Hearing from those who work in her office about plans for a farewell gala, Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington downplayed the idea.
“I said I hadn’t really done anything. I don’t deserve that,” Washington said, moments after she was welcomed to the podium with a rousing ovation. “I can’t have that, no, no, no. And then I talked to my kids and they said, ‘No, no, no.’ And the people were saying, ‘We want to. We want to. We have to. Please let us.’ I said no one would come.”
Instead, the large ballroom at the Pine Bluff Convention Center was filled with family, friends, colleagues and well-wishers for Washington, whose second term as mayor will conclude on New Year’s Day.
“When I stand and I look, I’m just in total awe, and all I can do is thank God for his goodness,” Washington said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Erin Jacks, Washington’s granddaughter, and George Cotton, vice chancellor for institutional advancement at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, emceed the two-hour formal event.
Live jazz along with a rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” and two piano selections by Washington’s 14-year-old grandson William Nelson kept the ears entertained. Hope and servant leadership for Pine Bluff emerged as the themes of the formal occasion, as those who worked closely with Washington spoke of her accomplishments and the way she led southeast Arkansas’ largest city, which has faced a wide spectrum of socioeconomic issues in recent decades.
Mayor-elect Vivian Flowers, who defeated Washington in the Democratic election runoff in April, was among many who saluted the outgoing mayor via video.
“I just want to say, thank you for breaking ground as the first African American woman to be elected and to serve as mayor of our historic city,” Flowers said. “Thank you for working toward progress that I’m especially grateful for, our state-of-the-art Pine Bluff Community Center, public and private community gardens and leadership that saw us through a global pandemic and several horrific climate events. And thank you for your calm, cool and collected professionalism.”
Washington is credited with being instrumental in projects like Opportunity House, the new Main Library, Carl A. Redus Jr. Aquatic Center and the ongoing Streetscape of Main Street. She defended her support of Go Forward Pine Bluff, a public-private tax initiative aimed at capital, commercial and safety enhancements that was defeated in two elections last year. Critics of Go Forward cited the initiative’s lack of transparency in planning its projects.
“Some said it was good. Some said it was bad. Some said it was ugly. But I will tell you it was necessary. And I will tell you that, no matter what, it made a difference,” Washington said, drawing an applause. “It was part of the transformational move here in the city of Pine Bluff, because I know when I came in (to office) I had to make a decision. That was either to embrace it or walk away from it, and the Lord said, ‘You embrace it with all your support.’ And I stayed with that until the very end.”
Carlton Saffa, chief marketing officer for Saracen Casino Resort, expressed his appreciation for Washington’s support of the entertainment venue, which opened in 2020.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything,” Saffa said on video with a picture of Saracen behind him. “Look at that. You did that. It’s your fault that Saracen Casino Resort is here. You were and are a jackpot for Pine Bluff.”
Washington has come a long way from her days of youth in the northeast Jefferson County community of Gethsemane, which is often pronounced by locals in phonetic English rather than its Greek origin in the Bible. Linda Simmons, a retired Dollarway High School speech teacher, reminded the crowd as much in her creative expression of Washington’s life using the book of Genesis for background.
Simmons replaced the story of Adam and Eve created for the garden of Eden with the story of Willie and Blanche Moorehead, who united in marriage, were fruitful, multiplied and replenished the earth with seven children, she recited. One of them was named Shirley Ruth Moorehead.
God said, “I will call her, Shirley, to serve her people,” according to Simmons, donning a hat as a nod to one of Washington’s trademarks with the instrumental version of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day” playing in the background.
Washington spent 38 years as a teacher and principal in public education and served in many civic organizations before going into politics. She was elected Pine Bluff’s first Black female mayor in 2016 after unseating Debe Hollingsworth and was sworn in Jan. 1, 2017.
“Oh, yes, it was a lovely day!” Simmons exclaimed. “Mayor Washington’s light has shined like the sun setting across a turbulent sea. Oh, yes, it’s been a lovely day!”
Saffa also called Washington a good and faithful servant, a point Washington’s pastor David Smith reiterated in his remarks.
“She never did what she did the last eight years for recognition. She did it because she loved people,” Smith said, calling Washington a daughter of hope. “Pine Bluff, don’t you dare stop believing in the vision she has for the city. She already started a new generation of leadership. New leaders, make sure that vision does not stop.”
Among the new leaders is recently elected Third Ward Councilman William Fells, overcome with emotion in his reflections of the lady for whom he served as special projects coordinator.
“At the core of everything Mayor Washington does is a compassionate heart,” Fells said. “She has read at schools so the children know the city cares about them, that they have leaders who care about them. She’s attended funerals to comfort families, so they know they’re not alone during their heaviest moments. … For the past couple of winters, when she could have been at home resting in bed, this is a leader who insisted on setting up warming centers for the homeless so they can spend the night indoors during freezing temperatures.”
Then, there’s Washington the loyal friend, as described by fellow retired principal Sheryl Wynn. That personality, by many accounts, seemingly translated into Washington’s love for Pine Bluff.
“Shirley always has been one of my fervent prayer friends,” Wynn said. “She’s generous, uplifting and a spiritual partner. She’s given time to the city, day and night, for eight years. She’s an example of her themes of hope, unity and working in excellence.”
CORRECTION: The election runoff for mayor was April 2. The date was incorrect in a previous version of this article.
Sheryl Wynn, a former educator, honors friend and Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington as Washington’s granddaughter Erin Jacks emcees the gala. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Shirley Washington is winding down her second term as Pine Bluff’s mayor. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
William Nelson, 14, plays an arrangement on the piano. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Retired Dollarway High School teacher Linda Simmons performs a creative expression honoring Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Pine Bluff Police Officer Joe Anderson embraces Mayor Shirley Washington and presents her a bouquet of flowers. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Emcees Erin Jacks and George Cotton toast Mayor Shirley Washington at the end of a gala in Washington’s honor. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
Members of Mayor Shirley Washington’s family honor her with a toast: from left, son Codney Washington and his wife Abeer Washington; sisters Colette Moorehead and Brenda Wilson; husband Frank Washington and sister Bessie Guerrant. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)