Five Candidates Vie for Little Rock City Director Seats
Candidates in Little Rock's Ward 6 and Ward 7 are campaigning on housing, policing, and transparency ahead of the November 3 election.
Five candidates are competing for city director seats in Little Rock's Ward 6 and Ward 7 in the November 3 election. In Ward 7, Joe Gray, Natalie James, and Benny Johnson are vying for the seat vacated by Vice Mayor Brenda Wyrick, who is challenging Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
Gray, a retired fire marshal, proposes converting vacant structures into affordable housing to remove people from the streets. James, a realtor, advocates for equitable funding and a shift away from increasing police forces toward community-based solutions. Johnson, co-founder of Arkansas Stop the Violence, seeks to reinstate the O.K. mentorship program and implement residency requirements for police officers.
In Ward 6, incumbent City Director Andrea Lewis is running for a second term against challenger Victoria Macuil. Lewis points to her record of infrastructure improvements and a recent vote for a data center moratorium. Macuil, a University of Little Rock student, is campaigning on government transparency, the banning of nondisclosure agreements in city operations, and increased funding for community centers.
