It is a sad day when our economy is measured by how many bars (beer joints), gambling boats and places to eat we have in Natchez.

Mr. Iles thinks we need to forget about real jobs that are part of industries that pay living wages and would be producing something that is real and can be used and sold for real money. It seems he thinks tourism is all we need. Tourism is good, but it produces a very small amount of our economy and pays very low wages.

It seems that the mayor and aldermen have nothing but playing and having fun on their minds. All you hear is money for ball fields, tennis courts, walking trails and balloon races. These things are used by a small percent of people in Adams County and produce no jobs. Old houses and our history make money for people that already have money, not for people that need a job.

You wonder why mayors are voted out on a regular basis. People are trying to find someone who can handle the job. Vicksburg, Brookhaven, McComb and even Vidalia are leaving Natchez in the dust. They are smart and look for much more than tourism only.

Mr. Iles writes fiction books (make believe) and must live in a fiction world if he thinks tourism is all we need. Old houses, places to eat, gambling that steals your money, loud beer joints that puts drunks on our roads ain’t gonna get it done.

I hope our supervisors are not listening to this guy. They need to get real jobs here. I think they are doing a pretty good job to get jobs here that bring taxes and more taxes. Bring recreation, more good jobs and maybe some growth. However, I prefer no gambling and no beer joints. I think Natchez needs to ease up on commercial regulations.

Herbert Braswell

Natchez resident