Pine Bluff Mayoral Election Date in Limbo
By: Brittney Johnson
Updated: September 13, 2012
Pine Bluff community members and elected officials are expressing their concerns and seeking legal advice over whether population decline will push back the mayoral election set for this Fall.
Tuesday, city council members discussed the mayor's recent push to recognize a state law that says that cities with fewer than 50,000 people can vote for mayor in between presidential elections not the same year.
If the population increases, then the elections match the presidential cycle. In the 2010 census, Pine Bluff slipped below the 50,000 mark, but the city attorney say the law is not clear on what happens when cities decrease in size. Dozens of candidates have been campaigning for months unaware of the law or any potential changes.
"Our main concern is people did not get ample opportunity to know this existed before the mayor put it in the paper," said Reverend Jesse C. Turner.
The city attorney says as of now, all 25 candidates are still on the ballot for November. The mayor and his opponents could file for legal injunction to change the process.
Tuesday, city council members discussed the mayor's recent push to recognize a state law that says that cities with fewer than 50,000 people can vote for mayor in between presidential elections not the same year.
If the population increases, then the elections match the presidential cycle. In the 2010 census, Pine Bluff slipped below the 50,000 mark, but the city attorney say the law is not clear on what happens when cities decrease in size. Dozens of candidates have been campaigning for months unaware of the law or any potential changes.
"Our main concern is people did not get ample opportunity to know this existed before the mayor put it in the paper," said Reverend Jesse C. Turner.
The city attorney says as of now, all 25 candidates are still on the ballot for November. The mayor and his opponents could file for legal injunction to change the process.
