NATCHEZ, Miss. — The proposed map for the city’s six wards shows minimal changes as Natchez aldermen tweak the electoral lines to reflect population changes in the shrinking city.
Two districts need more people and two need fewer to ensure the wards are nearly equal in size. The redistricting plan has little or no changes for the other two wards.
The Natchez Board of Aldermen is expected to approve the newly drawn lines soon — well ahead of the city’s 2024 elections.
The board last month presented its plan realigning the ward lines that aldermen and other candidates will be running in. The reapportioned wards are to each have approximately the same number of people — around 2,400 — as required by law for the city of about 14,500 residents.
Two city wards – 2 and 5 that cover northeast Natchez — have declined in population and two – 3 and 6 that include central and south Natchez — are overpopulated. That’s necessitating a few hundred constituents in those four electoral districts being shifted around in different voting precincts, according to Tommie Cardin, the city’s redistricting attorney. Ward 1 needs a few more people while Ward 4 currently has the optimal number of residents.
A map of the newly proposed Natchez wards can be seen on the city’s website: www.natchez.ms.us/DocumentCenter/View/1290/MAP-NATCHEZ-PROPOSED-WARD-PLAN-SEP12_22
Ward 1 is currently represented by Valencia Hall. Her slightly redrawn constituency covers Natchez’ western sector as it previously did from the Cemetery Road area on the north end into downtown Natchez’ business district and residential areas and south to Highland Boulevard. Hall said she plans to run for re-election to her second term after defeating long-serving alderman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis in 2020.
Ward 2 is represented by Billie Joe Frazier. His realigned ward covers parts of north Natchez extending to central parts threaded in the middle by north Martin Luther King Street and also taking neighborhoods in the Old Pond, Shields Lane and Linden areas by Liberty Road. It’s uncertain if Frazier is running for re-election for a third term on the Board of Aldermen.
Sarah Carter Smith represents Ward 3. The proposed plan has her south Natchez ward centered by John R. Junkin Drive to include neighborhoods such as Glenwood to intersect with Seargent Prentiss Drive past Merit Health hospital and Jeff Davis Boulevard areas to extend on U.S. 61 south past The Hills and Woodhaven neighborhoods. Smith has said she’s undecided whether to seek re-election to a fourth term.
Felicia Irving represents Ward 4. Her central city constituency’s has St. Catherine and Jefferson streets in the middle and reaches out to encompass neighborhoods extending beyond Main Street to Commerce, Homochitto and Auburn. Irving said she does plan to run for re-election for a third term.
Ward 5 is represented by Ben Davis. The alderman’s northeast Natchez electoral district is bordered by Seargent Prentiss Drive and Liberty Road and extends out to areas on each side of U.S. 61 north to the city limits. Davis said he’s running for a third term on the board.
Ward 6 is represented by Dan Dillard. It covers the city’ south midtown area that goes from the end of South Union eastward along Homochitto Street’s south side to expand out to cover the Duncan Park and Melrose Avenue areas and reach southward to include neighborhoods on and around the Montebello, Mansfield and Espero areas. Dillard said it’s too early to say if he’s running for re-election. He’s the board’s longest-serving alderman, having represented Ward 6 since 2008 and now in his fourth term.
The Board of Aldermen had a hearing Nov. 22 to present the redrawn ward lines and get input from the public. Arceneaux-Mathis and former mayor Phillip West were among the few to comment on the new electoral districts.
Wards are required by law to be roughly equal in population to ensure they’re not malapportioned and that all city voters have fair representation on the six-member Board of Aldermen. Each ward should have about 2,400 people, according to the city’s redistricting attorney.
As the new electoral lines must be drawn to adhere to the Voting Rights Act, the six wards’ Black voting-age population remains essentially the same, Cardin said. The board currently has four Black aldermen and two White members.
Natchez is about 64 percent Black and 34 percent White, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
The city had about 15,800 people in 2010 and dropped to 14,500 in 2020 – a decline of nearly 1,300. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated the city shrank further to about 13,800 in 2021.
Shame to waste taxpayer money with ward adjustments leaving the existing city limits in place. City limits should be shrunk substantially to reduce size of city footprint and put land back in county. What we have instead is 13,800 residents in city limits set up for 30,000. If the politicians really want growth and redevelopment, the solution is to reduce size of city and return more land to county, with commensurate reduction in taxes. Trying to run infrastructure built for 30,000 now populated by 13,800 makes no sense and eventually lead to collapse if the grant money runs out. Need some leadership. Common sense.