A crowd of friends, family and well-wishers filled the new Natchez Community Center Wednesday evening, showing their support and appreciation of Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown.

&uot;It’s a great tribute to Butch Brown and to what he’s done in the past eight years,&uot; said Ward 5 Alderman David Massey of the crowd’s size.

In a tribute of her own, Natchez native and columnist Jack Kelly read a poem titled, &uot;Our Kind of Leader,&uot; which she composed in honor of the occasion. &uot;It won’t be the same without him around;&uot; Kelly read, &uot;There’ll never be a leader like Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown.&uot;

Lee Jones, a friend and supporter of Brown, helped to organize the reception. &uot;We shouldn’t be sad, because we’ve got his programs going here for years to come,&uot; Jones told the crowd.

Brown said he was &uot;overwhelmed&uot; by the turnout. &uot;It’s really a lot of fun to see these people take time out of their day to come see us,&uot; he said.

Publicly thanking his wife, Shields, Brown said, &uot;Nobody could do what all we could do without a great lady like her.&uot;

He also recognized the support of friends and family. &uot;Great friends and great family allow you to do the things I’ve been doing for eight years,&uot; he said.

Brown commended the citizens of Natchez for their commitment to the community and praised volunteers as the &uot;backbone of the city.&uot;

Brown thanked his supporters for allowing him to serve Natchez for the past eight years, calling his term the &uot;best time of my life.&uot;

&uot;I hope when it’s all said and done, I represented the city,&uot; he said. &uot;I&160;represented you.&uot;