A record number of candidates are running for mayor and for offices overall in Little Rock, with a five-way race for mayor and a nine-way race for the Ward 1 city director seat.
Twenty-seven people had filed bids for municipal positions by Friday's noon deadline, which is the highest number recorded since the first Little Rock Board of Directors took office in 1957 with a city manager form of government.
Previously, the highest number of mayoral candidates was four, in the 2006 election when there was no incumbent on the ballot. Mayor Mark Stodola, who is not seeking re-election after serving three four-year terms, took office in 2007.
In 1992, the last year before the city began electing its mayor by popular vote rather than board selection, 26 people ran for board seats. There were 22 candidates for municipal positions in 1994 and 1998.
Ward 1, which encompasses downtown Little Rock and the eastern part of the city, has traditionally had a high number of hopefuls compared with the other seats. Seven people ran in 1998, when no incumbent appeared on the ballot. Incumbent Erma Hendrix, 88, who took the Ward 1 office in 2007, has filed to run for re-election.
The election is Nov. 6.
Kathy Wells, president of the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods, said the heightened interest in this year's local races is likely because there's no mayoral incumbent as well as a notion of more receptiveness to diversity and outsiders.
"People feel bolder in this political time than ever before," Wells said.
Running to succeed Stodola are:
• Baker Kurrus, the 64-year-old former state-appointed superintendent of the Little Rock School District.
• State Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock, 41.
• Glen Schwarz, 64, the executive director of the state chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
• Frank Scott Jr., 34, the vice president of First Security Bank.
• Vincent Tolliver, 51, a consultant for the Little Rock School District.
Stodola is the city's first full-time mayor since Little Rock's switch to a city manager form of government in 1957. All mayors between then and now had been part time. An appointed city manager controls all municipal programs, while the mayor has an office in City Hall, presides over Board of Directors meetings and has veto and appointment powers. The salary is $160,000 a year. Little Rock has nearly 200,000 residents.
Fort Smith, the state's second-largest city with a population of about 86,210, had three mayoral candidates in a race without an incumbent. Rep. George McGill, D-Fort Smith, was elected Tuesday and will be the city's first black mayor.
But Little Rock's record stands in the shadow of Pine Bluff's 2012 mayoral race, when nine people, including the incumbent, ran for the office.
Little Rock city board members serve four-year terms and are paid $18,000 annually.
Challenging Hendrix for the Ward 1 seat are:
• Ted Adkins, 52, a retired Little Rock police officer.
• Herbert Broadway, 59, a nightclub owner.
• Bryan Frazier, 42, the owner of Capitol View Studio.
• Greg Henderson, 35, the publisher of Rock City Eats.
• Ronnie Jackson, 55, president of the East Little Rock Neighborhood Association.
• Curtis Johnson, 50, the interim executive director of operations at Arkansas Baptist College.
• Danny Lewis, 52, a Realtor and minister.
• Robert Webb, 49, an activist.
In addition to the Ward 1 seat, representatives for wards 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 are also up for re-election. All the incumbents are running.
Challenging incumbent Ken Richardson, 52, for the Ward 2 south-central Little Rock seat are:
• Rohn Muse, 65, a former professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
• Shalonda Riley, 39, an actress, model and motivational speaker.
• Valerie Tatum, 54, executive director of Covenant Keepers Charter School.
Ward 3 City Director Kathy Webb, 69, and Ward 5's Lance Hines, 49, have filed to run for re-election with no opposition. Webb serves as vice mayor. Ward 3 includes Hillcrest and the Heights.
Challenging incumbent Doris Wright, 59, for the Ward 6 west-central seat are:
• Vicki Hatter, 39, a member of the Little Rock School District Parent and Family Engagement Committee.
• Russ Racop, 59, a blogger and government critic.
• Sandy Becker, 67, a former Little Rock School District employee.
Challenging incumbent B.J. Wyrick, 68, for the Ward 7 southwest Little Rock seat are:
• Edmond Davis, 41, a small-business owner.
• Robert Williams, 52, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Association.
November also will feature the state gubernatorial election between Republican incumbent Asa Hutchinson and Democratic challenger Jared Henderson, as well as the race for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. French Hill, Democratic state Rep. Clarke Tucker and Libertarian Joe Swafford are running for that seat.
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A Section on 08/18/2018