NATCHEZ — Nearly all the candidates in upcoming Natchez municipal elections fielded sometimes pointed questions Friday night at a forum hosted by the Natchez chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Mayoral candidate Larry L. “Butch” Brown, Ward 3 Alderman candidate Bob Pollard and Ward 6 Alderman candidate Forrest Foster were not present at the forum.

Ward 1

Kathy Traina, a Democrat, said she is running for alderman because she realized during the city’s recent negotiations of the third amendment with Magnolia Bluffs Casino developers that the city is lacking transparency.

“You couldn’t get behind it because of the things that were happening,” she said. “I realized you must have the citizens behind you, and I felt I wanted to participate and try to bring the unity needed for the people to be behind everything.”

Incumbent Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, a Democrat, said the main reason she was running was to ensure the North Natchez Drainage Project is completed.

Mathis said with the recent $225,000 grant awarded to the city for the project, she believes the city will soon be able to address to drainage issues on Buckner’s Alley and Marblestone Road.

“I believe we’re almost there, and I want to see the project come to fruition,” she said.

Ward 2

Incumbent James “Rickey” Gray and Billie Joe Frazier, both Democrats, were asked what, if elected, they plan to do to address the city’s poverty problem.

Gray said he has lobbied and worked with state and local officials to address poverty issues while he has been alderman, but he said he believes federal policies need to be changed so the city will be able to help more residents.

“I think all citizens deserve a good quality of life,” Gray said.

Frazier said he believed the city needed to be more open with residents, and he said he believes residents were left out of discussions of the recent casino dealings and the police chief hiring process.

Gray said he has kept residents informed through Neighborhood Watch programs. He said he believes the city needs to be more unified to help residents stay informed.

“I’m going to use this as an example, the NAACP and the chamber of commerce are hosting two different forums,” he said. “What needs to happen is we all need to get together.”