The runoff election for mayor and a Ward 3 council seat in Pine Bluff is nearing. The two front-runners of six mayoral candidates remain on the Democratic ticket, incumbent Mayor Shirley Washington and challenger state Rep. Vivian Flowers.
Representing Ward 3 are incumbent Glen Brown Sr. and challenger William Fells. Trading barbs and making promises to voters during their latest candidate forum hosted by the NAACP-Pine Bluff chapter, Pine Bluff Interested Citizens for Voter Registration, Inc. and others, all candidates spoke on their strengths while rebuttals revealed weaknesses.
In the forum, moderated by The Commercial editor Byron Tate on March 12, candidates were given 3 minutes to provide an opening statement, 1 minute to answer questions, with many submitted by the viewing audience, and 30-second rebuttals.
Washington is seeking a third term in office and is running on her record of accomplishments and wanting to finish projects that have been started during her tenure. She pointed to the city’s improved infrastructure and the increased economic development as evidence of her success. She also promised to continue her work on affordable housing, education, and public safety.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In her opening, Washington spoke on how she started fast when she was first elected and began her first term Jan. 1, 2017.
“We really had to hit the ground running because there was so much to be done,” she said. “It was as if there hadn’t been a positive movement in our city in such a long time.”
Washington said she knew she had to establish a working relationship with the council because in years past there had been discord between previous mayors and the council.
Washington emphasized the continuous need for community development, citing the progress made from cleaning up Main Street, once marred by collapsed buildings and bricks in the street, to the completion of the Carl A. Redus Jr. Aquatic Center. Additionally, she addressed the Group Violence Intervention Program (GVI), in which the city invested $500,000, as a strategy to curb violence.
“We know that this community-based police effort can make a difference,” she said. “We’re tired of losing our young people in our community.”
Flowers, who declared her candidacy for mayor after initially announcing she would seek reelection to her state representative seat, is currently serving in her 10th year in the Legislature. She asserted that the city requires a change in leadership and that she is the most suitable candidate to bring about this transformation. Economic development and public safety will be her main areas of focus, she said.
Flowers said she decided to run for mayor because she believes the city’s issues will remain unaddressed, including the significant population decline. She pointed out that Pine Bluff has lost 10,000 people and 10,000 jobs since the last census, with an additional 2,000 people departing since then. Flowers also criticized the city’s decision to dismantle vital public safety programs and instead allocate resources to hold festivals.
“I’m not saying that those things have not been important and we don’t need quality of life programs and events, but we have to prioritize,” she said. “We should have seen bricks picked up over the last seven years, we should have seen some development and some great things happen because you contributed over 30 million dollars to the city … so those things and more could happen.”
Flowers said that, with her more than 30 years of experience in public service in politics and in government service, her focus is on the youths, economic development and the people of Pine Bluff.
“Safety. We have to address the fact that we have taken away resources from things that worked and we have not paid attention to things we know work not only here in the past but in other cities,” she said. In her tenure, Flowers said, she emphasized the critical importance of communication, transparency and accountability, asserting that these principles will serve as the driving force behind her leadership.
Brown and Fells debated their qualifications and experience. Brown, a Pine Bluff native and UAPB graduate, emphasized his commitment to speaking the truth, even if it’s not always well received.
Brown said he has served four successful terms on the Jefferson County Quorum Court and three on the City Council.
“I feel like this, I’m a very honest person,” he said. “You’re not going to catch me in the scandals. You’re not going to catch me being bribed. You’re not going to help any people telling me how to vote. I’m going to be straightforward with you. I’m just going to tell you just like it is.”
Brown said his primary aim was to bring in new dining establishments, shopping destinations and recreational venues that catered to both the young and elderly populations to town.
“I am a big fan of having things to make people want to live here, and I talk about that all the time,” he said.
Brown expressed confidence in the city’s potential for greatness. He emphasized the city’s assets, including its rail system and airport, and expressed his desire to continue serving his community.
Fells, another Pine Bluff native and a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., takes a solution-oriented approach to civic issues, emphasizing that age is merely a number.
“I was an intern for the U.S. Justice Department under the Obama Administration and as a project coordinator here in Pine Bluff for the mayor’s office for four years and I also serve as project director for the advancing health literacy program,” he said.
Fells said that his decision to run against Brown was motivated by the belief that regardless of one’s circumstances, most people desire the same basic things. He emphasized the desire for safe and clean neighborhoods where families can find opportunities and identified specific areas that need to be addressed to achieve this goal.
Among his proposals, Fells suggested the formation of a dedicated clean-up team responsible for regularly removing litter and debris. This initiative aims to enhance the cleanliness and safety of Pine Bluff’s neighborhoods.
“We tried to get this done a few years ago but it didn’t happen,” he said. “I believe with a new council in place we can make that a possibility.”
With so much trash here in the city, Fells said, the city needs weekday operations.
“I also know that, yes, we do have to change the culture,” said Fells. “We do have to tell people to stop littering. We have to get into these classrooms and teach that to our children, but that’s not going to happen next month.”
Fells said the need for a clean team in place is important and that the city needs to be overhauling the streets. “There’s a lot, of course, fixing those potholes and of course, there’s a lot of street lighting that needs to be increased,” he said.
Fells further discussed the issue of crime and presented an innovative approach that involves connecting young people with social services in order to reduce the behavioral circumstances that lead to criminal activity. This approach is exemplified by programs like the GVI program. “I believe that if we all work together to make these changes this can be a better community to live work in and find opportunity.”
Early voting begins Tuesday, leading up to Election Day on April 2.