Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct. 17, 2024- Incumbent Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver and mayoral candidate Jeremy Terrell addressed the Kiwanis of Greater Jonesboro on Wednesday as the club hosted the first of two Jonesboro Mayoral Forums.

Each candidate had 15 minutes to speak.

Mayor Copenhaver was the first to address the club as he began with a quick update on Tuesday night’s city council meeting, including the approval of $1.1 million for the new community park on Disciple Drive and $3.2 million for the Sportsplex, as well as the approval of $500,000 in humanitarian funding to help combat the homeless situation as it will be less restrictive and more accessible to the city’s non-profit organizations.

“My commitment to you as a public servant has always been to give back to the City of Jonesboro,” Copenhaver stated.

As a Jonesboro native, he noted his Jonesboro pride and gave a brief background, such as graduating from Jonesboro High School and Arkansas State University as all three of his children did.

“So many things are going on. Stop and picture the city four years ago and picture it now… You’re seeing the changes,” he stated. “But we had COVID the first year and we’ve never had that before. So, we had to rejuvenate our community. Congress shut down. D.C. shut down but we didn’t.”

He also noted his time as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and the importance of the relationships he’s built.

Copenhaver also spoke about the city budget, noting that they have had a balanced budget every year and great audits.

Stability is important, he said. “We are the second largest city per square mile in the state of Arkansas, but we don’t have the number of residents per capita as they do. We have to stretch our funding very narrow, so budgeting is critical. I can’t overspend or add new personnel without going to the City Council.”

He also spoke on safety and crime, noting his investments in the police department during his time as mayor, from raising police morale to increasing the number of cameras across the city.

“I will never sell my integrity to anybody, and I will always be honest. I might not make everybody happy, but I treat everybody fairly because that’s who I am,” Copenhaver concluded. “I am a husband. I am a grandfather. I am a father. I am a proud Christian, and I love our community.”

Up next was Terrell, who began with a brief background as well, noting his ten children and that, like Copenhaver, he was a Jonesboro native who graduated from JHS and A-State.

As for his qualifications, Terrell stated that he felt he was more than qualified with an impressive background, such as being the youngest manager in the history of an international service company and being well traveled, having lived all over the United States.

“I have seen a lot of different things, and I have a lot of ideas that we could bring to Jonesboro,” Terrell stated.

He also owned and operated the largest cleaning company in Northeast Arkansas, which he felt was another advantage.

“Employees loved working for us and as your mayor I will bring that to every aspect of the city,” he stated. “I will make sure that we are competent and efficient in every aspect of the city, not just some. We do have some within the city that are very good, and we are weak in other areas. With the background that I have, we will make sure that we elevate every aspect of the city.”

Terrell then took questions from the audience, which included questions about the jail, the library and the old Citizens Bank building.

On the jail, Terrell noted that, while Jonesboro residents do not like tax increases, the jail was a very serious problem that had to be addressed, noting a tour that he had of the jail in which they had kicked out all but two women because they needed more room for men.

“Criminals know that we can’t fit any more in the jail,” he stated. “We have got to get creative,” he said, suggesting ankle bracelets and house arrests. “We have got to get real aggressive to fix that issue.”

As for the library, he said he wanted the library to get its act straight and understand they serve the entire community.

“I would have said we don’t ban books, 100 percent we don’t ban books,” Terrell stated. “But if they find their way into the hands of small kids, we will treat you like you are disturbing child pornography. But that’s just my stance.”

He also stated that the library had an excess of $6 million and he felt that they were playing politics by cutting hours and staff.

On the old Citizens Bank building, Terrell admitted that he has been critical of the downtown area because he felt the business had an unfair advantage compared to other around town, however he said love the downtown area and something had to be done fast because it was a necessity to have a great downtown.

“I’m here for the people,” he concluded. “At the end of the day, we have to do what the voters want. We represent the city, and I will fight for the people.”

Copenhaver then added a few updates on the building situation downtown, noting that the goal was to the building sufficient and get Main Street back open by the end of the month.

A video of this forum can be viewed on the KLEK 102.5 FM Facebook page.

The Kiwanis will host their second Jonesboro Mayoral Forum Oct. 23, featuring candidates L.J. Bryant and Tom Elwood.