Mayor Perrin endorses Harold Copenhaver in Jonesboro mayoral race

Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin’s closest rival during the 2016 election was former State Rep. Harold Copenhaver. Perrin has opted not to seek a fourth term in 2020 due to health concerns, and on Friday (Aug. 21) he embraced his former rival.

“I want to thank the candidates for Jonesboro mayor for their willingness to serve this city, it takes a lot of heart to step forward and put yourself out there publicly. Having dedicated 27 years of my life, 12 as your mayor, to serving Jonesboro, I feel a responsibility to support who I believe is the best person for the job,” Perrin said.

“After reviewing each of the candidates and their qualifications, I am happy to endorse Harold Copenhaver and his campaign to lead Jonesboro into its next chapter. I believe Harold is not only the most prepared and qualified person to handle the daily responsibilities as mayor, but that he is also personally dedicated to improving our community. I have full confidence that Harold Copenhaver will be an effective leader and will help guide our city to a bright future,” Perrin said.

Three other candidates are vying for the mayor’s seat this year. Physical therapist Andy Shatley, businesswoman Amanda Dunavant, and businessman Thomas “Tom” Elwood are seeking the seat. Elwood and Dunavant ran in 2016.

Copenhaver is the senior business development officer for Centennial Bank. During his time in the state legislature, he served on multiple committees including Vice Chair of the Legislative Joint Auditing Sub-Committee for State Agencies, which focuses on ensuring that public funds were protected from misuse.

Perrin cited Copenhaver’s experience with budgeting as a key asset.

“On the operations side of this job, Jonesboro operates on a nearly $70 million dollar annual budget and employs more than 500 people, you have to possess a firm grip on what it means to manage the fiscal demands of this city. Harold Copenhaver has been there, he has balanced government budgets, he served on the Revenue and Taxation Committee, and served as oversight to make sure municipalities operated with integrity on the Legislative Audit Committee. I believe that type of experience is invaluable,” Perrin said.

Perrin said that he looks forward to working with whomever is the next Mayor of Jonesboro and thanked the citizens of Jonesboro for allowing him to have played a part in its growth.

“I want to again thank the people of Jonesboro for their support over the years, serving as your mayor has been one of the greatest honors of my life and I look forward to watching our city fulfill its full potential in the coming years,” he said.