The City of Natchez operates under what’s called a strong board, weak mayor form of government.

But don’t tell that to the five men vying for the city’s chief executive officer position.

None of those men want voters to think of themselves as “weak.”

The reality is that while the Natchez mayor may not have a vote — except in the case of a tiebreaker — the mayor can shrug off the “weak” moniker. The mayor can lead the city by building consensus among the aldermen and providing a vision for the city’s department heads.

Voters in the city’s May 1 primary election and later the June 5 general election have a myriad of options from which to choose.

Perhaps it’s just our imaginations, but it seems as if the city’s voting populace is much more interested in this race than many of the past competitions.

To that end, voters are asking lots and lots of questions of candidates, and that’s a great thing.

We’ve always felt when it comes to voters choosing their elected representatives in government that they cannot have too much information.

That’s what led to today’s large question and answer for the five Natchez mayoral candidates. Most of the questions actually came from our readers.

We appreciate the great interest in the most important, if accurately described as weak, person in city government.

A well-informed voter is a voter who can make smart decisions on the city’s future.