Saturday, February 10, 2007

A Wakening Giant

The recent excellent editorials regarding the problems in our City and County governments by Ben Hillyer and Kevin Cooper are just the latest of a series of ever more probing and insightful observations in the Democrat.

The basic obligation of a town's (only) newspaper is the keep the Community informed about things that impact on its people. We can't know the things we need to know to make rational judgements if we only have an informal "grapevine" to spread the word. We NEED a document of record to sort things out and make the record public and permanent. The Democrat is making giant steps to fulfilling that need.

Our Paper is coming of age and we and they will be better off for it.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry. Left-wing slothy editorials are certainly not an accurate documentation of the record of the city.

Anonymous said...

whoever wrote this: "Sorry. Left-wing slothy editorials are certainly not an accurate documentation of the record of the city" ... must be the person who is voting hundreds of times on the Democrat's online poll -- in support of breaking the law! In support of elected city officials breaking STATE LAW.

I know one person who told me that she had personally voted 50 times on the online poll. She says, all you have to do is delete your "cookies" and then you can vote over and over again.

I reported this to the Democrat. Their response was that the poll is not scientific.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me?

Are you saying that only "left wing liberals" support the rule of law?

I consider myself a conservative. And I am appalled by Phillip C. West's BLATANT ABUSE OF POWER AND BLATANT VIOLATION OF LOCAL, STATE AND MOST LIKELY FEDERAL LAW.

We'll see.

Anonymous said...

Whoever wrote that first comment is as delusional as the Mayor himself.

Anonymous said...

I agree. The Natchez Democrat is quite bias in its reporting. If it is something that the "haves" of Natchez are supportive of they go after people and organizations lke a lynch mob.

Anonymous said...

I hesitated bringing this up as I don't want to add gasoline to a fire, but better we have things out in the open and FIGHT them than have them creep up and bite us hard on the butt. Heard that Mayor West wants to use Auburn as the "Mayors House" since it belongs
to the city. I hope to God that this isn't being planned under the radar. If we think he's nuts and emboldened to break the law and tear down the pecan factory in violation of the law, don't think he wouldn't just move into Auburn without any notice or permission.

Anonymous said...

Many people who put Mayor West in office believed he would be unbiased and move Natchez forward for all the people. I would like to believe these voters are socked and dismayed by his behavior.
Realistically, putting West in office was a large, orchestrated,
polical move, by the Natchez money hogs. This has worked nicely for West and his peers. Greed and abuse of power are no strangers to career politicians. Our Mayor and Alderman are weak of mind and soul. While they likely believe they are respected and working in tandem with the Natchez money hogs, they are in reality, being used for the hogs pleasure.
A work comes to mind....ah yes, prostitution.

Anonymous said...

So, anon. above beleive that the HAVES support the law. But the HAVE NOTs support breaking the law.

Which side is Worley-Brown on? HAVE or HAVE NOT?

This discussion is absurd.

We should all be UNITED in our desire for our public officials and our citizens to UPHOLD THE LAW

PERIOD.

This has nothing to do with whether or not you liked the Pecan Factory. I personally wanted it to be torn down.

BUT NOT THIS WAY!

The Mayor is not fit to govern.

Anonymous said...

Hooray for the Democrat! They really stepped up to the plate this time( Sunday morning Opionon , Editorials)...Oh by the way, the poll does not represent the number of people voting, just the number of votes! One person could vote 100 times or more if desired.

Anonymous said...

How can anyone in this town let the mayor get away with his illegal actions. Yes the Pecan Factory is gone...ok...but illegal actions have to be appraised and now. I am looking for a public meeting with the mayor soon...will this happen?

Anonymous said...

The Mayor of Jackson is arrested for destroying crack houses. We all want to see crack houses gone, but his method was against the law. Now Mayor West breaks the law and nothing happens. How is that? Mayor West needs to be held personally accountable just as the Jackson Mayor. Is there a higher authority that can be contacted to review this abuse of power and enforce the law?

Anonymous said...

I hear we need to attend a hearing at the Chacelor Court today around 1:00 and that maybe a permanent injuction for Our Mayor could be enforced?? I'll be there....anybody else?

Anonymous said...

Please give out more information
about the Chancelor Court as it
comes in. Is it true something
is happening at 1pm?

Anonymous said...

Yes. It is true. There is a hearing scheduled for today in the Adams County Chancery Court at 1:30 p.m. Be there for 1:00 p.m. They may start early.

Hank Holmes, Ken P'pool, and the AG's Office of Civil Litigation is enroute to Natchez now.

I just spoke with someone in both of those offices.

Anonymous said...

I won't be able to attend. Please,
please keep us informed of the
hearing as things progress today.

Anonymous said...

Here's what I heard, but wait for the official word:

The parties met behind closed doors for nearly 2 hours with the judge to work out a deal?

1) Worley Brown was dismissed from suit for “no prior knowledge.”
2) The temporary restraining order against city and WB was extended (can’t enter property) til Feb. 23
3) Before 2/23, City and MS Archives & History are ordered to work out a solution. City can’t do anything to clean up until they have a “proper permit.”

So, it seems to me that Judge George Ward is giving them a chance to get the thing “properly permitted” after the fact.

Criminal charges could still be filed.

If you have not written the AG and MDAH, please do so.

This is outrageous and seems to validate the smug attitudes of various "respected" business people around town who have been bragging that breaking the law was a calculated risk on the part of the City and WB. The smug talk is that all that will happen is a "fine" that will not affect the economics of the deal at all. And some of these respected buisness people say that they would have made the same decison as the City and WB allegedly did ...break the law and take the chance.

Anonymous said...

Nothing is going to happen, in my opinion. This is Natchez and the crooks always get away. The only thing that we can really hope for is that God will remember this on judgement day.

As I think about this situation, I am encouraged to pray more for this City. The actions of the elected leaders and others are simply unethical, immoral, and plain wrong. We cannot fight every battle by ourselves. We need some HOLY help. It may benefit us to be still and let God have his way. It is quite evident that He is working in Natchez. The simple fact that all of this happening could be His work. He let's the proud build themselves up and then He tears them down.

I hate that our city is in the state that it is currently in. What can I do? TRUST GOD.

Anonymous said...

The Natchez Democrat failed to note that between 40 and 50 people were present in that court room yesterday. The people spoke by their presence, their participation in the judicial process. And, when Judge Ward apologized for keeping us waiting, he commented that he hadn't realized so many were there waiting for his decision. Larry Brown once got up before MDAH and said that only a handful of people were concerned with what happened on that bluff; the Mayor recently said, in the paper, essentially the same. We, you, made a difference yesterday. You who attended spoke the truth of the matter by your attendance. Yea!