Kemp announces bid for Fort Smith city director position

Lee Kemp, pastor of Forefront Church in Fort Smith, has announced his candidacy for Fort Smith City Director for Ward 3. Ward 3 Director Lavon Morton said he has not made a decision yet on whether he will run for reelection.

Kemp was born and raised in Fort Smith and is a 2002 graduate of Southside High School. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and has a bachelor’s degree in religion from Liberty University. He is lead pastor of Forefront Church on Jenny Lind, which he and his family founded in 2013.

Kemp said he is running for the city director position because he feels it is time for a seasoned leader to provide direction toward a strong Fort Smith future. He said that he believes this happens best when all residents, not just a few special interests, have a voice.

“I have lived in Fort Smith Ward 3 most of my life. I have a good pulse on the concerns and frustrations that our citizens in this area share. It is time for all citizens to be heard and be able to expect action on their behalf,” Kemp said.

Kemp has been married for 18 years. He and his wife, Sarah, a 2003 Northside High School Graduate, have four daughters and one son. He has been involved with various organizations including the Fort Smith Christian Men’s Job Corps, Old Fort Homeless Coalition, Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club, Brookfield Assisted Living, River Valley Young Life and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He serves as chaplain for the Southside High School football team and is president of the Fianna Hills Property Owners Association.

Kemp said the next five years are critical to the future of Fort Smith.

“Now is the time for us all to lean into our local community and make sure we leverage our growth and opportunities rightly,” Kemp said.

Morton, who was first appointed to the position in April 2019. He was up for election to the position in 2020, but because none of the four candidates who filed for an open position on the Fort Smith Board of Directors in 2020 were opposed, they were all certified Sebastian County Election Commission and declared the winners in each of their respective seats.

This year, the four ward positions – Positions 1-4 – on the Fort Smith Board of Directors are up for election. Those positions are held by Jarred Rego, Ward 1 (serving his first term); André Good, Ward 2 (first elected to the board in 2008); Morton, Ward 3 (first appointed to the position in April 2019); and George Catsavis, Ward 4 (first elected in 2010). Catsavis has announced he will seek re-election.

Candidates for the Fort Smith Board of Directors must be at least 21, a registered voter in Fort Smith, must have been a resident for at least six months prior to filing, and reside within the ward in which they are a candidate. The city director candidate filing period this year is July 31 to noon on Aug. 7.

Under a new state law, in the city administrator form of government, candidates will fall in line with all other forms of government whereby the filing period is later in the year than years past and no primary is held, according to Fort Smith City Clerk Sheri Gard. All candidates go directly to the general election in November. The general election is Nov. 5. If no candidate obtains a clear majority, the top two candidates for the position will then go to the runoff election in December, which will be held Dec. 3 this year.