NATCHEZ — Ward 2 hopeful Larry E. Hooper Jr. has withdrawn from the race citing several reasons.

Hooper said he has recently been asked to serve as the commissioner for T.M. Jennings Little League Baseball.

He said by accepting the position, it would take up a lot of his time during the evening, making him unavailable for city duties.

Also, as a middle school principal in Centreville, with MCT-2 tests around the corner, he said he needs to be focused on that instead of campaigning.

“This is a critical part of the year,” he said.

Hooper said another reason he with withdrew was because his residency in Ward 2 was questioned.

Hooper said he owns a residence in Ward 2, however.

While trying to set the record straight and prove that he was eligible to run as a candidate for alderman, he ran into too many hurdles that kept setting him back.

Though he only notified the proper parties that he is no longer in the race around a week ago, for him, it’s been over for a while.

“I stopped campaigning about two months ago,” he said.

His name will still be on the ballot, because he requested its removal too late.

Hooper said he wanted people to be informed of his withdrawal so there would be no wasted votes today.

He said by being the commissioner for the baseball league and a full-time principal, he will be still be giving back — one of his major reasons for running for office.

“That’ll be my way of giving back to the community,” Hooper said. “My heart is still in helping the community.”