NATCHEZ — Former Natchez mayor Phillip West has seen the progression.

During the first eight years of his 17 years on the Adams County Board of Supervisors, he was the only black man on the board.

“It took the U.S. Department of Justice and redistricting to get another elected and that was Thomas “Boo” Campbell in 1988,” West said.

From 1980-1997 he said he experienced a lot of racial tension.

When he left the board and joined the legislature from 1997-2004, he said he still saw clear racial division.

“There are always issues that come up from time to time, whatever arena you may be in, where race issues are the No. 1 determining factor,” he said.

West said he was shocked in 2004 when he was elected as the first black mayor of Natchez since Reconstruction.

“It was something that I never anticipated nor expected,” he said.

And now, he’s on his way to serve as a delegate for the first black presidential candidate in the history of the nation.

Another ex-mayor mayor, Tony Byrne said he’s not surprised that Barack Obama is such a viable candidate for U.S. president.

“It shows how far race relations have come,” Byrne said. “We’ve come a long way.”

And though the nation has come a long way and Obama is a qualified candidate, local officials believe his qualifications may be lost under the color of his skin.

Can we be color blind?

West said votes that come along racial lines exist and it is the cold, hard truth. He’s experienced it himself and said it’s hurt him.

“It’s always hurtful to everybody when voting is prioritized based on race 90 to 95 percent of the time,” he said.

“That’s been my experience in my area, and it used to be 100 percent.”

David Breaux, head of the department of political science and public administration at Mississippi State University, said racial voting is undeniable.

“There’s definitely racial voting,” he said.

And Natchez Alderman James “Ricky” Gray said that’s just the way people’s minds are wired.

“Everything we do in life, the bottom line is gender and race,” he said.

West said sometimes, more important issues are sacrificed because of skin color.

“Many people will vote against their own interest based on race, and it’s just a fact,” West said.

Breaux said race won’t necessarily displace other issues, but it may be the extra factor that helps a voter swing from one side of the fence to the other.

He said people will vote for candidates that they strictly feel comfortable with.

“I think (voters) use some shortcut rules or mechanisms to arrive at those kinds of decisions,” he said.

Often, voters are comfortable with the incumbent or with someone who is a typical Republican or a typical Democrat.

He said this election is unusual though, because neither of those deciding factors is clearly present.

“You don’t have an incumbent (and) you have two candidates who aren’t seen as being in the mainstream of their party. (John) McCain is seen as a maverick on the Republican side, and Obama is not the typical Democratic candidate,” Breaux said.

Without an incumbent, the voter wants to grab on to something else. This time around, race is an easy hook.

Race is such an apparent factor that Breaux said the candidates don’t even have to address it.

“It’s so obvious they don’t need to spend a lot of time and energy on it,” he said.

West said, however, he thinks the candidates are walking on eggshells around the race issue.

“It is a (top issue) they try to dance around on TV all the time, but it’s the major determining factor in this election,” West said.

Of course, not every voter will vote along race lines, West said.

“I think there are a few people, a small minority, that have grown beyond that,” he said, but it’s a minority.

Former Natchez alderman Theodore “Bubber” West said he fits in the minority.

“Race is not the primary focus,” he said.

And Gray is hopeful race won’t be the determining factor.

“Close your eyes and listen to the issues and then open your eyes back up and vote for the ones who bring the best (solutions,)” Gray said.

He said with what’s going on in the nation, it’s not about black and white.

“You’ve got blacks, whites, Asians, everybody hurting,” Gray said. “This shouldn’t be a black and white issue but who can do the best to bring country out of what we’re in right now.”

The Rev. Clifton Marvel, vice president of the Natchez branch of the NAACP, said he’s happy the first legitimate black candidate is one who is qualified.

“It’s very fulfilling as a black male to see the day when a man of color would be recognized for what he is,” he said.

Alderman West said he never thought he’d see the day when it could happen, though his parents always told him it would.

“I’m proud to be alive in a time where it’s possible,” he said.

Marvel said it’s not something that just happened over time.

“This progression is a result of blood, sweat and tears on behalf of some of white America and all of black America,” Marvel said.