NATCHEZ &045; In business, those who excel are those who are open to ideas and leads from a variety of sources &045; and mayoral candidate Mike Thompson believes the same type of approach will help lead Natchez back to prosperity.

Thompson is starting to put together a &uot;think tank&uot; committee on the problems of the city &045; an idea he said came from Natchez resident Shirley Wheatley &045; with subcommittees devoted to topics such as recreation, tourism, economic development and more. Citizens have stepped up to help with many of those subcommittees, he said.

&uot;They don’t make decisions,&uot; Thompson said. &uot;They make solutions.&uot;

Thompson, a businessman for 36 years, said that although he does not believe a mayor should oversee such think tanks, he would like to see them continue.

Such groups would not only identify Natchez’s greatest needs, but would research solutions to those problems and find funding sources to pay for those solutions. Only then, Thompson said, would group representatives approach the Board of Aldermen with their findings, asking the board to find matching grants or give other assistance.

Think tank participants &uot;could come up with solutions I could never dream of,&uot; Thompson said. &uot;We’ve not even tried to tap the talent that’s available here. People are giving me all kinds of ideas. We’ve got bright people, and we can turn this (city) around.&uot;

What types of industries does Natchez need to concentrate on recruiting? One solution, Thompson said, is to seek out larger corporations that are looking to locate satellite operations in places with a lower cost of living for employees that are just starting out. Thompson compared this concept to that of pro baseball’s &uot;farm teams.&uot;

&uot;You’ll pay $375,000 for a starter home in the San Fernando Valley,&uot; Thompson said. &uot;For the down payment on that home, you can have a better home in Natchez.&uot;

Another selling point is that Natchez has a better quality of life than many of the nation’s business and industrial centers. &uot;I just talked to someone in Detroit, and it’s snowing there. Cars are rusting out from the salt on the streets. We don’t realize the conditions other people are living in,&uot; Thompson said.

&uot;Our problems are tied to the fact that we have no jobs. … We can’t take another four years at this juncture,&uot; he said, adding that, rather than raising taxes or blindly slashing the city’s budget, he would like to see the city’s revenues increased by bringing in new businesses.

&uot;As a businessman, if I have no incoming business, no sales or revenue, we’re got to go out and create those sales. That’s just business.&uot;

Thompson said he has already been talking to contacts in business as far as China about doing business with Natchez companies &045; and he said Natchez needs a mayor with his business experience and contacts.

If elected, Thompson said he would act as a cheerleader for economic development, with the Economic Development Authority acting as the &uot;deal closer.&uot;

Still, prospects &uot;may want to talk to the mayor, but first I think it’s important for them to talk to other businesspeople,&uot; Thompson said. &uot;(Those businesspeople) might say, ‘We’re in the toilet now, but we have excellent leadership and things are turning around, … and homes here are a steal.&uot;

Thompson has some ideas for boosting tourism, from starting an artist community to encouraging downtown business owners to lengthen their weekend store hours. &uot;But we have to decide whether we’re going to be a tourism city,&uot; he said.

Yet Thompson said the mayor’s focus, above all else, must now be attracting and retaining jobs above all else. &uot;To all of these other questions, I say, ‘I’ve got to put you on hold for a while. I’ve got to concentrate on jobs.&uot;