Runoff election, early voting set
The Jefferson County Clerk's Office announced election related dates regarding the April 2 runoff. Early voting will be held March 26 through April 1.
Two races will be on the ballot:
Pine Bluff mayoral race between Mayor Shirley Washington and state Rep. Vivian Flowers.
Third Ward city council position between Council Member Glen Brown Sr. and William Fells.
Election related dates:
March 25 -- Sample ballots available on Voter View Website on the Secretary of State website.
March 25 -- Absentee Ballots will be sent out. Voters must request an absentee ballot application from the county clerk's office.
March 26 -- First day of early voting. Early voting is held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
March 26 -- This is the first day a bearer can pick up ballots (maximum 2).
March 26 -- This is the deadline to receive absentee ballot applications by mail, fax, email.
March 29 -- This is the deadline to submit in-person absentee applications for ballots, deadline for the bearer/administrator to deliver absentee ballots, and deadline for county-to-county transfers.
April 1 -- This the last day for early voting. It ends at 5 p.m.
April 2 -- Election day. Designated polling sites will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For details on absentee ballot applications or other information, contact the Jefferson County Clerk's Office at (870) 541-5322.
Mayor candidates to speak
The monthly meeting of the Family Community Development Center will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the center, 1001 N. Palm St. Special guests will include the mayoral candidates, Mayor Shirley Washington and state Rep. Vivian Flowers.
"Come out and join us at this very important community meeting," a spokesman said in a news release.
Experts to appear at GVI University
The Pine Bluff Group Violence Intervention (GVI) will conduct GVI University from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. The working session will educate city partners and stakeholders on the key components of the Group Violence Intervention. The public is invited to attend.
GVI University is free and lunch will be served by Rice First Class Catering, according to a news release.
Led by Debra Higens and Kevin Johnson, staffers with National Network for Safe Communities, GVI University provides a comprehensive overview of GVI.
GVI University is a seminar-style discussion with key executive stakeholders from the city such as multi-agency law enforcement leadership, community leadership and committed social service providers.
The session is also an opportunity for NNSC to begin to discuss with key stakeholders how the framework can be tailored to suit Pine Bluff's particular on-the-ground violence dynamics.
The main GVI workshop topics will include: current violence dynamics in the city; strategic law enforcement; community moral engagement; outreach and support; custom notifications; and governance structure.
GVI SPEAKERS
The two presenters have years of experience on the subject matter, according to the release.
Debra Higens -- Higens is a senior advisor at the National Network for Safe Communities. Previously, Higens worked in public safety which included 15 years as a deputy sheriff with the Cook County (Ill.) Sheriff's Office. She finished this career as an investigator. For 11 years, Higens was the chief of operations for an adult transitional center, where she worked closely with the Illinois Department of Corrections. She also worked for the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy and was the Project Safe Neighborhoods coordinator for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.
Higens is certified by the Department of Homeland Security as an incident commander, by the Illinois Department of Corrections as a certified investigator, and has participated in several major national conferences, including the Franklin Covey workshop.
A certified foster parent with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she also has five children.
Higens obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Justice from DePaul University in June 2018 and received an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Moraine Valley Community College.
Kevin Johnson -- Johnson is a senior advisor at the NNSC. Over the last 20 years of leadership and collaboration in mission-driven communities, Johnson's work has focused on youth development and leadership, social justice, community development and empowerment, health and wellness, and partnership and network building, according to the release.
He brings his knowledge and experience to support and guide the Legitimacy and Reconciliation teams work and is responsible for advancing the NNSC programmatic goals by providing strategic advising to a portfolio of partner jurisdictions, guiding them in implementing core elements and working with them to innovate in pursuit of effective, rapid violence reduction and public safety outcomes, according to the release.
Prior to joining the NNSC, Johnson was a national organizer at the Black AIDS Institute. Also, Johnson previously served in nonprofits and as an organizer in and coordinator of several grassroots coalitions, steering committee and advisory boards.
His work has been recognized with distinctions such as the Rising Star from the MA Association of Community Development Corporations and the National Award for Excellence Community Building and Organizing from NeighborWorks America.
Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services from Springfield College (Boston campus) and a certificate in Non-profit Management and Leadership from Boston University.
Details: Kevin Crumpton Sr., director of the Pine Bluff Group Violence Intervention, (870) 510-0386 or follow Pine Bluff GVI on Facebook.