A school psychologist who has been a justice of the peace for three years and a Marine Corps reservist will face off in the March 1 Democratic primary election that will decide who represents District 5 on the Pulaski County Quorum Court starting in 2017.
Incumbent Lillie McMullen, 63, was first elected justice of the peace in District 5 in 2012 and re-elected in 2014. McMullen was born and raised in Little Rock and has worked as a psychologist with the Little Rock School District for more than 25 years. McMullen also has been an adjunct faculty member at Philander Smith College teaching psychology.
Jason Smedley, 37, is on temporary active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in New Orleans but lives in Little Rock and attends the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's W.H. Bowen School of Law.
Smedley was born and raised in Little Rock and spent about 10 years in Washington, D.C., attending Howard University and working in the offices of two Arkansas congressmen and with the Pentagon. Smedley is also an Iraq War veteran, twice deployed. He returned to Arkansas in 2012 and worked in legislative affairs in Gov. Mike Beebe's office for two years before working for about a year as the community engagement director at the Central Arkansas Transit Authority as it transitioned into Rock Region Metro.
District 5 is in Little Rock and lies south of Interstate 630, west of University Avenue and east of Interstate 430. Its southern border is jagged, created by the north side of Stagecoach Road, the north side of Brodie Creek, and the north side of Interstate 30 around where it meets Frontage Road. A more precise map can be obtained on votepulaski.net.
Justices of the peace serve on the Quorum Court, which is the legislative body of county government. They serve two-year terms.
Both McMullen and Smedley lamented a lack of understanding in the community about what justices of the peace do in county government -- a common complaint among justices of the peace -- and said they supported measures to improve interaction with the community.
Smedley said educating residents about county government and increasing community interaction are among his top priorities.
If elected, he said, he would support doing more to advertise what the county does. Namely, he would organize a celebration of the county each year on the anniversary of its founding with a community event at which county officials and residents can mingle.
Additionally, he would organize school visits to county offices so young people can be engaged in county government early on.
"I think it's important to give youth some exposure," he said. "I know these are simple things, but I think they have some value."
McMullen voted to approve the hiring of a communications director for Pulaski County last fall at the request of Barry Hyde, the county judge, and said she supported Hyde's decision to live-stream all of the Quorum Court's full and committee meetings online.
She said people seem to think justices of the peace only perform marriages. But, she said, she has performed only one in the past three years.
Recently, McMullen asked Hyde to consider "banning the box" on many county employment applications. "Ban the box" is a national movement to remove the check box asking if the applicant has a criminal record.
McMullen said an employer may not consider the application any further if the box is checked, which creates a disadvantage for people trying to enter the workforce after criminal convictions.
"When you see that [a person has checked the box], it certainly does create a stigmatizing image in the first place," she said.
McMullen said she supports keeping the box for certain applications, such as those for jobs where the prospective employee would work with children.
Earlier this month Hyde informed justices of the peace that he would form a county personnel task force, which McMullen said would consider her request.
If re-elected, McMullen said she would continue to support the youth services department, which provides several programs for youths, particularly those at-risk . The department is mostly grant-funded and typically receives unanimous support from the Quorum Court each time it asks to appropriate grant money received for services.
McMullen and others have expressed interest in increasing the department's budget, but McMullen said that may be a "far-fetched" desire.
Metro on 02/13/2016