Early voting is underway. 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-3 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-3 we are covering the race for the Ward-4, Position-2 seat on the city council. Incumbent Council Member Juanita Wilson is being challenged by April Cotton. Each biography is placed in the order the candidate will appear on the ballot.
The previous two articles can be found here:
MEET THE CANDIDATES: Running for Alexander City Council; Ward-2, Position-2
http://thealexandrian2013.blogspot.com/2022/10/meet-candidates-running-for-alexander.html
MEET THE CANDIDATES: Running for Alexander City Council; Ward-4, Position-1
http://thealexandrian2013.blogspot.com/2022/10/meet-candidates-running-for-alexander_24.html
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
 |
| Photo from candidate's Facebook page. |
Address: 15202 Kent Dr., Alexander, AR 72002
Cell Phone: 501-454-7079
Email Address: juanitaw1949@gmail.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/juanita.wilson.188
Council Member Juanita Wilson has always lived at her current address since moving to Woodland Hills in July, 1978. At the request of a majority of property owners, Woodland Hills was annexed into the City of Alexander in August 2006.
For nearly 25 years Wilson was employed as an Over-The-Road truck driver and held a Commercial Driver’s License. She had to leave that job to take care of her ailing mother until she passed away about two years later in 1998. She began working in home health care in 2000 and eventually retired in 2016.
Wilson says her work experience has provided her, “[C]ommon sense, ability to work hard, and [I] put it all to use when I became a council member.”
Wilson defeated incumbent Andy Mullins in the 2012 election to represent Ward-2. Mullins was elected in 2010 and served from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2012.
Wilson first took office on January 1, 2013. During the 2013/2014 term on the council, Wilson became a Certified Municipal Official under the Arkansas Municipal League program.
In the 2014 election Mullins took back his seat by defeating Wilson 219 to 209. In the following 2016 election Wilson returned to defeat Mullins again.
Prior to being elected to the city council in 2012 Wilson had not held any other elected position. In 2018 she was appointed by Mayor Paul Mitchell to serve as the council’s voting representative on the Alexander Planning Commission.
Since January 1, 2015 Wilson has served on the council for the Ward-2 Position-2 seat. Because the 2020 Census showed wards were unevenly represented, the ward lines were redrawn earlier this year. The new lines caused Wilson and Council Member Lonny Chapman to trade places. Wilson is now in the Ward-4 Position-1 spot and Chapman is the council member for the Ward-2 Position-2 seat.
Fact Check:
Juanita Wilson’s opponent, April Cotton, says the city has moved slowly making improvements in employee pay and providing benefits to help retain employees. Cotton was the city’s court clerk from July 2013 to June 2014 and said in her response to questions concerning her run for the city council, “The pay for employees at the time was terrible and the city didn’t provide any benefits.”
“The City recently started providing its employees with life insurance, which I think is great,” Cotton continued. “However, this step should have been made years ago. This is an example of an improvement that was needed, but it took many years for the improvement to be made.”
While all that was true at the time, Wilson counters Cotton’s plans by pointing to the city’s employee benefits package that exists today. Wilson notes that the administration had to get it’s financial house in order and demonstrate to taxpayers they can trust the city with another one-cent sales tax increase.
Before the one-cent sales use tax for the general fund was approved by voters in November, 2017, the city had a two-cent sales tax dedicated to the fire, police and parks and recreation departments. That two-cents can not be used for general fund purposes. Since adding the third one-cent tax the council approved the following employee benefits.
On February 26, 2018:
“By a voice vote council members gave Police Chief Robert Burnett permission to add Delta Dental/Vision to the benefits package for city employees.”
Appeared in an article on The Alexandrian website 02/28/2018.
On June 18, 2018:
“The Alexander City Council approved two ordinances that will allow city employees access to one of two retirement systems. Members of the police and fire departments will be able to join the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System, known as LOPFI. Remaining employees will be able to join the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System, or APERS.”
Appeared in an article on The Alexandrian website 06/21/2018.
On March 21, 2022:
“The council approved providing life insurance to city employees through Liberty National Life Insurance. The monthly cost to the city to provide a $10,000 life insurance policy to each of the 24 city employees is $489.49 per month.”
Appeared in an article on The Alexandrian website 03/23/2022.
Wilson says she wants to do what’s necessary to keep and attract good employees and provide additional services desired by residents but everything has to be funded.
Ballot Position #2
 |
| Photo provided by candidate. |
Address: 1200 Meadows Edge Drive
Cell Phone: 501-773-2053
Email Address: accotton@ualr.edu
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/april.cotton.56
April Cotton is from Alexander and says she “was raised” here. She has lived in the Meadows Edge Subdivision since 2018.
Cotton is employed by a law firm in Little Rock as a corporate defense attorney and says, “I will also handle criminal and domestic relations cases in the near further.”
According to an Internet search Cotton is an Associate Attorney with Hall Booth Smith, P.C. According to their LinkedIn account she has been with the firm since September, 2022. She is a licensed attorney in Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas.
This is Cotton’s first time running for public office.
“I’ve never ran or held a position for public office,” she said. “However, I have participated in the leadership of an organization in which I helped maintain the budget, modify and enforce the constitution and bylaws of the organization.”
“I am running for office to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” Cotton said. “Being raised in Alexander provided me with first hand exposure of what a difference leadership makes in the makeup of the City of Alexander.”
Cotton says she’s seen Alexander from the inside.
“Being a former employee of the City of Alexander I have insight of ways in which we can help our employees and aid in employee retention,” Cotton said. “I worked as the District Court Clerk under the administration of both mayors Shirley Johnson and Michelle Hobbs for a combined total of a year and five months.”
For those of you who moved here after 2010; former Mayor Shirley Johnson lost her re-election in 2010 after serving as mayor for 20 years. Michelle Hobbs served as interim mayor from mid-November 2012 until December 31, 2014 when she was defeated by Paul Mitchell in the 2014 November General Election.
Alexander moves too slowly for Cotton.
“I’ve seen three different administrations, which provided very different things to the City of Alexander at a very slow pace,” she said. “I’ve been exposed to audits from the Arkansas Legislatures and attended hearings on ... behalf of the City of Alexander. That process gave me insight on areas in which the city could improve.”
“The pay for employees at the time was terrible and the city didn’t provide any benefits,” Cotton continued. “The City recently started providing its employees with life insurance, which I think is great. However, this step should have been made years ago. This is an example of an improvement that was needed, but it took many years for the improvement to be made.”
Cotton says the city is changing and the council must change with it.
“One thing that has remained is the city council and the City’s leadership,” she said. “We have come to a time that the City has expanded, the demographics are changing, the economic classes of our citizens are changing.”
“In lieu of this change, we must change!” Cotton continued. “It is time to have a city council that is reflective of its citizens. It’s time for a fresh perspective that’s geared towards to paving a way for a better tomorrow for all Citizens of Alexander.”
Cotton says having an attorney on the council will be an asset.
“My legal background will help assist the council with interpreting the laws and incoming request,” Cotton said. “It (legal background) will also assist me with ensuring that we are operating within the bounds of our city ordinances, and state/federal legislation. I also have strong research, writing, and communication skills, which will aid us in applying and receiving grants, and distributing information to the citizens of Alexander.”
“If elected I would like to take a look at the City’s budget and employees’ benefit package to ensure that it’s comparable to other cities of our size,” she said. “At that time a recommendation will be made.”
Fact Check:
While out campaigning, incumbent Juanita Wilson is showing everyone she meets copies of Legislative Audit reports that show April Cotton was the Alexander Court Clerk from July 23, 2013 to June 20, 2014 when Michelle Hobbs (Cotton’s cousin) was mayor. However, there are no Legislative Audit reports, going back to the year 2000, that list April Cotton as court clerk during the Shirley Johnson Administration. That means Cotton was court clerk for only 11 months, not the “year and five months” she claims under the administrations of mayors Shirley Johnson and Michelle Hobbs.
Wilson is also shining more light on Cotton’s statement, “I’ve been exposed to audits from the Arkansas Legislatures and attended hearings.” The statement is true but according to Wilson, who was on the city council at the time, it was not a friendly visit to Little Rock.
According to Wilson the council was having problems getting district court financial records from city hall. Wilson says she notified the head of Legislative Audit and a meeting with the Legislative Audit Committee was schedule to include Cotton, Mayor Hobbs and Bookkeeper Ruby Whittaker (Cotton’s grandmother). Wilson was also present and says they showed up but without the “records for expenditures” as ordered.
The Alexandrian has requested comments from Ms. Cotton to explain the inconsistencies in both her stated time as a court clerk under two mayors, when records show she served under only one mayor, and why her office wasn’t providing financial statements to both the city council and Legislative Audit. So far there has been no response.
No comments:
Post a Comment