Two Alexander residents are challenging Council Member Juanita Wilson
for her seat on the council. Wilson is being opposed by Stephanie
Beck and Trevis Bentley. Wilson occupies the Ward-4 Pos-2 seat on the
council.
A questionnaire was Emailed to the three candidates. The responses
are below.
This is Part-1 of a three part series on the election. Candidates are
listed alphabetically.
Stephanie Beck
Address: 14709 Kent Dr.
[Did not respond to questionnaire.]
Trevis Bentley
Address: 5168 Woodstream Drive
Email: trevisbentley504@yahoo.com
Trevis Bentley resides at 5168 Woodstream Drive in the Meadow’s
Edge subdivision. This is his second attempt to unseat Council Member
Juanita Wilson. His first attempt was in 2024. Bentley has not
previously held any elected office.
“I am currently employed in an engineering capacity,” said
Bentley. “Because of the nature of my employment,” he cannot
divulge the name of his employer.
Bentley says Alexander residents deserve better representation than
the incumbent is providing.
“I’m running because I believe the citizens of Alexander deserve
better and I’m not afraid to say it,” Bentley said. “Public
office is not a title. It is not a personal platform. It is a
responsibility. When residents elect you to represent them, they
place their trust in you to show up, listen, communicate,
participate, and most importantly, be accountable for the decisions
being made on their behalf.”
Bentley has reviewed Council Member Juanita Wilson’s recent
attendance record.
“According to the City of Alexander’s council meeting minutes,
our Ward 4 Position 2 representative has not attended a city council
meeting since April 20, 2026, and has missed 6 of the 9 council
meetings held this year. Why? That is a record the voters have every
right to question.”
“The recent felony arrest involving the current representative is
also a matter of public record,” Bentley continued. “Let me be
clear…..an arrest is not a conviction, and every person is innocent
until proven guilty, but public officials should still expect their
public record, their participation, and their conduct in office to be
examined by the people they serve.”
“For me, the bigger question is simple, are the people of Alexander
receiving the level of representation they deserve?” Bentley asked.
“You cannot effectively represent the people if you are
consistently absent from the room where the city’s business is
being conducted. Council meetings are where issues are discussed,
decisions are made, concerns are raised, and the interests of
residents are represented. That is exactly why I believe we need to
raise the standard of public service in Alexander.”
According to the ARCourts website, an arrest warrant was issued for
Wilson on June 20, 2026. She was charged with Forgery 2nd
Degree. Wilson turned herself in to the Saline County Sheriff’s
Department July 1, 2026. She was released the same day on a signature
bond.
The forgery charge is related to Wilson obtaining a city credit card
in 2023 for the use of then Police Chief Robert Burnett. According to
Wilson, Burnett told her Mayor Crystal Herrmann wasn’t allowing him
to make purchases using the city credit card. Apparently, signing for
the card at the bank is considered forgery.
Despite rumors to the contrary, Wilson is still a member of the
Alexander City Council. On advice of council Wilson says she was told
not to attend any council meetings until the completion of the trial.
According to court documents a jury trial has been set for December
1, 2026.
Despite losing in the 2024 election, Bentley says he continued to
stay involved in Alexander affairs.
“I ran for this position before,” Bentley said. “I lost, but I
did not disappear. I continued showing up to council meetings,
community functions especially for the children, and opportunities to
stay involved with the people and the community I wanted to serve.”
Bentley touts his education and work experience as vital to serving
the Alexander community.
“My professional background has prepared me to serve this position
with a level of discipline, accountability, and problem-solving that
I believe is essential for effective local government,” Bentley
began. “I hold a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from
Southern University and A&M College, and I have more than 16
years of engineering experience in Arkansas.”
“My career has required me to work with contractors, review plans
and specifications, monitor construction projects, address problems
in the field, document decisions, manage public resources, and ensure
that work is performed according to established standards,” he
continued. “Those responsibilities have taught me that leadership
is more than making decisions. It is about understanding the facts,
listening to the people involved, asking the right questions,
following through, and being accountable for the outcome.”
Bentley says a council member should be involved in the community.
“I also understand the importance of community involvement,” he
said. “I have been involved in community improvement efforts,
neighborhood concerns, youth and educational outreach, and efforts to
connect residents with local resources. I believe an effective
council member must understand both the technical side of city
government and the concerns of the people who live here.”
No one will argue with Bentley’s observation that Alexander has a
problem with storm water drainage.
“One issue I believe deserves serious attention is Alexander’s
drainage and storm water infrastructure,” Bentley says. “As
development continues to occur in and around surrounding communities,
Alexander must be proactive in identifying available grants and other
funding opportunities to upgrade and maintain essential drainage
systems.”
“Development changes how water moves across the land,” Bentley
continued. “Areas that once absorbed rainfall—such as woods,
fields, and other permeable surfaces—can be replaced by homes,
streets, driveways, and other impervious surfaces. That can increase
the volume and speed of storm water runoff entering existing drainage
systems. For a landlocked community like Alexander, planning ahead
and investing in adequate infrastructure is critical. I believe the
city should not wait until infrastructure fails before addressing
these challenges. We should be identifying problem areas, evaluating
the capacity of existing systems, pursuing available funding,
planning for future development, and making infrastructure decisions
based on data and long-term needs.”
To summarize Bentley said he brings a combination of, “professional
experience, … attention to details,” … and the ability to,
“work with different people.”
“My professional experience has taught me to be prepared, pay
attention to details, work with different people, address problems
directly, and make decisions based on facts rather than
personalities,” Bentley said. “I believe those skills will allow
me to bring a practical, professional, and accountable approach to
serving Ward 4 and the City of Alexander. I’m not coming to the
council with just opinions. I’m bringing experience in engineering,
project oversight, problem-solving, public resources, and community
involvement and I intend to put that experience to work for the
people of Alexander.”
Council Member Juanita Wilson (Incumbent)
Address: 15202 Kent Dr.
Council Member Juanita Wilson has
always lived at her current address since moving to Woodland Hills in
July, 1978. 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 added she owned and operated, “Wilson Trucking 15 Yrs,”
and was a, “Home health nurse 15 Years.”
By the end of 2026 Wilson will have served a total of 12 years on the
city council. She first defeated incumbent Andy Mullins in the 2012
election to represent Ward-2.
Prior to being elected to the city
council in 2012, Wilson had not held any other elected position.
Wilson first took office on January 1, 2013 and is no stranger to
opposition in an election year.
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. She has served on the council ever since.
Because the 2020 Census showed wards were unevenly represented, the
ward lines were redrawn. The new ward lines became effective in
March, 2022. The new ward lines moved Wilson from Ward-2 to Ward-4.
In the 2022 General Election she ran for the Ward-4 Position-2 seat
and was opposed by April Cotton. She defeated Cotton and has served
in the Ward-4 Position-2 seat since January 1, 2023.
In the 2024 election she was challenged by Trevis Bentley. Wilson
won, but Bentley did not respond to the 2024 election questionnaire
sent by The Alexandrian.
During the 2013/2014 term on the council, Wilson became a Certified
Municipal Official under the Arkansas Municipal League program.
Wilson says she supported
improvements to the city and occasionally filled in for absent employees at city hall. She said she, “Helped with city getting infrastructure
needed badly. Helped pass legislation that made our parks and
streets, fire and other things that our whole city was in need of.
Was a city volunteer for many years, helped in city hall when
employees were ill, so we did not have to pay someone to replace
them, etc..”
