A veteran Helena-West Helena politician has announced plans to seek the city’s highest office this November.
Jay Hollowell, 56, served as an alderman in Helena for 15 years and has held a seat on the consolidated Helena-West Helena City Council since the two cities merged in 2006.
A native of Phillips County and a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Hollowell has been active in the community outside of politics, as well.
According to his resume, he is a past president of the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce, past chairman of the board of trustees of the Helena Regional Medical Center and past president of the Helena Rotary Club, past president of the DeSoto School Board and has held other roles in various organizations.
Hollowell, who is married with one son, is president of Insurance Plus LLC and has been in the insurance business for more than 33 years. He said he feels his business acumen makes him a strong candidate for mayor.
“I am confident that my years of business experience will be instrumental in running the city like a business and put it on secure financial footing in the near future,” he said.
“Those years of experience will also be an asset to assist in economic development of our community,” he said.
As of Thursday, there had not been any other formal announcements for the mayor’s race.
Hollowell said he made his decision to run after Mayor Arnell Willis’ recent announcement that he won’t seek a second term.
Willis, 59, made the announcement last month, saying he wants to focus more on his family life. He was elected in 2010 and led the city through a difficult time during his first year in office.
Federal agents poured into Helena-West Helena on Oct. 11, 2011, and arrested scores of people on various drug-trafficking charges as part of what was dubbed “Operation Delta Blues.”
Among those arrested were four of the city’s police officers, including one who has since admitted that he regularly protected a ring of local drug-traffickers in exchange for bribes.
The other three officers have also since either pleaded guilty or been convicted of various federal charges.
Willis praised Helena-West Helena Police Chief Uless Wallace for his work during the operation. Wallace also announced earlier this year that he is retiring from office.
“He has had a difficult task turning around the Police Department,” Willis said of the chief in an earlier interview.
Hollowell said his campaign will continue the forward progress made in Helena-West Helena in the aftermath of “Operation Delta Blues.”
“I am focused on dealing with the crime issue and economic development of our area,” he said. “I want Helena-West Helena to be a safe place for all of our citizens and also an attractive location for our current and prospective businesses.”
Arkansas, Pages 15 on 02/08/2014