Coalition brings candidates together

Coalition brings candidates together

Forum draws crowd to hear plans for a ‘ quality’ community

news@theeveningtimes.com

Coalition for a Quality Crittenden County made a big splash with its first candidates forum at the Eugene Woods Civic Center on Thursday evening. Citizens from around the county took 150 seats in the recently renovated meeting hall to hear from a panel of political hopefuls. The theme of the evening centered on quality of life and government. Five candidates for West Memphis mayor were impaneled along with two candidates for city council and a one running for County Treasurer. Quality improvements for the citizens of Crittenden County drove the coalition to initiate conversation in the political arena with a focus on the county’s primary city, West Memphis, as a key area to unlock improvements to impact the entire county.

Each candidate gave a three minute overview of themselves, and each one had a unique question to address within a five minute period in a forum hosted by Channel 13 news personality Jeremy Pierre who exhorted candidates to be media friendly.

“I stress to you all the importance of building a relationship with local media,” said Pierre, “so, we can keep positive stories, stories you are running on, in the news. We want to know the good things happening in West Memphis and Crittenden County.”

Reporting in the order of appearance on stage, candidates delivered their background and campaign platforms to the audience in the center as well as on its Facebook feed on the coalition page. Most all the candidates focused on reducing city crime, improving education, and landing new and expanding business prospects in the Gateway City.

Freshman Councilman, Wayne Croom said he was no new comer to leadership and presented his demonstrated business and civic leadership experience and pointed to eliminating city regulations on new businesses to make the city more business friendly.

“Reducing the regulations in our city that would allow our smaller businesses to open and thrive in our city,” said Croom. “According to the U.S. Census bureau we have over 1,000 vacant houses and business buildings. It’s evident we’ve lost population. A lot of this is that it’s so hard for businesses to open up in the city of West Memphis.

That is one of the key components of my platform is to review all the ordinances and resolutions to reduce these regulations so it will be easier to open up.”

Insurance man Fred Leonard told the crowd he chose to locate in West Memphis and adopt the community for his home.

“I chose to make West Memphis my home,” said Leonard. “I see potential here. I see an opportunity for business as well as to make this city a viable option for other business to come. My platform is based on unity and growth. Unity, to bring all people together to focus as one community and to be one undivided West Memphis. Most I want West Memphis to grow as a quality place to live for all residents of the city. Education. Community and growth are the focus. With out continued improvements in education there will be no economic growth. Our charge is to focus on education and community development, if we get those two right, then we will be in a better position to grow West Memphis.”

Photos by John Rech The sixteen year Ward four Councilman Marco McClendon stumped for Mayor. He said being a native of the city meant there was no uncharted territory and expressed optimistic hopes. We wanted youth employment opportunities for youngsters like he had growing up to reduce crime.

“I believe there are brighter days ahead for West Memphis,” said Mc-Clendon. “It’s a city filled with potential promise and hope. Throughout the years we have faced many obstacles and we have persevered to overcome. West Memphis is not what it used to be it needs to be repaired. Broken relationships can be fixed, hearts to be mended, roadblocks have to be destroyed. At some point we have all learned we need one another. I stand here to represent a united West Memphis where it does not matter if we are black, white or brown or what end of town you live on. My goal is to eliminate with the I’s and the you’s with the we’s and the us.”

A brand new lawyer and veteran of the city administration,

another native born

city resident, Lorenzo Parker focused on reducing crime and improving youth employment to improve the quality of life in the city.

“I’m going to talk West Memphis statistics,” said Parker. “In 1970, we had a population of about 27,000… the largest population in East Arkansas.

The population of Jonesboro and Paragould have far out paced that of West Memphis. We have to focus on economic factors, and economic base. Sales tax dollars give you services and infrastructure and that’s what gives you jobs. We have such a crime rate with youth, because the youth have no place to work. A lot of time the make a crime of necessity. They feel like its the only thing they can get what they want. Until you build an economic base across the city you are doing a disservice to the youth.”

Another 16-year member of City Council, Ramona Taylor was asked a markedly different question from the other candidates.

Moderator asking her to describe her personal attributes. Taylor used preliminary time to introduce herself presenting her

civic service

“I’ve served on the public works committee which puts me on the Metropolitan Planning Organization which distributes transportation money in the county. I served on the Advertising and promotion commission for the entire 16 years. I’m proud of the things we’ve done on the tax money we’ve brought in. You may know you spend two cents on every dollar in every local restaurant or hotel. One of things we’ve done is the renovation of the civic center and auditorium with state of the art A/V. equipment. These amenities will bring people into the city and are important element to grow jobs in the community. I serve on the Main Street board to revitalize the core of the city.

I’m proud with what we’ve done at the police department with the funding of the Sky Cops. The Police Department participation with federal authorities in the Violence Reduction Network which allows our police department to look into premiere departments around the country is really important. You may know me, I worked many years at the county health department. I’m proud of the things we did. I oversaw the construction of the 7th Street building and was over other buildings in other counties. I worked with the hospital until its closing. During that time I was able to negotiate with legislatures on the tobacco settlement to bring medical school programming here.

Some of you participated in that training, diabetes, Hypertension and CPR training. I have proven I can find resources whether that is money or people or networking.

The keys characteristics for a quality candidate are being inquisitive, liking people and the ability to make tough decisions.

Being inquisitive means constantly seeking opportunities to better yourself and others, new funds, new idea. It implies a never satisfied with status quo. With people it means helping them reach their potential.

Quality organizations make tough decision, just like in your home and business.

You have to make sure of the viability of that origination in the community to decide to keep an under performing employee, to give them training to reach their potential, or whether you continue ineffective programs that could be detrimental to the moral and success of the community. I am an inquisitive person. I participate in community events and I really do like people and helping people achieve the best they can be. I can make tough decisions. I ended programs; I’ve fired people but only after looking for every opportunity to make the program or the person better.”

City Council candidates Brad Roe and Jack Poff, Jr.

answered questions related to quality improvement process in government.

Realtor Jack Poff, Jr. drew on his business expertise and chamber of commercial leadership training to answer a his direct question about social change involvement. He affirmed the work in city administration as he vied for a ward three seat.

“I’ve been involved with the Crittenden County Leadership program. In 2015, I was encouraged to become more involved in the West Memphis Chamber and the community,” said Poff. “That has been a rewarding experience. One of the things I like best with leadership classes was doing the tours and the conversations those classmates relate about how business actually do things. As a Realtor, we promote legislation, backing property owners rights and thing like that at the state, and national level. We support local candidates sometimes. As for the social change I’m involved in right now is this. We are all involved.

We don’t have the luxury of waiting for our next opportunity. The city council and the mayor have done a great job to set the table for the next group to come in here and raise the city to new heights. Phillip (Sorrell) and Mallory (Darby) in the economic development office have conducted analysis on how and where we should be looking for success. The city website will be updated by the end of the year. Nick (Coulter) will change the narrative about what is being said about the city with social media. We are in process on a new comprehensive plan so we can have smarter vision for growth in years going forward. The Realtors association received a $44,000 grant to partner with the planning and development office to look at the streets, trails and transportation in the city.”

Brad Roe hoped for a ward one seat and drew on life experiences as a father, grand father and minister and teacher.

“I’m a diesel instructor at Mid-South for tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders, some of the great students in Crittenden County,” said Roe. “I’m not a politician. I never seriously considered putting my hat into the ring, but as I considered the community in which I spent my entire life, worked in, raised my family in; I’m now faced with a great opportunity to be a part of guiding us in a new direction am not a run away. Challenges get my juices flowing. I’m not a man that leaves my faith at the door. My faith leads me wherever I go. I know there is a right and wrong way to do things and the right way is to treat your neighbor as you want to be treated. I’m not a man who plays favorites. Every man has great promise and we have to be our brother’s keeper.

Everyone is for progress but we have left great things behind that were meant to be a part of every generation making it stronger and better than the ones before, civic pride, personal responsibility, being someone’s else’s mentor, being there for other people. These things are important. I am not a man that sells himself. I believe you should be honest.

Live what you preach, and love others they way Christ loves you.

Candidate for Treasurer Devin Griggs said he was familiar with the workings of county government and saw an opportunity for quality improvement by moving the treasurers job out front by training youth in personal financial management.

“For 12 years I’ve worked for a county government contractor to provide counties with their real-estate values,” said Griggs. “We have 13 county contracts across the state so I am in six different courthouses a month. This is very important for the county treasurer as the oversees the budget.

It disburses funds to school districts, which I work with now. All the values get taxed and in turn the millage rate typically goes to fund the school districts.

Some counties it helps fund the general fund, some counties it goes to the libraries. So I’ve got the perspective of the good and the bad in county offices.

I’m a first time candidate but I’ll have veteran experience when I go into office.” Griggs said he used his finance degree to help his local church and teach personal

finance.

“As a result I want to be out front with the community,” he said. “I want to do something I already teach at my church and that is to teach practical finance through non-profits, and if allowed, through schools in the community. I have the tools to equip you coming out of high school to learn how to manage their finances. College or tech schools, I can help people make those decisions.”

By John Rech