A citizens group convened to recommend the best form of government for Little Rock is considering changing the percentage of the vote members of the city's Board of Directors must receive to win their seat.
Currently, while the city's mayoral candidates are required to secure more than 40% of the vote to avoid a runoff, city board candidates need to secure only a plurality -- the most votes, not necessarily a majority.
Some of the 11 members of the city's governance study group, which plans to present a report with its findings to Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and the city board by June 30, said at their meeting Wednesday that they favor setting some kind of threshold for city board elections. Not having one could be advantageous to incumbents, they said.
"If you want a government that's accountable, you should be able to vote someone out who's not performing," Ward 3 resident Preston Eldridge said.
Donna Massey, a Ward 2 resident and a Pulaski County Quorum Court member, noted that candidates for the county's governing body must secure more than 50% of the vote.
No member mentioned any city director by name, though two incumbent city board candidates retained their seats in 2018's election cycle with less than half the vote.
Erma Hendrix of Ward 1 beat out eight other candidates with about 33% of the vote, and Ward 2's Ken Richardson defeated three challengers with about 42%.
Robert Coon, an at-large group member selected by the mayor, pointed out that only one candidate had won a seat on the city board since 2010 with less than 40% of the vote.
The group also floated the idea of requiring that a winner of a city election have 20% more of the vote than any other candidate, but some felt that would be confusing for the public.
Members also discussed concerns about how having a threshold could lead to runoffs, which add cost and typically have lower turnout.
"That's the biggest deal," at-large member Gary Smith said of lower turnout. "There's not going to be another race to drive it."
The group plans to hold a public forum to seek input on the best form of government for the city on May 20 at the Centre at University Park at 6401 W. 12th St. The forum is to start at 6 p.m. and last until 7:30 p.m.
Metro on 05/09/2019