Records, ward ties focus of NLR races

Incumbents challenged for 3 seats

Who would best be able to move North Little Rock forward and be the most responsive to residents are among campaign pitches six City Council candidates, including three incumbents, are making to voters.

Ward 2 Alderman Linda Robinson is opposed by Ida Emerson, Ward 3 Alderman Steve Baxter is facing John Parker, and Ward 4 Alderman Murry Witcher goes against Jane Ginn in the Nov. 4 general election. Early voting started Monday.

North Little Rock aldermen serve four-year terms and are paid $10,300 annually with a $250 monthly stipend for expenses.

Ward 2

Robinson, 60, who retired at the end of 2013 as program manager for the Division of Children and Family Services with the state Department of Human Services, is in her third term. Priorities, she said, include placing a fire station on her ward's east end and establishing a city land bank, a commission that works to stabilize neighborhoods and reduce blight.

"I am determined to have a fire station out east, and I think once we get into the budget process that we'll be able to put a fire station out there and be able to maintain a fire station," Robinson said. "What I also want to do is to form a land bank. The city has a lot of vacant lots and tax liens on vacant properties. With a land bank, we would be able to get rid of some of these vacant lots and that may spur some private investment in those areas."

Ida Emerson, 53, a contracts manager for the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, lives in the same Glenview neighborhood as Robinson and both are past presidents of the Glenview Neighborhood Association. Challenging Robinson, she said, is an opportunity for her to best serve the city and her ward, the largest ward geographically in the city.

"I love my community and I love my city," Emerson said. "I thought that now is a better time than any to run. I think I can make a difference in being available, being accessible and serving all of Ward 2. I have the ability to do that. What's going to affect you in your community is what you need to hear from someone who represents you, and not from reading a sign or seeing the information somewhere else. I want to be able to really represent the people."

Ward 3

Steve Baxter, 54, in his first term, is a civil-service technician for the Arkansas National Guard, where he is a master sergeant in the Arkansas Air National Guard. Baxter said that he's been "responsible, reachable and responsive" to residents and demonstrated those traits by working against a citywide ban on parking in yards and co-sponsoring legislation to regulate outdoor storage.

"In our area, some streets are too narrow so you can't park on them, and many folks don't have the means to be able to put in a driveway," Baxter said. "We worked together, and we got that defeated. On the outdoor storage issue, the appearance of the neighborhood was the other thing people continually talked about. We wanted to work on that to make the area a little more appealing to those who might want to move into it."

Parker, 67, district circulation manager at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, is a former Ward 3 alderman and previously was on the city's Board of Adjustment and the Planning Commission. After placing third behind Alderman Bruce Foutch and Darrell Montgomery in the last Ward 3 alderman election while simultaneously running for mayor, Parker said he wants to win those voters who wanted a change in 2012.

"The people who voted for him [Montgomery] have to choose between me and the incumbent in this election," Parker said. "I've always wanted to work for the people of the city of North Little Rock in some job capacity. I've proven my dedication to the city of North Little Rock over the last 20 years."

Ward 4

With six terms served, Witcher, 68, who retired July 1 as coordinator of regulatory affairs at Entergy of Arkansas, currently is the City Council's longest-serving member. Witcher has said his experience is vital in helping the city to progress.

"Look at our public facilities such as the [William F. Laman] library, the Burns Park Soccer Complex, and the softball complex and the baseball complex," Witcher said, also adding business recruitment and the city's downtown revitalization among city accomplishments in the past two decades. "Then there's the latest innovations at the St. Joseph agritourism facility and, of course, the new [state] veterans home to be at Fort Roots. All of those things show that we've had a stable, encouraging City Council and leadership in the mayor's office through these years."

Ginn, 65, a retired purchasing agent from RP Holdings Group, countered that a change is needed after 24 years to get many issues resolved. An example, she said, is McCain Boulevard, a major city thoroughfare in Ward 4, that Ginn said has become "an old-looking road" that taints visitors' impression of North Little Rock and can also affect area property values.

"I think when you have anybody who has had six terms in office, and if things aren't getting fixed, then it's time for fresh ideas and new blood," said Ginn, who lost a Ward 4 race to Alderman Charlie Hight in 2012. "This is my neighborhood, my home. I want it to look nice. And we need to do what we can to keep the large number of businesses along there active in North Little Rock."

Ward 1 Alderman Debi Ross is running unopposed, as is City Attorney Jason Carter.

Metro on 10/26/2014

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