Council candidates discuss Pine Bluff’s future

Editor’s note: This is the last of a four-part series on candidates for city office.

Three candidates squared off for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat during a candidate forum held Tuesday at SEARK College. Ward 3, Position 1 candidates include incumbent Glen Brown Sr., Kenneth Gray Sr. and William Fells.

Brown began by expressing his dedication to his community and the power of education. “Pine Bluff is a place where we would love to see it be a place of destination and a place where people have a great quality of life,” he said.

He said he believes in the untapped potential of the region and the need to explore various avenues for growth and development.

Gray, who is a local pastor and retired engineer, said he decided to run for office because he is already doing the work in the third ward.

“I am the community watch president, I interact with the seniors and make sure they get their projects taken care of. If they have a code enforcement issue, I’m there,” said Gray. “I go to all the city council meetings and some of the auxiliary meetings.”

Gray said he is seeking to improve the community after what he feels is years of neglect and failed representation.

Fells spoke about his background and career. He graduated from American University of Washington, D.C, majoring in political science, and he worked in the U.S. Senate.

Fells also served in the U.S. Department of Justice under the Obama administration and was a project coordinator in Pine Bluff for four years under Mayor Shirley Washington.

Fells expressed his desire for clean and safe neighborhoods with opportunities for all.

He proposed developing a clean team to address litter and debris and holding property owners accountable for maintaining their properties.

“I believe that during my time with the city, I’ve had a chance to see some of those areas,” said Fells, who provided suggestions for community improvement. He also spoke about improving road conditions, increasing street lights, replacing damaged sidewalks, supporting youth violence prevention programs, enhancing job connections and expanding summer youth programs.

When it came to crime reduction, Brown suggested ways the city council could improve the public perception of safety. One suggestion is to install more cameras in crime-prone areas. He also expressed the need for recreational activities for kids.

“People will just say we need baseball, football, basketball, but we need recreational activities like arcades,” said Brown. Brown said the kids need a safe and peaceful place to socialize.

Gray listed various crime prevention programs like Gloves Not Guns and said he and others patrol the streets. Gray’s concerns focused on children dropping out of school, loitering on the streets and the lengthy process of getting dropouts back into school.

“As a city council member, I would like to reduce truancy,” said Gray. “Every day, kids walking up and down the street, not going to school.”

He also encouraged citizens to report crimes despite fear of retaliation.

Fells said that while he was project coordinator for the city he initiated a Second Chance Initiative Program, which is a partnership between the juvenile court and the community aimed at helping kids already in the juvenile court system. According to Fells, the program reduces penalties through character building and financial literacy. The program pays youngsters for helping in community service like picking up trash.

Fells said instead of creating new programs, he supports the programs already established like Group Violence Intervention.

Fells said it was important to identify existing community resources and connect youth to them, including mental health resources.

Addressing city park safety and entertainment options, Brown said that was one of his pet peeves that the city lacks recreational places and restaurants. Brown suggested the city council collaborate with relevant authorities to bring in more businesses.

He said he felt the needs were sports, recreation, restaurants and shopping areas.

“We need to keep the people here and we need those restaurants,” he said.

Gray, who is a volunteer security officer at the skating rink in Pine Bluff, said the facility draws a large number of youth. He also said the bowling alley, community center and other venues are available to the youth as well. Gray listed various initiatives as a means to engage and support the community.

Gray said he believes in supporting small businesses to help them grow and provide services to the community.

Fells said a list was created while he was project manager for the city that includes businesses and restaurants that people wanted to see in the city.

“We just started knocking on doors and making phone calls,” he said. “I believe we have to have that proactive approach.”

Fells said he was actively reaching out to potential businesses to advocate for the city, promoting the city’s strengths and services to attract businesses.

Investing in parks and recreation systems and making them places of excellence was important to Fells as well as expanding summer youth programs and collaborating to improve the workforce.

During the discussion on improving city services and education, Brown expressed his belief that the Pine Bluff School District was not back in the control of the people because the board was selected and not voted for by the citizens of Pine Bluff.

Brown said the city council cannot make rules for schools but individuals must act to enforce them. He also said education is important and sports also plays a significant role.

Gray said his focus has been on those who have dropped out of school. He is willing to help others achieve their goals and encourages dropouts to see a future through education.

Emphasizing the importance of education for a better life, Gray said he is working to convince young people to give education a chance.

Fells said the city has a responsibility to partner with schools to create a better learning environment. He spoke about the need to clean up and stabilize the neighborhoods that surround schools.

Fells said he has organized job fairs for students, discussed giving opportunities to students to join the fire or police department and has brainstormed creative ways to partner with school districts.

Ward 4, Position 2 candidates, incumbent Bruce Locket and Mar’Tavius Proctor, were faced with the same questions.

Lockett highlighted his experience in local governance. He mentioned his eight-year tenure on the city council, two years on the Jefferson County Quorum Court and various boards and commissions. Lockett said he believes his experience makes him the best candidate for the position.

Lockett highlighted his experience in community development with the projects he has worked on, mentioning a $1.3 million super project for the north side of town and a 5-year allocation for the Group Violence Intervention program. Lockett also discussed the need for additional resources and grant writing as a potential to secure revenue for programs.

Proctor emphasized his energy and charisma, rejecting the typical politician approach.

“I’m not your average politician,” he said. “I won’t get up here and tell you things that I can and won’t be able to do and make it sound like I’m giving you all buddies and butterflies.”

Proctor, who graduated from high school in 2019 and earned a degree in Criminal Justice from UAPB, said he has a good reputation and has always been an advocate for the people of the community.

“Google me on the internet,” he said. “All the things that it says about me have been positive. I’ve always worked for the betterment of my people and the betterment of this community.”

Addressing crime and improving public perception, Lockett discussed in more detail the GVI program aimed at reducing crime rates. He said targeting small groups responsible for the majority of crimes and implementing various partnerships and programs to guide them on the right path were crucial.

He also said going into the homes and using technology like CCTV cameras to deter and catch criminals would help in that area.

“It’s funny my opponent made the statement that we have to go into the homes because as I go across ward four in particular, the district we’re both seeking to serve, no one knows that we have another council member in that ward other than council member [Steven] Mays,” said Proctor. “When you have this seat for eight years, you should at least see some type of progress.”

Proctor focused on visible progress and addressing specific ward issues. He emphasized the need for tangible improvements and progress in the city and proposed an investment in social and academic initiatives to engage people and reduce crime.

“We got to realize that the GVI program is just one program geared toward the youth,” said Proctor. “When we speak of crime we automatically assume kids are the problem, but we have to address that crime is a factor that has been affecting everyone, no matter the age.”

Proctor felt investments in programs and neighborhood cleanup are crucial, and a clean and well-maintained city fosters a sense of care and responsibility among residents.

Lockett said a way to enhance community activities was through collaboration with the Parks & Recreation Department. Lockett proposed a collaborative approach involving hotels, restaurants and other stakeholders. He identified existing assets like Saracen Landing and using them for community events. He spoke of challenges in organizing community activities and the need for volunteers to organize and manage activities.

Proctor emphasized at a town hall meeting the importance of engaging with citizens to effectively address their concerns.

He said city parks lacked the facilities they used to have, such as slides, and needed to be upgraded.

“These are issues that we have had since I was a kid and we’re continuing to have these issues,” he said. Proctor said he felt the city of Pine Bluff needed to adopt a proactive approach like Little Rock, which successfully attracted businesses like Top Golf, instead of reacting to shortcomings. Pine Bluff also should plan for the future and avoid repeating past failures.

When it came to improving education, Lockett suggested forming partnerships between the city and school districts to enhance educational opportunities. He highlighted the success and spoke about joint-use agreements between schools and community organizations.

“Over the last 20 years, I’ve volunteered to be on boards of a nonprofit here in Pine Bluff such as the Boys & Girls Club and during that time we’ve created some programs and partnerships,” said Lockett. Lockett said the joint-use agreement would allow school and community organizations to use city-owned property and facilities.

Proctor said education is crucial for job creation in the city and the council should partner with school districts and act as mentors.

Proctor said he has worked with youth to guide them toward success and prevent involvement in crime. He said he wants to establish partnerships with various educational institutions to enhance educational opportunities and promote both college and trade school options to cater to the different interests and abilities of students.

Lockett said he felt having a more experienced council member is needed to bring about change and innovation for he has institutional memory, relationships and knowledge of resources, and he can connect people with resources and address community issues.

Proctor expressed confidence in his ability to serve on the Pine Bluff City Council, having worked an internship at the city clerk’s office under clerk Janice Roberts.

He said his platform focuses on investment opportunities, skill-building and creating a safe and welcoming community, and he believes his opponent has not effectively addressed these issues during his tenure.