May 16 primary runoff. Just 253 votes separated Smith and Brown, and Brown has alleged some election misconduct at polling places that day.

Still, West said he is committed to working with whoever will occupy the mayor’s office.

&uot;We are prepared to work for the betterment of Natchez when we take office July 1,&uot; he said. &uot;We are committed to working the next four years to be sure Natchez shows the progress it’s shown over the last eight years. We’re committed to working with whoever’s in office to make sure we can work to make Natchez the place we all want to live.

&uot;It’s exciting times. There’s lots of new ideas out there,&uot; said West, who again emphasized he thinks it is premature to talk about a new administration until a new mayor is elected.

Ward 5 Alderman David Massey predicts Smith will win the election.

&uot;I’m looking forward to four years of real progress,&uot; Massey said. &uot;Hank Smith is a friend of mine, and I think Hank Smith will be the next mayor. I hope he looks for support from the board of aldermen.

&uot;I&160;hope he has no hidden agenda, because if he does the next four years could be very good for Natchez or they could be very bad for Natchez.&uot;

Neither Massey nor Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux see any major changes ahead for some of the city’s pending projects.

Smith has said he would like to explore the possibility of suspending construction on the downtown convention center in order to merge it with the Natchez Visitor Reception Center.

And Costa has said he supports the convention center but wants to see parking included with the project.

&uot;(With) all of the projects that are existing (and) with the strong board that we have right now, I don’t see us changing anything,&uot; Massey said. &uot;I’m looking forward to the next four years as years of real progress.&uot;

Arceneaux said there is room to explore some minor changes for the convention center. She said she believes the voters have some concerns about it that need to be addressed, such as parking and the possibility for cheaper rates to rent the facility for local residents.

&uot;Nobody in their right mind is going to leave that convention center undone,&uot; Arceneaux said. &uot;We need to study to make sure what we’re getting is what we want.&uot;

Arceneaux said she also wants to help new Ward 2 Alderman James &uot;Ricky&uot; Gray adjust to his new position.

&uot;I think this is going to be a learning board,&uot; she said. &uot;The learning curve is not only on me having been elected to my second term. We need to make sure we are inclusive of all newly elected officials.&uot;

Arceneaux said she hopes the city will be more inclusive as department heads work with the mayor and board of aldermen on city projects &uot;so all of us are starting on page one together.&uot;

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sue Stedman, Ward 6 Alderman Jake Middleton and Gray could not be reached for comment.