Rohn Muse has begun a campaign to represent Ward 2 on the city's Board of Directors, and the incumbent, Ken Richardson, intends to seek re-election next year, they said Tuesday.
Muse, 64, is a part-time instructor of cultural anthropology and gender studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and president of the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, which he founded.
A former two-term member of the city Planning Commission, Muse was co-chairman of the We Shall Not Be Moved community coalition that defeated plans to place the Little Rock Technology Park in residential areas.
"My experience in the community, my experience in almost everything I do, has led to this point," said Muse, who said he would be an advocate for strong neighborhoods, as well as homeless people, immigrants, parolees and other disadvantaged people.
Richardson, 51, a city director since 2007, said that "at this moment" he plans to seek re-election.
He said he would continue working to improve "public safety through community building," such as expanding job opportunities for people who have been unemployed for longer than a year.
Six of 10 city director seats and the mayor's seat are up for grabs in the November 2018 municipal election.
Candidates cannot formally file for the election until August 2018, and a city ordinance prohibits them from accepting campaign contributions until June 1, 2018.
City directors are elected to four-year terms. They set city policy, have the final say on zoning and land-use issues, approve large contracts and meet nearly every Tuesday at City Hall. The job pays $18,500 per year.
Ward 2, located south of Interstate 630, includes portions of central and southwest Little Rock as well as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Metro on 08/09/2017