So, candidates, are you listening? With Concordia Parish primaries on tap for Tuesday and a whole slew of hopefuls newly joining the ballot in Natchez, voters have given us a laundry list of what they want for our communities &045;&045; and what they want in a leader.

A positive vision. Honesty. Aggressive leadership. A unique approach. Energy. Those are just a few of the qualities voters want &045;&045; and that’s just the half of it.

They also want industry and jobs, cleaner towns, better infrastructure.

In Natchez, they want someone who will beef up tourism, but who also won’t forget about the non-tourism-related industries and workers.

In Ferriday, they want solutions to street and water problems, but they also want someone who will clean up downtown.

All in all, it’s a pretty tall order, and we need to candidates who will listen to all of those ideas and determine the right path for our future.

But with wish list in hand, we as voters now need to take responsibility for our choices. Consider all of the candidates &045;&045; their experience, their ideas, their initiative, their character &045;&045; and choose the right people for the job.

We are on the verge of a different future for the Miss-Lou. With many of our traditional manufacturing plants closed, we have to look for new ideas for the economy &045;&045; and a new generation of leaders must be prepared to take us forward.

In Ferriday, voters have just days left to begin making their choice for mayor; in Natchez we have several weeks. We urge voters to pay close attention to the candidates &045;&045; and to make sure they vote on election day.