Alexander police chief insults Native Americans, blames police budget shortages on others

City of Alexander Police Chief Horace Walters made several remarks directed at aldermen Jack Shoemaker and Juanita Wilson during the February 11 city council meeting. One insulted the Native American heritage of Shoemaker and Wilson.

Walters described a visit Shoemaker made to city hall days prior to the meeting. According to Walters, after stopping at the chief's office, Shoemaker went into the courtroom; where the council meetings are held.

"He came in here and started dancing and made strange sounds," Walters said. "That makes me leery, acting like a crazy man."

Former mayor given pension by 2012 council

A look back

During the June, 2012 meeting of the Alexander city council, aldermen voted to give former mayor Shirley Johnson an $800 a month pension. This despite a vote in 2011 that she wasn't entitled to the pension.

In the November, 2010 election Mayor Johnson was ousted and Paul Mitchell was elected mayor. Along with some new aldermen all took office January 1, 2011.

Soon after, the council received a request by Johnson for her pension. She said as a city employee she was due a monthly pension. 

After passing population threshold to become a Class-1 city, Alexander returned to Class-2

When the results of the 2010 Census were released in 2011 the City of Alexander moved up from its Second-Class city status and automatically became a city of the First-Class. Michelle Kidd-Doss-Hobbs, then recorder, immediately began moving to get Alexander reinstated as a Second-Class city.

After the 2010 census count was completed for the City of Alexander, the tally showed a new population number of 2,901. After the 2000 census Alexander's population was only 610.

Under state law it takes a population of 2,500 for a Class-2 city to move up to Class-1. And, according to the Arkansas Attorney General's office the move is automatic after the census figures are released. Then, why is Alexander still Class-2?