By Mike Kinney
The City of Ville Platte, La. recently honored retired Richmond mayor and councilmember Nathanial “Nat” Bates by proclaiming Sept. 9, 2025, as a special day in his honor.
Ville Platte Mayor Ryan LeDay Williams presented the proclamation to mark Bates’s 94th birthday, and to salute his decades of public service, both locally in Richmond and through his broader role on the national stage via the National League of Cities.
The recognition emphasizes that Bates is someone whose work on the National League of Cities Board of Directors advanced municipal governance across America.
Bates came to Richmond from Texas in childhood and was first elected to Richmond City Council in 1967. He served two separate terms as mayor (1971–72 and 1976–77) and eight terms as councilmember through subsequent decades. In addition to his local roles, Bates was deeply involved in national advocacy for cities: he was a board director of the National League of Cities from 1976 to 1980, and thereafter held a lifetime appointment to its advisory board.
The proclamation also notes how Bates left a mark not only as a long-serving Richmond city leader, but also as a professional baseball player in Canada during the 1950s, helping open doors for Black athletes in international leagues.
It also credits Bates’ close ties with the Louisiana city.
Bates expressed gratitude to Mayor Williams and Ville Platte for the honor. Asked to describe his most important contribution on the national level, Bates looked fondly upon his time as board director with the National League of Cities.
