NATCHEZ — The deadline for qualifications for mayor and aldermen was Friday and now the candidates are ready to swing into campaigning.

Three candidates qualified for mayor — incumbent Mayor Phillip West, Charles “Chick” Graning and current Alderman Jake Middleton.

The slate for aldermen includes 21 candidates across six wards.

West, a Democrat, is running for re-election because he wants to keep the city moving in its current direction, he said.

“I feel I’ve done a good job,” he said. “The city has made progress and I want to continue to help the city make progress.”

Most importantly, he wants to see some major projects he’s been working on to the end.

“There are many projects that we are working on that are real important in the community and I’d like to bring them to fruition,” he said.

Such projects include the Forks of the Road, St. Catherine Creek developments, the Natchez Trails project and a proposed recreational complex development.

“All of those things are very important and we’re at various stages in all of them. They’re very important for the future of our community,” West said.

Graning, who is running as an independent, said he qualified last Thursday in response to requests from Natchez citizens and businessman asking him to run for mayor.

They wanted somebody who hasn’t been involved in a government job before, he said.

He said there are some benefits for a fresh face being in office.

“I would not have preconceived ideas for things,” Graning said.

He said he had never given running for mayor a thought before now.

Graning is semi-retired and has worked for Aflac for approximately 16 years. He also taught economics in high school and coached high school and college football for 18 years.

He said he is currently working on his platform and would like to wait until he started campaigning to disclose the information.

“The main thing is, I am for Natchez,” he said. “And that’s all aspects of Natchez and each and every citizen of Natchez.”

Middleton, who is running as a Democrat, said the timing is right for him to run for mayor.

Being an alderman for 16 years, he’s worked under four administrations and he’s now ready to step up.

“I can and am very capable of taking the city to the next level,” Middleton said.

He said he wants to work with legislators to get money to overlay the four major arteries in town, St. Catherine, Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr. and Homochitto streets.

“I feel good about that because these roads are tied into economic development,” he said.

Middleton’s worked with recreation for 13 years and wants to see a recreational facility developed for city and county residents.

He wants city and county government consolidation and he also wants to increase the amount and pay of law enforcement officers, he said.

Ward 1

Running for Alderman Ward 1 are Jim Sanders, Sonya Anderson-Mars, Paul Johnson and incumbent Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis. All four are running as Democrats.

Sanders was born and raised in Natchez and is retired.

He ran for alderman four years ago and since then, he said has always wanted to be involved in the city.

“I’ve been very active in board meetings and supervisor meetings to keep abreast of what’s going on,” Sanders said.

Mars, a guidance counselor for Canton Public Schools, said she is running to serve her ward.

“I want to represent the constituents in my area and just bring about a change in the community in which I live,

she said.

She wants to take care of eyesore buildings and properties in Ward 1 because she said it sends a bad message to the community. She also said she’d like to work on the ward’s streets and the neighborhood watch program.

Johnson, currently the Natchez Fire Department chief who has announced plans to retire, said he’s running because he wants to make a difference in city government.

“The city government needs a change and I think I can be a part of that change,” Johnson said.

He said he believes taxpayer’s money could be spent better and the city could be run better.

His time spent as fire chief has prepared him for that type of management, he said.

“I have managed a $2 million budget every year and as chief I have never gone over budget,” he said.

Mathis said she considered not running for re-election but was approached by constituents asking her to run.

She said this played into her decision to run but also she wants to see some major projects she’s been working completed.

One of them is the Natchez storm water/north Natchez drainage project.

She said phase 1 was completed, which was fixing drainage problems on Canal Street, but a lack of funds stopped work on phase 2.

She said she also wants to see drainage improvements on Zoa Street completed.

“These have been on the burner long enough to make me want to stay to see those to fruition,” she said.

“Because I am retiring from the school system, I’ll have ore time to spend working and lobbying on these particular issues.”

Ward 2

For Ward 2, the candidates, all Democrats, are current Alderman James “Ricky” Gray, Larry E. Hooper and Johnny Franklin.

Gray said he has chosen to run for re-election because his job is not done yet.

“I feel that I have not won all the battles, but I’m going to keep fighting until I accomplish what I need to accomplish for Ward 2,” he said.

Gray has lived his whole life in Natchez and he said he grew up in Ward 2, which is important to the job he does.

“I love my area,” Gray said. “I feel like in order to address some of these problems we have in Ward 2, you’ve got to live in Ward 2 because the person who doesn’t live in Ward 2 doesn’t really know what the battle is all about.”

Hooper said he is not a career politician and he is running only for the good of the city.

“There’s a total lack of leadership and vision for the most part,” he said of the community’s current state.

He said he wants to see increased recreation for the youth.

“We need to be as proactive as possible to keep our youth out of the penal system,” he said.

Hooper is currently principal at William Winans Middle School in Centreville and was principal at Robert Lewis Middle School in Natchez last year.

Franklin has worked for the Natchez Fire Department as a firefighter for almost 32 years and lived in Natchez his entire life except for his time spent in the military.

He is an Air Force veteran and spent a year in Vietnam.

Franklin has served on several boards and he said this makes him qualified for the position.

Franklin said he would like to rid neighborhoods of drugs, repair city streets, and protect senior citizens and children of Natchez, if elected.

“I want to do something to give the children a decent atmosphere to grow up in,” he said.

Ward 3

Gwen Ball, current Alderman Bob Pollard and Johnny Waycaster are running for Ward 3. Pollard is a Republican; Ball and Waycaster are Democrats.

Ball said her reason for running is because she would like to see transparency in the government, especially when it comes to the spending of tax dollars and also following Sunshine laws.

The retired registered nurse, who’s lived in Natchez since 1973, also would like to see unwavering laws.

“We need stability and consistency in our zoning laws and other regulatory policies and the reason we need that is so we can attract businesses and industries for jobs,” Ball said.

Pollard said he’s running again because he enjoyed the first four years so much and also he wants to see existing projects completed.

But some projects already have.

“One of the platforms I ran on my first term was I wanted to be part of the team that brought Natchez back to prosperity and I think we’ve succeeded in that with all the new construction and projects for the City of Natchez,” he said.

He said, if re-elected, he’d like to see streets improved and have pay raises for law enforcement officers.

Waycaster said he is running for a myriad of reasons.

“(I decided to run) to offer the community a proactive approach to leadership, an approach that involves planning and budgetary forecasting, accountability, fiscal responsibility,” he said.

The issues he’d like to address are paving roads, creating a recreation facility and streamlining city and county government.

“Consolidation, it makes sense,” Waycaster said.

The owner of Waycaster and Associates Architects, he said he’s qualified because he’s lived in Natchez for 53 years.

“I’ve been involved from the other side for many years in my professional practice and in the process of living and working in Natchez I have observed city politics,” he said.

Ward 4

The candidates for Ward 4 are current Alderman Theodore “Bubber” West, Ernest “Tony” Fields and Donnell Newsome, all Democrats.

West said he’s running for re-election because there is a need for someone on the board with a lot of experience, especially with the two open wards.

He said he can bring his 17 and a half years of experience to the table.

“My experience will help to perpetuate and prepare the projects that we have formulated and I want to see (them) to the end,” West said.

“We have a lot of empty, vacant lots in this city where affordable housing can be built and help revitalize the neighborhood.”

He said although he’s had some health issues in the past, he’s fine now.

“I am 100 percent healthy so I’m ready to campaign, hit the trail and tackle any issues that people want to talk about, debate anybody, anywhere because I know city government and I want to serve,” he said.

Fields, an assistant principal at Frazier Primary School, said he wants to focus on education.

“We’re going to have to make sure that our focus is on children and educating children,” he said. “Children are the most important thing right now.”

He said he also wants to see the city streets and eye-sore houses cleaned up.

Newsome said he is running because he thinks he is qualified.

“I believe it’s time for a change and I’m the right man for the job,” he said.

A retired teacher from the Natchez-Adams School District and current eighth-grade math teacher at Ferriday Junior High, Newsome wants to focus on educational reform.

“My No. 1 goal would be to work with the school system to get our schools up to a level that’s accountable with the rest of the state,” he said.

Ward 5

Running for Ward 6 is Mark Fortenbery, Andy Pressgrove, Charles Zuccaro, Tim Sessions and Frances Thompson Bailey. Zuccaro is a Republican; the others are Democrats.

Fortenbery is a lifelong resident of Natchez and is the president of Fortenbery Operating.

After he attended college he was able to come back to Natchez and begin his career. He said he wants that for the future of the city’s children.

“The main thing I want to improve is the whole City of Natchez, to make it more attractive to people and younger people to come back and have togetherness,” he said.

Pressgrove said he has been considering running for this position for several years but he did not want to run against neighbor and current Aldermen David Massey.

The sales representative for Hanson Pipe and Precast said his experience as a salesman qualifies him for the job.

A few things he’d like to see done are fixing the streets, making the city more attractive and getting more industry in the city.

Pressgrove has lived in Natchez since 1960 except for the three years he was in the military.

“I’ve been around a while and I have seen the city go through a lot of different turmoils,” he said. “I think I can make a difference. I’m an enthusiastic guy and I think enthusiasm makes a difference in a lot of things.”

Zuccaro said he decided out of the blue to run for the position.

“I thought maybe we could make a difference, make a change,” he said.

He wants to see improvements of roads and an increase in law enforcement officers and firemen.

“I think we have a critical shortage of firemen and policemen,” he said.

He’s the co-owner of a wholesale petroleum and gas business. He is in business with his family and he wishes the city could be run like his business.

Bailey, a retired employee of Natchez Water Works, said it is time for a change.

Bailey, who volunteers with the local schools and the Girl Scouts, said one of her key concerns is the lack of recreation facilities in town.

Sessions could not be reached for comments.

Ward 6

Candidates in Ward 6 are Daniel “Dan” Dillard, Forrest Foster and David Nations, all Democrats.

Dillard, who works as an architect and engineer for Waycaster and Associates, said his background in engineering and architecture will help him in the position.

“(It) has taught me to identify problems early, to seek out solutions and reach a consensus with others toward a goal,” Dillard said.

He’s been in Natchez for the last 16 years and sees that a lot can be done in the city.

He’d like to work on bringing recreational facilities into the city, help law enforcement and promote economic growth, he said.

Foster said he’s been thinking about running for the position for eight years.

“Now is just the time, I just feel like I’d be a real good person to step in,” he said.

He said he would like to bring more jobs into the city and bring something other than just tourism and casinos to bring in visitors. He wants to do this through recreation.

Foster is a co-owner of Foster Motor Company.

Nations could not be reached for comment.

Other races

City Clerk Donnie Holloway, Municipal Judge Jim C. Blough and Municipal Executive Committee member Beverly L. Merrill all qualified to run for their seats unopposed.