Peck, Yates vie to fill LR Ward 4 seat after Cazort's 20 years

Information about the race for Little Rock Board of Directors, Ward 4
Information about the race for Little Rock Board of Directors, Ward 4

No matter the outcome of the race for the Ward 4 position on the Little Rock Board of Directors, the governing body will welcome a new face to its group -- something that's only happened twice in the past eight years.

Some directors on the 10-person board have held their seat since the 1990s. The longest serving is At-large Director Joan Adcock, who was first elected in 1992.

When Ward 4 incumbent Brad Cazort decided not to run for re-election this year after 20 years in that role, it opened a rare opportunity for new blood. The last new members were Kathy Webb in Ward 3 when the incumbent was running for state office in 2014, and Lance Hines in Ward 5 when the incumbent decided not to run in 2010.

Before that, several current board members started their first terms after the 2006 election.

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Running for the seat long held by Cazort are Capi Peck, 63, owner of Trio's restaurant, and Jeff Yates, 50, managing partner at ARK Commercial and Investment Real Estate.

Both have based their campaigns on public safety.

"I'm concerned about the vacancies on the police force," Peck said, "but I am encouraged by steps the city board has taken in hiring a consultant to look at the hiring process and find ways in which it could be expedited. Certainly not to weaken standards, but explore other communities like Little Rock that can do this in a faster way. We need more patrol cars on the streets and to really look at the hot spot enforcement areas and to have more focused deterrents."

She also said she's a big supporter of the Coffee With a Cop and Neighborhood Watch programs that get residents acquainted with patrol officers.

Yates said the city board needs to work better with the school district to advocate for public schools and support more mentoring and after-school programs "to help kids find the right path."

"Little Rock has a long history of being ranked high in crime and being dangerous. This is detrimental to attracting residents and businesses to Little Rock," he said, adding that the city must do more to recruit and retain police officers and increase the number of officers in the community policing program.

Peck and Yates have raised similar amounts of funding, according to the Nov. 1 finance reports filed with the county. Peck reported $59,378 in contributions and $47,282 in expenses. Yates reported $58,130 in contributions and $51,978 in expenses.

City directors are paid $18,000 a year, and each position is for a four-year term.

Ward 4 borders Wards 3, 5 and 6. The ward extends west from Mississippi Street and south of Cantrell Road to reach past Interstate 430 to Pinnacle Valley Road on the ward's west end. The ward stretches north from Markham Street and the eastern portion of Mara Lynn Drive, and north and east of Hinson Road to the Arkansas River.

In addition to Peck and Yates, the ballot will include Roy Brooks even though he withdrew from the race. He dropped out after the ballots were printed. If Brooks wins the majority of votes, a vacancy will be declared and the board will vote to fill it.

Metro on 11/07/2016

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