Pine Bluff Alderman Glen Brown says he’s “not complaining,” but a Tuesday communications seminar for council members and Mayor Debe Hollingsworth will cause him to lose income from his full-time work.
“I think the seminar might be a benefit for all of us, but it will take us away from our full-time jobs,” he said Friday. “Being an alderman is part time, and we’re not getting paid for going to the seminar. The mayor gets paid because being mayor is a full-time job, but the council members don’t. But we all want to do what is right for the city.”
Brown, who works as a barber and also officiates marriages for a fee as a former Jefferson County justice of the peace, questioned a story about the training that appeared in The Commercial on Friday, saying that the piece might be interpreted as indicating he and possibly other council members may not practice “good English” or express themselves properly.
Brown pointed out that he possesses a college degree and has previously received public speaking instruction. “I think we’re already articulating our subjects well,” he said of the council members. “I always try to be polite and say, ‘Thank you,’ whenever I’m done speaking. But sometimes tempers flare.”
None of the other council members who commented on the seminar mentioned their full-time jobs, and all stated support for the day-long seminar, which is being underwritten by Simmons First National Bank. The Commercial and television station KATV Channel 7 have agreed not to cover the event so that the city leaders can have privacy. In exchange, senior Alderman Bill Brumett has vowed that no city business will be discussed.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“I think it can be a good thing,” Alderwoman Thelma Walker said of the training. “We can’t get anything done if we don’t talk with everybody. A lot of the problems we’ve got now are the fault of a lack of people communicating and knowing their roles.”
Alderman Steven Mays said he believes the round-table session will be “helpful” and “productive.”
“I feel like it will be a good way for council members and the mayor to come together and help us to move the city forward,” he said. “I believe our citizens deserve to have us all being more positive and getting along with each other better. I think this seminar will provide a good, friendly environment for us to express ourselves and get things moving ahead.”
Alderman Wayne Easterly also believes the session will be a positive experience.
“Anything that will help us communicate more efficiently is needed,” he said. “We need to do better with our dialogues.”
Hollingsworth said she’s “looking forward” to the seminar.
“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “Effective communication is the key to progress in any team endeavor.
“As elected officials, we need to be in one accord, on the same page,” the mayor continued. “If we can agree to disagree respectfully, we’ll all reap dividends.”