Both Natchez and Ferriday, La., will usher in new eras on Thursday as the communities swear in new mayors: Phillip West and Gene Allen, respectively.

Both mayors will have challenges ahead, with a struggling economy across the Miss-Lou and needed projects and services that cannot be ignored.

But we have high hopes for both men &045;&045; and for the communities that must support them.

In Natchez, West &045;&045; the first black mayor since Reconstruction &045;&045; must balance finding new jobs with supporting the current tourism industry and sustaining services on a tight budget.

West has pledged

to work with other elected officials as well as city department heads to accomplish those goals.

In Ferriday, Allen inherits a water plant debt as well as a downtown revitalization project that stands to receive millions of funds from the state.

But he, too, must work to attract jobs to Ferriday and to Concordia Parish as a whole.

In the meantime, we hope both mayors look not only to residents and other officials in their communities but to Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland as well.

Copeland and Vidalia have had great success with riverfront development and are now focusing on an industrial park.

Copeland’s experience and contacts can serve as a great bridge among the three communities.

But we should all work to support our new mayors and their administrations.

We will not always agree, but we all have the best interest of our communities at heart.