Mayor Mark Stodola touted Little Rock's new construction projects and the entrepreneurial “renaissance” taking place downtown while addressing a recent uptick in some crimes at his annual address Wednesday afternoon.
The mayor gave his State of the City speech inside the gymnasium of the West Central Community Center, one of the recently completed construction projects he praised during the talk.
Stodola told the crowd that Little Rock had experienced a “year of construction” with the reopening of the Broadway Bridge and the Robinson Center as well as the completion of an ambulance facility, the community center and the Little Rock Technology Park, among others.
The city's downtown is experiencing a “renaissance” of new businesses and creative outlets, Stodola said. That area is the “heart” of Little Rock, he said, and “the heart is beating stronger than ever. And it isn't slowing down anytime soon,” Stodola said.
The mayor also praised businesses that are flocking to the Little Rock metro area to build or expand facilities, including Sprint, Bank of the Ozarks, LM Windpower and TY Garmants. In 2016, the capital city and the metro area added more than 750 new jobs and experienced more than $43 million in new capital investment, he said.
The city's unemployment rate sits at 3.6 percent — a rate that's less than half of what it was in 2011, Stodola said. Job opportunities and amenities are what will attract people to Little Rock and make it a desirable place to visit and live, he said.
After listing the city's successes, the mayor turned to areas he says need improvement. Public safety is the highest priority, Stodola said.
From 2007 to 2015, the city has seen an overall 18 percent decrease in crime, he said. In 2016, there was a 2 percent increase in overall crime, Stodola said. And while violent crime was down 1 percent, homicides were up 35 percent, a “vexing” statistic, he said. There was also a “troubling” increase in stolen vehicles and auto break-ins in Little Rock, he added.
The city is addressing the police officer shortage by adopting an aggressive plan of recruitment, changing the interview process, holding four recruit classes a year and pursuing already-certified officers in other jurisdictions, Stodola said.
The Little Rock Police Department also created a 16-member Violence Reduction Team that has since arrested 126 suspects, filed 348 felony charges, recovered 10 stolen cars and confiscated 28 weapons, the mayor said. The city's police force is also a member of the Department of Justice's Violence Reduction Network.
The mayor told the crowd that there is no “mystery” as to where violent crime happens. It happens in neighborhoods contending with problems like poverty, limited access to jobs and education and easy access to guns and drugs, he said.
“Even with crippling structural issues, change can occur,” Stodola said. That change happens when community members get involved, he said. He urged people who know something about crimes in their neighborhood to speak up, saying, "We need your help."
Stodola concluded his address by telling the crowd Little Rock residents need to work together, embrace diverse populations and engage with the city's challenges.
“This is how we will make Little Rock the next great American city in the South,” he said.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.