ROHN MUSE

Rohn Muse, a neighborhood activist, has scheduled a news conference Tuesday morning at the children’s library to announce he’ll be a 2018 candidate for the Ward 2 seat on the Little Rock City Board currently held by Ken Richardson.

Muse, whose Facebook page identifies him as owner of Mid-Rock Orchard, Apiary and Micro-Vineyard, is also an instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at UA-Little Rocki.

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Richardson, first elected to the board in 2006, hasn’t said whether he’ll seek re-election. Filing for the seat is still a year away. He survived a strong challenge three years ago. The district includes parts of central and Southwest Little Rock and has a large minority population, both black and Latino. UPDATE: Richardson tells me he is planning to seek re-election and is focusing on continuing efforts to revitalize 12th Street.

Muse should be familiar to those who followed the development of the Little Rock Technology Park. His Forest Hills neighborhood, on the south side of Interstate 630 across from UAMS, was targeted by powerful business forces as the site for the tech park. Homes would have been taken and leveled. Muse led neighborhood opposition that was critical in a change of direction that eventually led the Tech Park downtown instead.

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Muse’s Facebook page shares posts by others questioning the wisdom of the 30 Crossing project to widen Interstate 30 downtown.

Muse notes he’s lived in Ward 2 for 30 years and is a 1971 graduate of McClellan High School, as well as holder of degrees from UA-Little Rock. He said he’ll run a positive campaign (I note, though Muse doesn’t,  that Richardson has drawn publicity during his tenure for a DWI arrest and absences from city board meetings.) Muse’s release said:

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Rohn Muse is an advocate of human rights, a well-seasoned listener and problem solver. His proven leadership skills are demonstrated by the many examples he sets for others. Muse strongly believes the more we learn about an issue, whether positive, negative, or benign, the better prepared we will be to (re)solve it. Learning empathy for others is key, and it is not an easy thing to do.

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