The county judge for Jefferson County and a former Democratic member of the Jefferson County Election Commission have accused Republican members of the three-person elections panel of acting in a racist manner by not acknowledging that county election coordinator George Stepps has performed his duties. They also say the Republican members are seeking to be compensated for duplicated services.
During Thursday's commission meeting, County Judge Gerald Robinson, who appointed Stepps, accused the white Republican members -- Chairman Michael Adam and Secretary Stu Soffer -- of duplicating services that the election coordinator is tasked to do. Robinson and Stepps are Black.
"The last five election coordinators, the two Republican commissioners have always had a problem with, even the previous judges' selection of a coordinator," Robinson said. "Our issue is that we hire a coordinator, we train them, and they [Adam and Soffer] want to duplicate services. They're trying to perform work the election coordinator can do so that they can get paid to do those duties. Absent of a coordinator, then it would be fine. We can pay them for those duties, but we have a coordinator, so we're not going to pay them for a duplication of services ... and they don't have to accept him. That's fine."
Ted Davis, a former election commissioner and head of the Jefferson County Democratic Central Committee, said Soffer and Adam have made more than $25,000 from their services over the past four to five years, a figure Robinson said is documented. Davis, who is Black, added that Soffer and Adam have never accepted an African-American coordinator before Stepps' appointment.
"They refuse to do that so Soffer can take the money," Davis said. "That's what that's all about. Every time they refuse to have a coordinator here ... they've turned down everyone the Black judges have sent over there. Initially, it was so Soffer could make the money for running the elections."
Hank Wilkins IV and Booker Clemmons, both African-Americans, served as county judges before Robinson.
Davis submitted a letter of resignation on Jan. 16 to the Democratic Central Committee, citing "corruption, racism, hostility and blatantly self-serving personal agendas," but it was not accepted until a successor was appointed and qualified under state law, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Davis filed a complaint after an October 2019 meeting alleging that Soffer intimidated and threatened Davis during the meeting.
Davis served as commissioner through the Nov. 3 general election. Sharon Hardin was appointed to replace Davis as the Democratic representative and served in her first meeting Thursday.
Stepps, a former Pine Bluff alderman and Dollarway School District School Board member, was appointed coordinator in June 2020 but said he began that role in May. Stepps said Soffer and Adam have never accepted an African-American coordinator.
"I was appointed by the judge. I have a job to do as the coordinator, and that's why I carried out my assignment," Stepps said. "They acknowledge me when they want to, especially during the month prior to the election."
Adam declined to comment, but Soffer denied the accusations.
"That's nonsense," Soffer said. "We have been trying to get an African-American coordinator for over a year. That's pure nonsense."
Soffer referred to Tameka Reed, the commission's administrative assistant.
"We've demonstrated our commitment to diversity," Soffer said
Asked why Stepps is not acknowledged as a coordinator, Soffer answered: "We don't have a coordinator. The county judge hired somebody, but a very talented African-American woman has been doing the job."
Hardin, who is Black, was asked about the contention between Black leaders and her Republican cohorts and said: "I'm learning as I go."
Hardin added that she was aware of past issues concerning the election commission from the outside but spoke in favor of Stepps.
"Now that I'm in here, I must admit, Stepps is one of the better qualified persons," Hardin said. "I do agree with Judge Robinson. He has been trained, and he has been the best person for the job, based on what I see. I feel like at this particular moment, he is the better qualified person."
Soffer said the commission declined two African-Americans for coordinator before Stepps, one of whom he said never showed up and another who showed up occasionally "to use the copier" but had no election experience.
Soffer was asked about the allegation that the election commission was doing the job of the coordinator and responded:
"The last three election coordinators have been Black. How has that worked out for us? There's no basis to it. There are those who spread it in the community trying to spread stuff, but there's no basis to it. We don't care what your color is, just as long as you can do the job. Unfortunately, the last three coordinators couldn't do the job. They were untrained. They wouldn't show up. They were lazy. The judge doesn't have all the facts. I'm not going to play the race card."
Soffer did not address the allegation of being paid more than $25,000 for duplicating services. He said Stepps was welcomed "with open arms" and given all materials necessary to be successful.
Stepps "didn't do anything that [he] was asked to do," Soffer alleged. "He didn't show up. He didn't communicate. There's a whole list of things that we'll deal with the county judge at the appropriate time. He just traded time for money."
Stepps responded, saying: "I want him to tell you when was I supposed to show up that I didn't. I was here on every occasion I was supposed to be here. I carried out the assignment of a coordinator that I was given. Every assignment they had given me, I've carried it out each time -- and I never tried to go against Ms. Reed, but I shared with her early on, 'Don't allow them to pit yourself against me because they're going to try to do it.' They tried to do that ever since I've been here.
"If I was bad as Stu and Mike say I am, I'd be the biggest idiot with so much stupidity as anybody in this city," Stepps said.
Stepps was a district tax manager for the Arkansas Department of Finance for 37 years, retiring in 2009. "You think they'd have an idiot doing that?" he said.
Robinson said while Soffer and Adam may not acknowledge Stepps, he will "hold their feet to the fire" and still hold them accountable for trying to duplicate services.
"They can say whatever they want to say, but [Stepps] is hired by the county judge, and he is here to perform the duties of the coordinator," Robinson said. "We have sent him to training. He has worked with other coordinators in the state to bring him up to speed, so he is perfectly capable of handling any other duties needed by the commissioners. He can run an election. He can do all those things. The duplication of services has to stop."
Tensions between the Black community and Republican election commissioners, as well as the Democratic Party of Arkansas and the Republican pair, have flared in recent years.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas in February 2020 called for Soffer's resignation after an error caused 152 early voters in four Pine Bluff precincts to cast ballots in the wrong Democratic primary race, according to a report in the Democrat-Gazette.
Early voters in those precincts were asked to use paper ballots left over from absentee balloting with the Senate District 25 race between incumbent Stephanie Flowers of Pine Bluff and Efrem Elliott of Pine Bluff marked out and the Senate District 27 contest between Keidra Burrell of Pine Bluff and Garry Smith of Camden included.
State Democratic Chairman Michael John Gray accused Soffer of pursuing "an agenda of systemic voter suppression and the denial of African-Americans' full participation in the local voting process." Soffer denied that accusation.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson declined to get involved in the matter, saying local election commissions should handle local races.
In September 2020, the state Democratic Party sought a nullification of a decision to close three polling sites in Jefferson County that failed to log at least 100 voters during the March 3 primary election, letters of reprimand against Adam and Soffer and fines of $1,000 for each commissioner, it was reported. The party accused Soffer of intimidating and harassing members of the African-American electorate, questioning his "ability to oversee free and equal elections."
