The Natchez Downtown Development Association should not become a political football. The group has, however, certainly taken more than its fair share of kicks in the last few years.

Natchez city officials delivered a near-fatal blow in November 2009 by cutting the group’s primary source of funding.

Although the funding was not huge in the grand scheme of city spending, its impact on NDDA was enough to send the group’s full-time director packing.

NDDA plays an important role in promoting our historic downtown. The abrupt nature in which the City dropped the funding was disappointing.

Fortunately, volunteers continue to work many of the group’s existing events and have become creative on fundraising efforts.

Last week, Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton suggested the group be adopted by Natchez Inc., the city-county economic development organization.

Such a move needs to be carefully considered to see if it actually makes sense — on the surface the match doesn’t seem a good fit.

While we believe Natchez Inc. needs a strong retail arm, to avoid putting all our economic eggs in one basket, simply absorbing an existing entity may not be a wise thing.

In its present state, NDDA’s mission is vastly different than Natchez Inc.’s.

Natchez Inc. is aimed at recruiting and retaining jobs. NDDA’s mission has mostly been geared toward events and promotions of historic downtown Natchez.

Natchez has a history of trying to put square pegs in round holes sometimes just because it may seem convenient. We’d urge caution here. If it doesn’t fit, we should not force it.