Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson has announced his candidacy for Jefferson County Judge.
In 2018, Robinson was elected as Jefferson County Judge and was sworn in on January 1, 2019.
He was the first Jefferson County sheriff to be elected as Jefferson County judge.
Upon taking office as county judge, Robinson focused his efforts on strengthening the county's budget, eliminating waste, improving efficiency, upgrading technology and infrastructure, and making county business more transparent.
"When I was campaigning to be the judge there were three things I wanted to do," Robinson said. "I wanted to build communication, I wanted to build relationships, and I wanted to build buildings that would be the avenue for us to be where we needed to be."
Robinson said when his journey began in 2019 the county was in dire straits and financial ruins but has since seen tremendous growth in revenue.
Currently, the county has more than $2.5 million in the County General Fund, over $1 million in Public Safety Fund, $3.4 million in the Detention Center Maintenance and Operation Fund, and $792,351 in the Reserve Fund.
By making drastic cuts to employees and inventory, the county, he said, was able to bounce back from an economic deficiency by working together with elected officials, mayors, community leaders, private citizens, and businesses that believed in his vision, according to a press release.
Currently, under Robinson's leadership, Jefferson County has seen growth in business development despite the decline in population. Three county buildings are currently under construction.
The newly constructed Saracen Casino once finished with the addition of the hotel, will employ roughly 1,100 people.
A new Carti Cancer Center and Children's Clinic were constructed, attracting professionals to the area.
There have been investments in technology and energy efficiency such as the solar panels located at the Juvenile Justice System. A $500,000 investment in the Road Department has allowed the county to give more attention to county roads.
Robinson said he would like to set the county up financially with at least $12 million in reserve funds. He also said he wants to better serve the public, whether that be through online resources, in-person meetings or even visits to local shops where people buy medication.
Robinson said he plans to invest in technology that will meet the needs of the citizens and to update the county website for a more user-friendly experience -- the website updates will provide transparency for everything from finances to county projects.
A county annex is also a vision Robinson said he would like to see come to fruition.
Robinson began his career in 1988 as a deputy jailer with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
In 1992, Judge Robinson was transferred to the Uniformed Patrol Division, where his work performance resulted in a collateral duty assignment as a criminal investigator. While assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division, Robinson quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant before being promoted yet again to the rank of captain and transferred back to the Uniformed Patrol Division to serve as the division commander of the sheriff's office.
In 2003, Robinson was made division commander for the Criminal Investigation Division. He then served as division commander for the Criminal Investigation Division for just over a year before being appointed as the under sheriff/chief deputy in 2004 by then Sheriff Boe Fontaine.
Robinson was the first African American sheriff in Jefferson County and was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2007 and served in that post until retiring from the Sheriff's Office on December 31, 2018.
During his time as Sheriff, Robinson held a deep commitment to Community Policing, served as a Cultural Diversity Instructor, and fostered a "participatory management" philosophy in which all employees were given a voice in the operation of the Sheriff's Office.
Additionally, he supported continued modernization of all operations including support for the adoption of technology advances and acquiring new equipment to better serve both personnel and the public.
As Sheriff, Robinson was responsible for implementing standard operating procedures across the organization to include:
• Re-allocated resources
• Redefined professional standards
• Built regional partnerships
• Advocated against domestic violence
• Increased annual revenue through the implementation of a host of programs
• Held deadbeat dads accountable
• Fought the drug epidemic
• Expanded patrols throughout the county
Robinson, a Humphrey native who graduated from Humphrey High School, is married to Pine Bluff councilwoman Joni Alexander and a father of three.
Robinson earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and served in the United States Army from 1981 to 1994 and served in the Persian Gulf War.
Robinson is a 2002 graduate of the FBI National Academy. He is also a graduate of Leadership Pine Bluff, the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and School of Law Enforcement Supervision as well as Arkansas Leader.
Robinson holds memberships with the Democratic Central Committee, Jefferson County Alliance (Board Member), National Sheriff's's Association-Retired, FBI National Academy-Retired, and Southeast Arkansas Mental Health (Board Member).
Robinson is a member of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, the NAACP, the Arkansas County Judge's Association, the National County Judge's Association, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., the Jefferson County Insurance Commission (Board Member), and Jefferson County Democrats.