West Memphis a city at the crosroads on eve of election

West Memphis a city at the crosroads on eve of election

Polls open at 7: 30 a. m. tomorrow for 2018 mid- terms

ralphhardin@gmail.com This is it. After months of posturing for position with voters, candidates will gather tomorrow night at the West Memphis Civic Center to see the numbers come in for a slate of state, county, regional and local races.

The 2018 mid-terms have been fraught with party politics and debate on a number of issues, but in Crittenden County, there is perhaps no other race that has garnered attention like the six-way contest for Mayor of West Memphis.

From the moment Mayor Bill Johnson announced he would not be seeking another term, speculation about who might run and what their chances might be began to circulate throughout the community. Ultimately, a half-dozen hopefuls filed to seek election, each offering what they believe is the best vision — their vision — for the City of West Memphis, its people and their future.

City Councilwoman Ramona Taylor brings experience to her candidacy.

Taylor has served on the City Council representing Ward 3 for the last 15 years, where she serves on the Advertising & Promotion Commission, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Insurance Committee, Fire Commission, Personnel Committee and chairs the Public Works Committee.

“West Memphis has so much to offer and I want to help the city reach its full potential as the premier city in the Delta,” said Taylor.

Calling West Memphis home for most of her adult life, Taylor previously served as the Director of Development for Crittenden Regional Hospital.

Working with local legislators Taylor was able to ensure that a portion of the tobacco settlement funds permanently came to West Memphis channeled through UAMS.

“I am very proud of the services we were able to secure,” Taylor said, “which focused on diabetes and hypertension education as well as certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid for families and the business community and also the introduction of high school students to healthcare careers through the M*A*S*H program.”

Working for the city of West Memphis in the Office of Planning and Development, she directed the Families First program which provided support to nonprofits and government agencies serving children and families.

As a volunteer with the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Taylor has chaired the Christmas Parade Committee and served on the steering committee as both the adult and youth leadership programs were begun. She also served on the founding board for Families in Transition, the local domestic violence shelter and served as a volunteer guardian ad litem for juvenile court which was the pilot for the current Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Taylor currently serves on the board of the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce and Main Street West Memphis.

“I believe in West Memphis,” said Taylor, “and if elected I will work tirelessly in representing the entire community.”

Taylor is joined in the race by fellow West Memphis council member Marco McClendon. Marco Mc-Clendon’s focus has been a two-pronged platform focusing on crime prevention and strengthening family and community. crime and murder, he said, have impacted his life and good police- community relations must start at home.

“I sponsored a resolution on gun violence in West Memphis,” said McClendon. “Of the 126 people murdered since the ‘90’s, I probably knew 80 of the people. So, when we think about crime it goes deep with me, because it was someone I knew. I get pas- sionate because of the love that I have for this city.

McClendon said men have been beaten by the system, the power struggle in West Memphis.

“We go back to crime we have to strengthen the family. With my crime plan I want to get heavily involved in intervention and prevention. Policing is not the problem. You know 94 percent of the murders are solved? If prisons are making building plans based on third grade population, why can’t we come up with third grade career pathways? Anti bullying, why are we not using the Roberta Jackson Neighborhood Center and put proper programs in there and empower our community. Success starts at home and I can’t legislate that, but I can put a program for intervention in West Memphis.”

McClendon opined that the city government is not the complete solution.

“There are 89 black churches in West Memphis. Some are doing a great job, some not enough. With that many churches in our community we should have a big bothers outreach plan or adopting a street to keep their streets clean. We’ve all got to get involved.”

The third of three West Memphis City Council members seeking the mayor’s seat is first-term councilman Wayne Croom.

“The reason I'm running for mayor is simple, but important,” said Croom. “I want to improve the quality of life of the citizens of West Memphis throughout our great city.”

Croom has set goals for moving West Memphis forward. Some of those goals include encouraging development on East Broadway between Ingram Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive; loosening business requirements, especially small business mandates that strangle economic growth; establishing a more transparent city government; evaluating city taxes for a possible reduction; and attractinig business opportunities.

A candidate with experience working for the city and serving on a lawmaking board is city parks director and quorum court justice Lorenzo Parker.

Parker has a very personal connection to the West Memphis community.

“For me, it’s about a boy growing up at 2950 E.

Jackson, and as a teenager playing football for the Blue Devils, and later, and living in Westwood Acres for most of my adult life,” said Parker.

“No problem that we face today in West Memphis can compare with the need to restore the health of West Memphis's economy and the strength of West Memphis's retail dollar,” he said. “The lack of real growth in the West Memphis's economy has introduced the justifiable fear in the minds of working citizens who are already over extended that soon there will be fewer jobs and less money. And couple that with the fact that the cost of living is going up and the standard of living is going down.”

Parker has offered a platform with key components, including: cutting the sales tax, getting rid of the waste in government spending without sacrificing essential services, consolidating some services, and reviewing all major contracts and spending, reducing the crime rate with more community policing efforts.

Parker is also keen to reach out to other cities in the county to work together for the common good.

“We will finally put to rest any doubts of those cynical enough to believe that West Memphis and Marion cannot work together to better Crittenden County,” he said. “I for one am confident that we can show the state by example that the municipalities of Crittenden County are ready to seek new forms of cooperation to meet a changing economy.”

Businessman Fred Leonard is a relative newcomer to the community but he has quickly acclimated to the local climate and feels he can bring a new perspective to West Memphis’s leadership.

“As mayor of West Memphis, I will bring integrity, humility, and competence to our city. I think it takes someone with high moral and ethical values to serve as mayor. With my vision, West Memphis will serve as a regional hub for job creation, community progress, and early childhood literacy, with special emphasis on safe neighborhoods and small business development,” Leonard said. “I think it is prudent for one who wants to be mayor to have a thorough understanding of the position and job duties. My mission is to work closely with the people of West Memphis to identify programs and resources that make our city a great place to live, work, and thrive.”

Leonard, who has served on numerous business, civic, education, literacy, and social boards, noted, “My family and I want to contribute and give back to this community the way we have been blessed and how others have given and poured into us. In my first 100 days as mayor, I will embark on a listening tour.

I am anxious to hear from the citizens of this wonderful city to learn how we can collectively move West Memphis in a positive direction and capitalize on its greatest potential. My administration

would be

grounded in transparency, understanding that residents should always have a voice and be heard before the city makes any major decisions that may impact them. With this approach, and by working together as a city, I am confident West Memphis will unequivocally shine like the gem it is.”

Rounding out the field is West Memphis Policeman Eric Johnson. Johnson is hoping his “focused on the future” message strikes a chord with voters.

A homegrown West Memphian, Johnson attended Faulk, Wonder Junior High and West Memphis High School. He now serves the community as a policeman and an EMT and started a career as a city servant as a fireman. He grew up on Vanderbilt and displayed a heart for volunteerism at the age of twelve helping at the nursing home on South Avalon.

Johnson want citizen participation in city government decision making.

Forums like citizens committees, public hearings and focus groups were part of his plan he unveiled to govern the city with a servant leadership style.

“We need a mayor that is a servant to the people,” said Johnson. “The mayor should give people the opportunity to help in decision making. The city is a clean canvas, the mayor holds the paint brush and lets the paint the picture.

We need the community involved. We need to let them make some decisions. Right now they don’t have say so on anything.”

Johnson’s experience as a patrolman gave him the inspiration to put crime reduction as the cornerstone of his mayoral platform.

Johnson wants to elevate the comfort level of the elderly and children in the city by reducing violent crime.

“Elderly people are too fearful to tend garden in their front yards, said Johnson. Their childhood is being robbed stolen from children. Many parents are terrified to let their children play in the yard because of crime.”

Johnson’s solution is to fund the local boys and girls club, mentoring programs and youth nights.

He also has expressed concern about housing for veterans, the disabled and elderly. He also believes that crime reduction will lead to economic development. Investing into city employees and infrastructure are a must he said. He called for partnering local entities and government stakeholders to push for growth. He said the city has made it too hard for new small business development.

“It’s difficult to attract business and new evidence if our codes are outdated,” said Johnson. “We need to bring them our codes, regulations and ordinances up to 21st century standards.”

Today is the final day of Early Voting, which ends at 5 p.m. Polls will be open tomorrow from 7:30 a.m.

to 7:30 p.m. Look for a final list of candidates, issues and polling places in the online edition of the Times tomorrow, as well as complete election results in Wednesday’s print edition.

By Ralph Hardin