Community policing, rental inspections, city services and growth in the city's west were the topics during Saturday's forum for Little Rock mayoral and Board of Directors candidates.
The event, just eight days from the start of early voting, was hosted by the Coalition of Greater Little Rock Neighborhoods and included candidates running for four ward seats in the Nov. 6 election -- Wards 1, 2, 6 and 7.
Early voting begins Oct. 22.
Mayoral candidates weighed in on whether the city should extend services to areas outside the city limits, something some land developers are pushing.
A study on the costs of providing such services as sewer and police and fire protection to Little Rock's extraterritorial jurisdiction -- the area outside city limits but within the city's zoning control -- is expected to be completed in November.
Mayoral candidate Baker Kurrus, 64, an attorney and business consultant, said he is not in favor of extending sewer services until the city determines whether it can handle the schooling, policing and service needs of the areas in question.
His fellow candidates -- state Rep. Warwick Sabin, 41, and Frank Scott Jr., 34, a banker and associate pastor -- said a comprehensive urban plan is needed. Sabin said he would not support extending sewer service because it would be more economical to develop in places where infrastructure already exists.
The other two mayoral candidates -- Glen Schwarz, 64, a marijuana decriminalization activist, and Vincent Tolliver, 51, a writer and activist -- said they oppose extending sewer service to the area.
Ward 2 candidate Shalonda Michelle, 39, who is running for the city director position held by Ken Richardson said she would not support extending such service.
"If we cannot take care of home, and make sure that it is safe and clean, then going outside of the city, no sir," Michelle said.
Other Ward 2 candidates Valerie Tatum, a 54-year-old charter school director, and Rohn Muse, a 65-year-old former planning commissioner, echoed those sentiments, but Tatum said more information would be needed before making a specific decision.
Richardson, 52, said whether to extend service would depend on the property in question.
Edmond Davis, a 42-year-old small-business owner who is challenging B.J. Wyrick for the Ward 7 seat, said the city shouldn't be pressured by developers. The other Ward 7 candidate, neighborhood association president Robert Williams, 52, said Pulaski County should take on some of the cost for extending sewer service.
"I think it would grow the city, but I think it would be an extensive bill on the city," Williams said.
Wyrick said board members should wait and make a decision after the study is finished.
Candidates also expressed their support for community policing.
Two Ward 1 candidates -- retired Little Rock police officer Ted Adkins, 52, and Capitol View Studio owner Bryan Frazier, 42, said they support community policing but a short-staffed department makes doing it difficult.
Ward 1 incumbent Erma Hendrix, 88, said she has tried to get two ordinances passed that would require Little Rock officers to live in the city.
Six other men -- Herbert Broadway, 60; Greg Henderson, 35; Ronnie Jackson, 55; Curtis Johnson, 50; Danny Lewis, 52; and Robert Webb, 49 -- are challenging Hendrix for the Ward 1 position. Broadway and Webb did not attend Saturday's forum.
Mayoral candidate Scott said Little Rock needs to increase its police force from 593 officers to 700, which he said would require budgeting an additional $10 million.
Kurrus said the city balanced its budget by not filling some vacancies in the Police Department, so it would be necessary to increase the budget and to determine if the current number of officers is sufficient.
Sabin said Little Rock does have the budget for community policing, and department vacancies led to community-focused officers being reassigned to other areas.
The candidates also weighed in on the city's rental-inspection ordinance. The city lags behind in enforcing the current ordinance, which calls for all rental housing to be inspected for code compliance once every two years.
Members of the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods have been working with City Manager Bruce Moore to update the statute so that the city randomly inspects 20 percent of the units each year.
Renters make up about 44 percent of Little Rock's housing market, and there are nearly 36,000 rental properties in the city, according to a 2016 report from Metroplan, the regional planning authority for central Arkansas.
Ward 6 incumbent Doris Wright, 59, said the existing rental-inspection policy needs to be revised. The city needs to hire more code enforcement officers and pay them competitive salaries to retain them, she said.
Wright faces three challengers: Sandy Becker, 57, manager of the Arkansas Teachers Federal Credit Union; Vicki Hatter, a 39-year-old activist; and Russ Racop, a 59-year-old blogger.
Hatter said the city needs more focus on renters' rights, and Becker emphasized the need for more affordable housing. Racop said he had a blog post about the need for more rental inspectors coming out this week.
In light of a United Nations report released last week that predicts a high risk of crisis as early as 2040 because of climate change, candidates were asked how they think city functions will change 10 years from now.
The candidates said Little Rock needs to step up its sustainability efforts.
Hendrix refused to answer the question. "Are you kidding?" she said in response. "Ten years from now? Really, it's something that I'm not interested in. The city has other things that we need to talk about other than an electric car."
Little Rock's mayor serves a four-year term and receives an annual salary of $160,000. Members of the Board of Directors also serve four-year terms and are paid $18,000 annually.
The candidate forum will be broadcast on the city's public access channel until the election. A list of broadcast dates will be posted on the coalition's website at groups.yahoo.com/group/LRneighborhoods.
Metro on 10/14/2018