Author: Imported Author 2289001

We are quickly approaching the middle of July, and it’s hard to believe we are almost at the halfway mark of our time in office – and it’s almost time for another State of the City event, to be held on July 21 at the Municipal Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. This will be an opportunity to review our accomplishments of the past two years, while re-committing ourselves to keeping our Natchez Renewal going even stronger into the next two years.

In preparing for the State of the City, I see this as an important time of evaluation, a time to ask ourselves key questions: How are we doing? What goals have we set? Which of these have we met? Which of these goals are still left to accomplish? And over the course of the past two years, what things have taken place that have resulted in new opportunities, and with them new goals?

The scorecard I use closely follows the seven points of the Natchez Renewal, which itself was born during a time of challenge, a national pandemic and economic downturn brought on by covid. It is important that we go through these points, asking key questions so we can understand how are we are doing in each area.

1. Help Business and Tourism Recover. Job creation is the centerpiece of the Natchez Renewal. So how are we doing? What is the economic outlook for Natchez with regard to job growth, economic development, and tourism? We will check the facts.
2. Workforce Development. Building and sustaining a solid workforce is critical to our ongoing economic growth. Where do we stand? What does the future hold?
3. MED Natchez. Medical Economic Development is important to Natchez, building a healthcare HUB that can provide the care necessary for our city to grow. What has been accomplished? Is there any good news in our future?
4. Recreational Renewal. We’ve been talking a lot about this over the past two years. But what exactly has been accomplished? Are good things happening? How does the future look for our parks and facilities, and our ability to serve our community?
5. Build a Safe City. Addressing crime and fostering a safe environment for our children and families is critical to the ongoing success of Natchez. So what are the numbers? Have we made any progress? Is crime up or down? Are we headed in the right direction?
6. Foster Unity in our Community. One of the most important goals of the Natchez Renewal has been to move toward a more united Natchez, overcoming the divisions of our past. Good words – but what really has been done? Are we making progress?
7. Fiscal Renewal. Two years ago we set out to catch up on back audits, balance the books, and make sure the city was fiscally healthy. So what is the report? Is there good news to share about the finances of a city that has recently weathered a national pandemic and is currently dealing with what many are already calling a national recession?

We have a lot of questions to answer, and we have much to contemplate as we prepare for the future. The State of the City will be an important “half-time” event. I encourage everyone to take part. Our successes, our challenges, goals met, goals yet to be met, opportunities on the horizon that call for bold action… it’s all part of keeping our Natchez Renewal going. Because Natchez Deserves More.

– Dan M. Gibson, Mayor of Natchez

(Natchez, MS) One of the major planks of my platform when I ran for Mayor two years ago was “To Build a Safer City”. For any city to succeed, fighting and preventing crime must be a top priority, and in Natchez it truly is.

What a pleasure it was to be present as our city received the Mississippi Municipal League’s top law enforcement award last week, the “Municipal Excellence Award in Public Safety” in cities with more than 10,000 people. Out of Mississippi’s 299 cities and towns, Natchez was highlighted for our success in getting illegal guns off the street. Thanks to the hard work of our city’s new VIPER Unit, Violent Immediate Police Emergency Response, and proactive enforcement of the law, gone are the days where individuals can stockpile illegal weapons and expect to get away with it.

Of course no program is perfect, but in Natchez we are well on our way. Working together with our newly reinstituted SWAT Team, our VIPER Unit has been hard at work, often times on duty when most of us are asleep. I will never forget a night in February when I received word from our Chief of Police Joseph Daughtry that these two teams, working well into the night to apprehend suspects in a violent crime, had not only made the arrests but confiscated various weapons, including assault rifles. I am sure the memory of our highly-trained officers descending upon a den of criminals and busting up their gang of violence will long be remembered.

Actions like this send a message. And in Natchez, the message is this, as our Police Chief often says: “We don’t play”. Old fashioned policing is working. This is especially true when it comes to solving crime. Gone are the days of cases remaining open and unworked for months, even years. When I first took office, I was constantly being asked to meet with mothers and other family members of victims of violent crimes that had never been solved, many of these going back several years. We prayed together, even cried together, and I vowed then that we would not rest until this changed.

I am very grateful for the leadership brought to us by Chief Daughtry and his dedicated team of men and women who now make solving crime, and preventing crime, their top priority. These cold cases are now being solved, and the offenders are going to jail. Just last week, one of these grieving mothers reached out to say thanks for all Natchez has been doing to stop the crime. One thing she said really stood out: “At one time, I didn’t think there was any help for us as grieving parents and families… but now everyone is seeing the progress.”

In just a few weeks, when I provide various updates in our 2^nd Annual State of the City event, I will share statistics on where we are with regard to crime, the progress we have made, and all we still need to accomplish. It’s hard to predict when and where crime will occur, but in Natchez we will not rest until all of our citizens feel safe. Because Natchez Deserves More.

-Dan M. Gibson, Mayor of Natchez