Helena-West Helena Mayor Arnell Willis is not seeking re-election this year, saying, “The time has come for the next chapter of my life.”
But the mayor said he won’t rule out possible future political involvement.
Willis, 59, has served as mayor since 2011.
In a news release issued Thursday, Willis wrote that he and his family discussed the matter during the Christmas season and, since then, “I have given it much consideration but only made up my mind after getting the city’s 2014 Operating Budget passed” at last week’s City Council meeting.
Willis had served in the Navy and put in four years on the West Helena City Council, two years on the Phillips County Quorum Court and six years in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
He said a key factor in his decision to run for mayor four years ago was that he and others with whom he spoke believed that the city was heading in the wrong direction.
“The city finances were in bad shape; we had excessive manpower, spending out of control, owed IRS back payroll taxes, barely made payroll and could not pay our bills in a timely manner,” Willis said in the release.
“For the most part, we have gotten our financial house in order by eliminating waste, cut manpower and reduce spending. We now have a firm handle on our finances, which has allowed us to pay off IRS back payroll taxes, substantially reduce trade payables as well as both short-term and long-term debt.”
Helena-West Helena resident Stanley King said he has followed Willis’ career closely and feels that it’s time for the mayor to step aside.
“I think he has done a fair job, but as far as bringing economic prosperity back to our city, that’s still a big issue,” King said. “I would really like to see someone take that office and really run it like a business. We need someone focused on bringing commerce here, because our economy seems to be dying.”
DeShawn Mills, who also lives in the city, said he will be sorry to see Willis go.Mills said Willis’ track record in politics has been good for Helena-West Helena.
“This man has dedicated his life to serving people,” Mills said. “I think it’s a loss for us. I wish I could convince him to run again. I really think he has done a lot to help clean up our city’s corruption.”
Willis’ announcement comes just two weeks after Helena-West Helena Police Chief Uless Wallace said he plans to retire at the end of the year. Wallace has served as the city’s top policeman for the past three years.
He said in a previous interview that, as Willis did, he made his decision at Christmastime after talking with his 9-year-old daughter about how the 14-to-18-hour days he spent at the Police Department were taking away too much time from his family.
In his announcement Thursday, Willis praised Wallace for the job he has done since taking office.
“He came into his job as chief one month before [the] FBI-led investigation dubbed Operation Delta Blues. He has had a difficult task turning around the police department; the restructuring process continues and things appear to be getting better.”
Federal agents poured into Helena-West Helena on Oct. 11, 2011, and arrested scores of people on various drug-trafficking charges as part of Operation Delta Blues. Among those arrested were four of Wallace’s police officers, including one who has since admitted that he regularly protected a ring of local drug-traffickers in exchange for bribes. At the time, the officer was a Phillips County sheriff’s deputy.
The other three officers have also since either pleaded guilty or been convicted of various federal charges.
In addition to the appreciation for Wallace’s job performance, Willis also offered thanks to the people of his city. He said they have been supportive of his mission to “make Helena-West Helena a better place to live and work.”
And, the mayor added, “I definitely plan to stay involved. I still have a whole year left to do what I signed up to do. After that, at that time, I will cross that bridge, but I am leaving the door open for whatever may come along.”
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 01/28/2014