NATCHEZ &045; The mayor’s life is a busy one, Phillip West told Natchez Rotary Club members at their Wednesday meeting at the Carriage House Restaurant.

Since his taking office in July, West said, he has &uot;learned the meaning of working 24/7.&uot;

&uot;I’ve had over 3,000 phone calls, from one resident in a nursing home asking me to call her attorney and make him call her back to another resident calling to ask me to make her son give her gun back,&uot;

he said.

As mayor, he has tried to attend every meeting important to city business, he said, including HUD meetings, Natchez Economic Development Authority meetings and others.

He has been in close contact with state and federal officials, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, state EDA Director Leland Speed, U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering and the state’s two senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran.

Many influential Natchezians, some still in the city and others in faraway places across the country, have contacted him to offer help, West said.

&uot;We have more potential than any other community in this state. We just need to make the necessary adjustments and move forward.&uot;

The day-to-day work of the office is demanding, West said. &uot;But I’m not complaining. It’s an experience beyond what I had imagined. I’m excited and optimistic about the future of Natchez.&uot;