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WARDS 3 AND 4 VOTERS TO MAKE FINAL CHOICES FOR ALDERMAN SEATS

By Erin France/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Sunday, November 16, 2008 12:21 AM CST

Voters in the 3rd and 4th wards can head back to the polls Tuesday to begin casting votes for their representative on Pine Bluff’s City Council. Early voting for the Nov. 25 runoff will be held at the county courthouse.

Runoff races were determined for two wards Nov. 4 between incumbent 3rd Ward Alderman Derwood Smith and Glen Brown, a county justice of the peace; and incumbent 4th Ward Alderman George Stepps and Steven Mays, the president of a non-profit group. Aldermen are paid $10,339 annually, plus benefits.

3rd Ward

Smith has served two terms as 3rd Ward alderman and said he is prepared for a third.

“This council has worked together, better than we ever have while I’ve been on it,” he said. “I would love to see the council stay in tact just the way it is.”

Even if he isn’t re-elected, Smith said the council should focus on lowering crime and supporting the proposed half-cent sales tax.

“We need more money to go into the police department,” Smith said. He advocated paying police officers overtime and funding the zero tolerance crime policy, which did reduce citywide crime in the months it was in place.

“We would have to find (the funds) somewhere ... even if we go into the reserve for a few months,” he said.

Brown said he was interested in developing local business. “We need to re-do downtown,” he said.

He suggested holding public and business meetings in downtown buildings after hours to create foot traffic.

“I think we have a lot of meetings outside the city limits,” he said. “Let Pine Bluff’s lights show after 7.”

The potential customers could encourage businesses already downtown to stay open later, Brown said.

“I want to be the spark plug that would energize the rest of the council members,” he said.

Brown received 46.2 percent, with 2,119 votes and Smith garnered 39.8 percent, with 1,827 votes.

4th Ward

Fourth Ward voters gave Stepps a led in the race with 44.5 percent, with 1,560 votes and Mays 33.4 percent, with 1,171 votes.

Mays’ public comments accusing the city council of lacking leadership and initiative could hurt his standing if he was elected to the position, Stepps said.

“He’s advocated that he didn’t need anybody,” he said. “No matter how good your ideas are, if nobody supports them, you’re dead in the water.”

Mays disagreed. He said his public statements would not effect his working relationship with council members.

“I’m a people person,” he said. “All I want to do is represent the Fourth Ward in a positive way.”

Although Mays has sought an elected position many times before and been denied, he said people are ready for a change during this election season.

“The citizens in the 4th Ward have gotten so many broken promises in the past,” he said. “I’ve built up trust.”

As far as policy, Stepps pointed to his interest in Townsend Park as a main priority for his next term.

“One of the things that I know that still needs to be done, is we need to restore Townsend Park,” he said. Stepps particularly is interested in restoring the public swimming pool.

“I want to put some money into this park,” Stepps said.

Mays said his focus would be on supporting the sales tax, and creating trust between the residents and local government.

“What I want to do is bring that trust back into the Pine Bluff community as an elected official,” he said.

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