Newly elected Arkadelphia Mayor James Calhoun said he has always been “community-oriented.”
Calhoun, 67, and his family moved to Arkadelphia in 1983 when he became pastor of Baring Cross Missionary Baptist Church, a position he held for 20 years. The Calhouns immediately became involved in the community — he served as president of the Arkadelphia High School Band Boosters and the Arkadelphia Kiwanis Club, and she opened a business, Mary and Martha’s Florist, which she operated for 22 years.
Calhoun also became involved in city government. He served as a member of the Arkadelphia City Board of Directors for 14 years before seeking the office of mayor in November 2014. He served as vice mayor for two of those 14 years.
“I ran and was elected for a fourth term on the city board of directors,” he said, noting that directors serve for a four-year term and may be re-elected. “When Chuck [Hollingshead] announced he was not going to run again — he had been mayor for 16 years — I was encouraged by him and others to seek the position of mayor.
“I ran and was elected,” Calhoun said with a smile. “I am really excited about being the mayor so I can continue to serve the community.”
Calhoun said the position of mayor is mainly “ceremonial.”
“I will do a lot of ribbon cuttings and issuing proclamations,” he said, noting that Arkadelphia has a city-manager form of government.
According to the website cityofarkadelphia.com, the city is governed by a seven-member board of directors with representation from each of the city’s five wards and two at-large positions, mayor and vice mayor.
“The board of directors hires a city manager to run the city,” Calhoun said. “Our city manager, Jimmy Bolton, does an excellent job. He is open to suggestions and questions from the board. The board does set policy through ordinances and resolutions.”
Calhoun said the mayor’s position “is not a paid position.”
“I do not have office hours, or even an office.”
Calhoun said he has completed the requirements of the Arkansas Municipal League to be a Certified City Official.
“This is a voluntary program approved by the Arkansas State Legislature,” he said. “I also serve on the Large First Class Cities Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Municipal League.”
While not exactly captaining the ship, Calhoun said he does have some goals for the city.
“My No. 1 goal is to make sure we stay within our budget,” he said. “I also want to see us reward our employees with a livable salary and maintain our employees. Turnover is a real detriment to any organization.”
The new mayor said he is also interested in seeing the development of a bypass to the south of the city and the installation of a new bridge over the Ouachita River near Caddo Street. He said he would like to see the old bridge developed into a walking pedestrian trail that would connect the two parks already in existence in that area.
“I also want to see us enhance our public safety,” Calhoun said. “We have excellent police and fire departments. I want to see us do all we can to enhance them and work with them in the protection of our community.”
Calhoun said the slogan for the city is “Arkadelphia is a great place to call home.”
He added, “I want us to say, ‘Make Arkadelphia an even greater place to call home.’”
Calhoun said he is “very fortunate that my kids chose to remain here. So many graduate from high school and go other places. We lose a lot of our bright, young minds.”
“They want to go where ‘the grass is greener,’” Calhoun said, adding with a laugh, “Erma Bombeck said, ‘The grass is always greener over the septic tank.’”
The Calhouns have three children.
• Son James “Jamie” Lynn Calhoun, 45, lives in Arkadelphia with his wife, Emily, and their three children: Matthew, 15, Celeste, 14, and Rob Travis, 8. Jamie is manager of the local Sears store.
• Daughter Becky Freeman, 43, and her husband, Scott Freeman, live in Arkadelphia with their two children: Tyler 16, and Tucker, 14. Becky is a nurse supervisor at Baptist Health Medical Center in Arkadelphia.
• Daughter Courtney Barras and her husband, Ben, live in Arkadelphia with their 2 1/2-year-old son, Levi. Courtney is a teacher at Arkadelphia High School.
In addition to serving as mayor of Arkadelphia, Calhoun is the promotional director for the Arkansas State Mission Project, which helps churches of the Arkansas Association of Missionary Baptist Churches acquire land and buildings for mission works.
Since 2003, Calhoun has traveled throughout Arkansas, speaking and raising funds for state missions. His wife travels with him.
A 1965 graduate of Star City High School in Lincoln County, Calhoun is the son of the late Shelby and Oleta Calhoun of Star City. His mother was a homemaker and worked for the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and his father was a civilian employee at the Pine Bluff
Arsenal. Calhoun’s brother, Jerry Calhoun, lives in Star City. Their other brother, Jean Calhoun, is deceased.
“My mom was one of 13 kids, and my dad, one of 12 kids,” Calhoun said. “I had lots of aunts and uncles.
“We lived with my Grandma and Grandpa Scott, my mothers’ parents, until I was 7. I still remember getting off the school bus and going to their room to visit. It was like I had two sets of parents.”
Calhoun attended Arkansas A&M College (now known as the University of Arkansas at Monticello) for a 1 ½ years.
“I majored in agriculture,” he said. “I was an FFA-vo-tech-4-H type of guy.
“But I had felt the call to the ministry between my junior and senior years in high school,” he said. “I had made my profession of faith when I was 16, and in August of 1964, I announced my calling to the ministry to our church in Star City.
“I went on to college, but my convictions became stronger, and in January of 1967, I started seminary.”
Calhoun graduated from the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in theology. He pastored four churches, including Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Cabot for 11 years, before moving to Arkadelphia.
James and Linda Calhoun married in June 1967.
“She knew she was marrying a preacher,” he said with smile. “She now travels with me when I go to meetings for the Missionary Baptist Churches of Arkansas.
“Sometimes we take the grandkids with us. This year, we will be going to Springfield, Illinois. We hope to see the Lincoln Library and Museum.”
Calhoun said he set a goal 11 years ago when he became involved with the Arkansas Association of Missionary Baptist Churches “to try to visit all 540 churches.”
“I realize that won’t happen, but I’ve already been in at least 350 of them.”