Sometimes getting what you want can be more difficult than just wanting what you don’t have.

For nearly four years, the City of Natchez operated either without a city planner or with ones that were largely ineffective.

Work bogged down at times; boards couldn’t function well sometimes because simple things and basic communication wasn’t happening.

A few months ago, the city employed a new city planner, John “Rusty” Lewis, and he has found himself at the center of several controversies.

Unfortunately, the controversies have unnerved some residents and business owners.

From the ongoing spitball match between owners of the new Fat Mama’s Tamales to now a fight over the future of antebellum Arlington and the former First Baptist Church building, the city planner has been busy.

And that’s a good thing.

Natchez needs a strong city planner.

Natchez needs historic preservation.

And Natchez needs to realize that in such a historic city residents will often bump heads with one another on disputes regarding planning and preservation.

Despite naysayers who criticize Natchez’s historic preservation rules and planning regulations, the laws are there for good reasons.

Periodically, our governments should review those laws, bring them up for public discussion and consider changing them where necessary but only for good reason.

Many of the current conflicts occurred because of either poor communication from the planner’s office or poorly enforced laws.

The problem isn’t with the laws; the problems are that the laws haven’t been applied fairly and correctly for at least four years.

Natchez wanted a city planner to get things done and it appears we have one now — thankfully.