NATCHEZ, Miss. – New Mayor Dan Gibson stressed his aims for unity and a transparent administration as he starts what he calls “The Natchez Renewal.”
“The Natchez Renewal has begun. I can’t wait,” Gibson said Friday after taking his oath of office.
After campaigning on a theme that Natchez “deserves more” and should “try something new,” he praised the mayor he replaced as “a hard act to follow.” He acknowledged Darryl Grennell’s efforts the past four years to make Natchez “a city we are all proud to call home.”
While Gibson moved to Natchez just four years, he traces his affinity for the city to when his parents brought him as a child for frequent visits. Now, with him as mayor, Natchez will be reinvigorated into “that shining city on the hill,” he said in giving his inaugural address on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
Gibson is a politician going back to his youth. After graduating in 1983 from Jackson’s Murrah High School as student body president, he went on to become student president at Mississippi State University and then mayor of Crystal Springs in 1996. He resigned that post three years later to make an unsuccessful bid to be the Republican nominee for Mississippi governor in 1999.
He spent the subsequent years in the financial and insurance fields – including being executive director of the Mississippi Association of Self-Insurers and its chief lobbyist for 13 years until this year. He began residing in Natchez in 2016.
Running as a Democrat for Natchez mayor, Gibson defeated two veteran politicians: former city alderman and Natchez school administrator Tony Fields in the June party primary and former Natchez mayor and school board member Phillip West in this month’s general election.
Gibson’s campaign stressed that Natchez doesn’t need the “same failed leadership that has plagued our city.” However, on Friday, he gave special recognition to four former Natchez mayors: Grennell, Butch Brown, Jake Middleton and Tony Byrne.
In what Gibson deemed his first official act as mayor, he gave Grennell an elaborately framed ceremonial key to the city and the first flag made with the new city logo Grennell led in having designed in 2017.
Grennell opted not to run for re-election this year after just one term. He’s Natchez’ fifth mayor in a row since 2000 to serve just one four-year term. Two mayors – Brown and Grennell – decided not to seek re-election and three – West, Middleton and Hank Smith – were defeated for re-election.
Like the Mississippi River – which “is in a state of constant renewal” with its fast-flowing waters – Natchez will progress and renew itself for the better during this new administration, Gibson said.
As the white mayor of a predominantly black city, Gibson stressed he’ll tend to the needs of north Natchez’ largely black neighborhoods as well as the mostly white areas of south Natchez.
“That is how we build one Natchez. If something is done in north Natchez, it’s done in south Natchez and vice-versa….If a curbside gutter is looking bad in one area of town, we have to address it also in the other area of town,” he said.
“I want our legacy to be this: that in four years it can be said that never before has more been done for all of Natchez — and I mean north Natchez, south Natchez, in-between Natchez — than we have done together.”
While Gibson is spearheading a “Natchez Renewal,” the city’s six-member Board of Aldermen that began its four-year term Friday has only one new member: Valencia Hall. The five others are aldermen Dan Dillard, Sarah Carter Smith, Billie Joe Frazier, Felicia Irving and Ben Davis. Dillard is beginning his fourth term while Smith enters her third. Frazier, Irving and Davis are now in their second terms.
The board on Friday reappointed Servia Fortenberry as city clerk. She was hired last October as the city’s fifth chief financial officer since 2016. Aldermen did appoint a new city attorney – Bryan Callaway – to replace Bob Latham, who had been the city’s chief legal advisor since 2016.
Gibson promised to shine more light on city government – repeating the words “transparent” in his comments Friday – by ensuring the public has input and is informed of what the mayor, Board of Aldermen and other city officials are doing. As evidence of this, Gibson said city board meetings will be videostreamed live on Natchez’ Facebook page, and he’ll reserve time at each meeting for spontaneous comments from the public. Board meetings previously were not videocast live, and citizens normally had to get permission prior to meetings to address the mayor and aldermen.
Gibson pointed to the public-health and socioeconomic crisis the country is enduring with the COVID-19 pandemic that’s plagued the world since early this year and will likely continue several months into his new administration.
“We have challenges like we’ve never faced before,” he said. “We’ll do the smart things until we get through it. But this, too, will pass.”
The Natchez inauguration ceremony can be viewed at www.facebook.com/cityofnatchezms/videos/932322647592825
The organizational meeting of the new Natchez mayor and Board of Aldermen can also be viewed on the city of Natchez Facebook page.
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