Wrightsville mayoral hopefuls invested in future

Runoff to settle Wrightsville race

A roll of stickers awaiting distribution to early voters sits on a table at the check-in station at the Pulaski County Courthouse Annex in Little Rock.
A roll of stickers awaiting distribution to early voters sits on a table at the check-in station at the Pulaski County Courthouse Annex in Little Rock.


Incumbent Allan Clarence Loring and challenger Derrick M. Rainey -- who face each other in a runoff election for Wrightsville's next mayor -- share a concern: what kind of city to leave the next generation.

Loring, 71, is the current mayor. He is a retired Arkansas Department of Transportation sign shop supervisor and has served on the City Council for over 30 years. He also served on the Second Class Cities Advisory Council for over 25 years. In 2019, he was appointed to the office of Vice President of District 2 of the Arkansas Municipal League.

He now serves on the Arkansas Municipal League Executive Committee and has been Wrightsville's mayor since 2018. During his term, Loring has implemented the city's sewer system and led efforts for better internet services.

Loring said he's committed to getting up at 4:30 a.m. every day to sit in City Hall and serve the people of Wrightsville.

"You've really got to love the city, you've got to know the citizens of the city and have a concern for their needs and desires," he said. "Every dollar must be accounted for, every dime must be accounted for, it must be a sound decision, a conservative decision. This is your citizen and taxpayer money that you spend; you can't spend it all in one day."

Current projects for Loring include City Hall repairs and renovations. He also wants to create more walking trails, parks with outdoor pavilions, and tennis and basketball courts. He said he wants to expose the city's youth to different sports and all aspects of physical activity.

Loring added that he wants visitors to realize Wrightsville cares about its appearance and he wants them to notice that there's something interesting and unique about the city.

"We see a need for productivity," he said. "We need to come together more in community as one big large family. We need to be connected with each other because we have the same goal in mind."

Loring said he does his best to make himself available to the people of Wrightsville outside of his weekly schedule.

"I'm a 24/7 mayor. If you need me to come see an issue you're having on a Saturday or a Sunday, I'll be there," he said.

When voters see Loring's name on the ballot for the runoff, he wants them to think of "progress and forward."

"I want them to say, 'Hey, that's a man who takes initiative,'" he said. "We got to come through this, we got to go through the fire to understand what we actually need. I want them to think 'Alan Clarence Loring will take us up to that upper plateau and get us where we need to go.'"

Loring added that he is motivated by the people and families of Wrightsville and he is excited for generations to come.

Rainey, 36, is the chief legacy officer of the Seven Generations Living Legacy Collaborations and a small-business development office coordinator for the city of Little Rock's finance department. Rainey said he first got involved by volunteering in Wrightsville and managing its social media pages on the planning commission.

In his campaign for mayor, Rainey said he's focused on making the city's services more efficient, improving education, hosting more informative City Council meetings and implementing after-school tutoring programs. His other goals include starting more community activities and improving parks and recreation.

Rainey also mentioned that the state prison in Wrightsville has been left out of engagement and city education, and its reentry program is important to him.

Other initiatives Rainey hopes to tackle if elected include improving affordable and sustainable housing and business development in the city.

"When we looked at the condition of the city, there are seven churches, one-and-a-half liquor stores and one Dollar General," he said. "We do have a restaurant that just came back and never leaves, which is pretty awesome; it's family-owned. Those type of efforts really push for economic development."

Rainey said a larger piece of the city's development will be getting its people engaged and involved in the community. One of the things that came up in conversation during his campaign was how vibrant Wrightsville used to be because the right people invested in the city, he said.

"I'm not here for myself," he said. "I'm here for my child and her children after. What is my daughter going to have to say when she gets to my age, what are they going to say about the city of Wrightsville? That it just fell off and fell apart, that it was annexed into Little Rock? Or that it became a very vibrant city outside of the Metropolitan. That's what I want people to see ... the opportunity that we have to change the direction of Wrightsville with a new vision and a new plan."

Early voting will start Tuesday at:

• Pulaski County Regional Building, 501 W. Markham St. Little Rock, Tuesday through Dec. 5, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays.

• First Christian Church of Sherwood, 2803 Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, and Bethel Baptist Church, 112 N. Jeff Davis Ave., Jacksonville, Tuesday through Dec. 2, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., weekdays.

There will be no early voting in Pulaski County on Saturdays and Sundays.

On election day, Dec. 6, polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.


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