Little Rock Mayoral Candidate Steve Landers met with members of the public at Guillermo’s Gourmet Coffee Thursday to talk about his plans should he get elected in November. His top three priorities: safety, infrastructure and transparency.
About a dozen people gathered around with on-the-house coffees as Landers spoke of his plans to improve the city. Many of them were white and over 50 years old. It was clear that most were already in full support of Landers.
“I’m here to tell you our city is not a safe place,” Landers said, referencing the 29% increase in homicides this year. “I will make sure that our city is safe for not only my grandchildren, but yours and your children.”
Landers is a retired man — well known for his Arkansas car dealership — and he said he has no other agenda but to “help us.”
As a successful business leader, he said he will run the city in similar ways to a business: by finding good employees and holding them accountable. Landers used the example of sending too many employees to fix one pothole to highlight an issue in the city’s efficiency.
Landers also suggested that the condition of Little Rock’s parks could be improved by focusing its efforts on a fewer number of parks. The city currently manages 63. Landers proposed 40 parks that provided consistent programming for people of all ages — maybe even food trucks — would be better for the residents.
“We want to be the city that everybody wants to move to,” he said.
Landers vowed that he would be a different mayor than residents are used to — that he would be checking on businesses and walking the streets, instead of sitting at a desk.
He promised that he would not be a “king” of the city, but a “servant.” Landers said he would be transparent with residents and would make a commitment to the city, as he did to his wife some 50 years ago.
“I’m not a politician,” Landers said. “If you want a politician, I am not your guy. If you want a guy to get it done, I am your guy.”
His campaign team, who distributed t-shirts and stickers, also helped pass out business cards to those in attendance; his cellphone number included to prove that he is available for contact.
One “concerned citizen” at the gathering was 29-year-old Catherine Woodrow. She said she is still deciding who to vote for in November. She came to the event because Landers’s website does not provide “a great depiction” of his future plans, she said.
“Everybody who was here, it seemed, is already very gung-ho on Steve Landers, so it seemed like he was really just talking to his friends,” she said. “It didn’t seem like it was pulling anybody else around.”
Woodrow said she is concerned about homelessness, social support and making sure resources are in place for low-income people in Little Rock.
She asked Landers about ways he would address the city’s homeless population. Landers said that he was already working hand-in-hand with homelessness consultants from other states to find solutions to Little Rock’s “unbelievable” problem, he said.
Woodrow countered by questioning if he had met with consultants who have already completed work in the city. He said he was interested in making those connections.
One Landers supporter, who chose not to be identified, stood to address the crowd about his concerns with voter turnout. The man recognized Mayor Frank Scott Jr.’s ability to get people to the polls.
“It’s going to be important for everybody,” he said. “Otherwise we’re going to be sitting there on the Wednesday afterward and say, ‘Hey, what happened? Frank got the vote out.’ We don’t want that to happen. Let’s don’t let it happen.”
During the same time as Landers’s public meeting, Mayor Scott hosted a ribbon cutting block party that formally opened his campaign office.
Morale was positive as Scott vowed to address concerns for all of Little Rock’s zip codes. Arkansas Senator Joyce Elliott, who has been historically progressive in the state, joined Scott in the announcement. At least 50 turned out to the event that also provided grilled food and live music on 12th Street.