PINE BLUFF — One by one, they popped up.
A former Marine. A newspaper publisher. A graduate student. And two city aldermen.
Even before the filing period began in the summer, prospective Pine Bluff mayoral candidates held newsconferences announcing their intentions to run.
And by the time the filing period ended, there were nine candidates, including incumbent Mayor Carl Redus Jr.
The campaigning is almost over. Early voting ends today, and election day is Tuesday.
Robert Ceresa, a political science professor at theUniversity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said he finds the large number of candidates, along with the attention the mayoral race has received, “heartening.”
“This means that people are willing to step up and try to wrestle with issues in a meaningful way,” Ceresa said.
“We need more of this kind of thing, where largenumbers of people are willing to step up and offer leadership. I think this is a healthy sign of a vibrant civic culture in Pine Bluff. And it’s also a measure of real commitment on the part of each candidate. It shows they care about the future of the city.”
The race for Pine Bluff mayor is the largest of any city its size in the state,pitting eight candidates against Redus.
North Little Rock has four mayoral candidates. Conway has three. Fayetteville has two, and Springdale has one.
Pine Bluff’s mayoral terms last four years, and the 2012 mayor’s salary is $83,170.
The candidates are Kent Broughton, a student at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service; Peter Daniels Jr., publisher and president of the African American Banner newspaper; Clarence Davis, chairman of the board for the Lighthouse Charter School in Pine Bluff; former business owner Debe Hollingsworth; John James Jr., a former Marine and a business student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Alderman Steven Mays; Redus; Alderman Thelma Walker; and Tim Whisenhunt, who works asa caregiver.
Pine Bluff Alderman Irene Holcomb, who has served on the City Council for more than two decades, said she was surprised when she learned that the mayor haddrawn eight challengers.
But running for office is just one of several ways residents can make a difference in their city, Holcomb said.
“I hear people say that they don’t feel like they are being represented in this city, or that the city isn’t doing enough for them,” she said.
“Well, I don’t see those people at meetings or trying to make a difference. You really don’t know how this seat feels until you sit in it. We as city leaders can’t do anything unless citizens do their part as well.”
For a while, uncertainty surrounded the race for several weeks after Redus filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the election because of a population decline. Pine Bluff’s population declined to 49,080 after the 2010 U.S.Census, and Redus argued that state laws governing elections called for a 2014 mayor’s race.
But a judge ruled that the election would go on.
During the campaign, the candidates focused primarily on two issues - crime reduction and job creation. They talked about a range of issues, among them developing more youth programs, improving the city’s imagewith outsiders and stimulating additional job growth.
The mayoral election comes at a time when Pine Bluff ’s unemployment rate is the highest of any metropolitan area in the state at 8.2 percent, according to the September statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor.
That’s down from 8.8 percent in August.
The statewide unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in September and the national rate was 7.8 percent.
While crime is down in several categories, homicides in Pine Bluff are up.
Recent police statistics show 14 homicides in the city through the end of September, compared with nine in the same period last year.
Police are currently searching for the killer in a Sept. 25 shooting death. M.D. Islam, 26, was gunned down inside the Big Red Food Mart at 2401 E. Sixth Ave.
The number of rapes and attempted rapes reported as of the end of September were down slightly. There were 33 reports, compared with 35 during that period in 2011.
Aggravated assaults are down, as are simple assaults, according to police statistics.
Holcomb, who shied away from endorsing any of the nine candidates, said the winner of the election will have to keep a steady focus on crime reduction and improving the city’s image.
“Crime and jobs are linked,” Holcomb said. “There is no doubt about that. You have to keep crime in check if you want to see more jobs come to the city.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 11/05/2012