Early voting began today (Monday October 24). For those of you who plan to cast your ballot before Election Day, November 8, we at The Alexandrian thought you would like to know something about the candidates running for the city council and mayor.
This is Part-2 of a four-part series, covering six candidates, for three seats on the city council and three candidates for mayor. The incumbents currently holding those positions are seeking re-election.
In Part-2 we are covering the race for the Ward-4, Position-1 seat on the city council. Incumbent Council Member Jeffery Watson is being challenged by Angela Griffin. Each biography is placed in the order the candidate will appear on the ballot.
Questions posed to the candidates were the same, except some were tailored to either the incumbent or challenger. The questions are;
1-How long have you lived at your current address?
2-Have you lived any place else in Alexander, or the area formerly known as Woodland Hills?
3-(Incumbent) How long have you held your current position on the council?
3-Have you served on the council before? Have you ever held other similar elected positions before?
4-Are you employed, own/operate a business, or retired?
5-If retired who was your previous employer/company and what did you do there?
6A-(Incumbent) What in your employment history has been beneficial in serving in the office you currently hold?
6B-(Opponent) What in your employment history, or what skills do you possess, that you believe will be beneficial in serving on the city council?
7-(Opponent) Why are you running for office?
Ballot Position #1
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| Photo from candidate's Facebook page. |
Address: 16111 W. Azalea, Alexander, AR 72002
Cell Phone: 501-777-0549
Email Address: JSW16111@gmail.com
Facebook Pages:
#1 - https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.watson.714
#2 - https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.watson.98
#3 - https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.watson.9026
Council Member Jeffery Watson, originally from Casa, Arkansas, first lived in the original part of Alexander in Pulaski County. Later he moved to his current address in South Alexander’s Ward-4.
He was first elected to the Alexander City Council in 2014 for the Ward-1 Position-2 seat, when he lived in the Pulaski County part of the city. That two-year term began January 1, 2015.
During the term he had to resign when he moved to Ward-4. He has lived at his current address for six years.
In the 2016 Election for the Ward-4, Position-2 seat on the city council, Watson defeated the incumbent Lonny Chapman. The 2016 election decided who would serve during the 2017/2018 Term.
This is the same Lonny Chapman who is now seeking re-election to the council for the Ward-2, Position-2 seat. He is opposed by Gina Thomas Littlejohn.
Watson did serve as both a firefighter and police officer for Alexander. According to one of his three Facebook pages he studied firefighting at Southern Arkansas University Tech. He says he is “Now disabled.”
Ballot Position #2
Angela Griffin
Photo provided by candidate.
Address: 6033 Woodcreek Cove, Alexander
Cell Phone: 501-416-1999
Email Address: agriff0012@gmail.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/agriff12
Angela Griffin is new to Alexander and has lived here almost two years. She, her husband and daughter live in the Meadow’s Edge Subdivision.
Griffin is employed at the state office for Arkansas Farm Bureau Insurance Company as an Administrative Assistant in the Products & Education Dept. She’s been there for 21 years. She’s lived in Arkansas since 1993.
It didn’t take her long to get involved in Alexander at the government level. Griffin is currently serving on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Alexander Planning Commission, taking part in writing the city’s new Master Development Plan.
“I am seeking the privilege of running for city council because I want to serve and be involved in our growing community,” Griffin said. “I believe it is important to get involved rather than complain.”
“Most importantly, I want to bridge any disconnect and miscommunications between city officials and the people they represent,” she continued. “Alexander belongs to all of us and I believe we all want what is best for our residents, for our businesses, for the employees who work here and for our visitors. We all want to see the city of Alexander thrive to its full potential. If we can just work together, we might find out we share more things in common than what divides us. If elected, I look forward to working towards bridging that gap.”
Griffin closes by saying, “I am here and ready to serve the City of Alexander not only because it is my community, but because it is my home.”
Griffin has had many homes throughout her life.
“I grew up in a military family,” she said. “My father was an officer and served in the US Army for 20 years. I inherently learned respect and accountability. I learned in order to be a good leader you must lead by first serving.
“Through my travels, I've learned to quickly adapt in any situation,” she continued. “I've made many friendships with different cultures, customs and even different political backgrounds and still maintain a decorum of respect and civility. I may not have all the answers, but I have the willingness and the aptitude to listen and try to find some common ground.
When asked what skills she possess that will be beneficial in performing the duties as a council member she said, “I'm not here to go down a list of skill sets. I believe God puts people in positions that He deems qualified. I was led to run and I simply was obedient to God's calling. The rest is up to Him.”
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