PINE BLUFF -- Incumbent Mayor Debe Hollingsworth and challenger Shirley Washington are headed to a runoff in the Pine Bluff mayoral race Tuesday after returns from the March 1 Democratic primary winnowed the field down to the top two vote-getters.
Hollingsworth led Washington 44 percent to 27 percent, according to election results reported by the Arkansas secretary of state's office. Theodis "Ted" Davis trailed both with 13 percent of the vote, and Steven Mays and Thelma Walker followed with 10 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
All three defeated candidates have since endorsed or voiced support for Washington, according to a report in the Pine Bluff Commercial.
The two Democrats now face off in Tuesday's runoff that -- without a Republican contender -- will not only decide the next mayor of Pine Bluff, but will bring the city's priorities into focus.
Much like her inaugural run for office in 2012, Hollingsworth has continued to make crime the No. 1 issue in her campaign. It's her first step toward restoring the image of a city that has been tarnished by its joblessness, high crime rates and declining population. To that end, she plans to hire a marketing director to promote the city to attract more businesses.
"The outside people have labeled us, but the ones that are responsible are us. We've allowed that to happen," Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth highlighted a 31 percent reduction in crime during her first term in office. That reduction has resulted from a reinvigorated Police Department once afflicted with low morale, a citywide effort to tighten code enforcement and an emphasis on preventive policing.
She also points to four companies that have expanded in Pine Bluff to take advantage of the city's proximity to waterways, railways and interstate highways.
Her first term oversaw the expansion and location of Southwind Milling, Highland Pellets, Kiswire and Energy Security Partners' multibillion dollar gas-to-liquid processing facility -- a move that is expected to bring more than 200 jobs and $200 million in capital to Pine Bluff, Hollingsworth said.
"We're in this natural position here, and we've not capitalized on it in decades," she said. "Now we're back to the point where we can."
After having spent her career as a stock broker and investment adviser working and living in Pine Bluff for 40 years, she sees this period as Pine Bluff's "renaissance." To her, the city's population decline has reached its inflection point.
While Hollingsworth points to the achievements made during her first years in office, Washington's campaign paints the matchup as one candidate who focuses on the past versus one who focuses on the future.
"Hollingsworth's message seems to be more focused on the past rather than the future or even the present," Washington said.
"A message that selectively highlights past successes without a clear vision and agenda for the future leaves people to question several undeniable areas of decline."
Dilapidated buildings have closed off a portion of downtown's Main Street for more than three years, Washington said.
The Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, once landmarks in the city, have remained shuttered since last summer as officials decide how to move forward. And Washington noted the closure of numerous small businesses across the city.
In a questionnaire, she outlined the issues that inspired her to seek the city's top job: a lack of opportunities for the city's youth, deteriorating affordable housing infrastructure, a lack of unity in city leadership and a need for a comprehensive economic growth plan.
Priorities that, she said, will naturally affect crime and beautification of the city.
"The most significant issue that faces Pine Bluff is the lack of opportunities for our youth, which has stunted the growth and sustainability of the city," Washington said. "Those who are successful leave and never return."
Washington also touts her 38-year career as an educator where she ascended to leadership roles on the National Education Association, the Arkansas Education Association and the Pine Bluff Education Association.
In a city with a population approximately three-quarters black, Pine Bluff voters are showing that they are looking beyond race, the candidates said.
Identity politics, they have said, will have little bearing in the face-off between Hollingsworth, who is white, and Washington, who is black.
In the last mayoral election, Hollingsworth avoided a runoff by earning nearly 50 percent of the total vote and a more than 30 percent margin of victory over incumbent Mayor Carl Redus.
In the March primary, she was shy just a few percentage points of repeating an outright victory, proving her voting bloc to be diverse.
"The mere fact that Debe Hollingsworth was elected mayor of Pine Bluff in 2012 speaks volumes about the majority black electorate in this city," Washington said.
"Pine Bluff voters looked past race then, and I choose to believe race will not be the deciding factor in 2016."
Metro on 03/21/2016