Two more candidates enter Ward 3 Fort Smith Director race

Two more candidates have thrown their hat into the ring in the race for Fort Smith City Director Ward 3. Carl Nevin and Russ Bragg have announced they are running for the position in the Nov. 5 general election. Lee Kemp has also announced he is running for the position.

Nevin has lived in the Fort Smith area since 1978. He has been “very involved in local politics since 2022,” a press release about his candidacy said.

“I think we need more transparency in local government,” the release said. “I attend many of the Board of Directors meetings and study sessions. I attend so that I am well informed on city issues.”

Nevin, a 69-year-old small business owner and factory worker, said issues the city faces include the federal consent decree requiring work on the city’s water and sewer system, and the Foreign Military Sales program. Nevin ran for city director for the At Large, Position 5 seat in 2022. Christina Catsavis won that race. He is chairman of Fort Smith Crime Stoppers, president of the Fort Smith Antique Automobile Club, and a member of River Valley City Elders, Noon Exchange Club, and Evangel Temple.

“My dad was in the Air Force for 20 years. We were exposed to many many cultures and ideas. I graduated from Kaiserslautern American High School in 1974. I attended Bethany Bible College in California. I married my wife Barbara, and we have been married 44 years,” Nevin said.

His wife taught in Fort Smith Public Schools for 40 years. The couple has two children and two grandchildren.

Bragg lived and worked in Fort Smith for 36 years. He was senior vice president of supply chain of OK Foods for 35, where he was responsible for purchasing, logistics, distribution, transportation, commodity trading, warehousing, and the outlet store. He also was a board member of OK Foods and on the executive committee during its growth years, he said, noting he was “lucky to construct a feed mill and later a distribution center just over the border in Oklahoma.”

“After a period of careful consideration and prayer, I have announced my candidacy for Ward 3 of the Fort Smith City Directors,” he said in his announcement.

Bragg serves on the audit committee for the City of Fort Smith, which he says has given him the opportunity to learn more about city finances and processes.

“As we transition to a new internal auditor, I am advocating to keep the position as an employee of the City of Fort Smith and to have that position report to the Board of Directors to maintain independence in thoughts and actions,” Bragg said. “With all of the money we are spending on water and sewer due to the consent decree, I believe this to be of paramount importance to the visibility into city operations.”

Bragg said his commitment to the community extends to serving on boards including as the vice-president River Valley Habitat for Humanity and with Golfing for Kids, supporting local foster care. He served as co-chairman for the Arkansas College of Health Education’s On Call inaugural gala.

“At the request of Mayor (George) McGill, I am working with the airport commissioner, the city, and local business and industry leaders to promote ‘Fly Fort Smith’ and to bring in additional carriers or routes that benefit our ever-growing community,” Bragg said.

He has been a member of Immaculate Conception parish for 35 years, where he serves on the finance committee and as an usher.

“Throughout my business career, I have worked with the leadership of Fort Smith on different projects. Most prominent of these were the Fort Smith Truck Route and the changes to Act 605 regarding retail water providers and related services,” Bragg said.

He has served for nine years on the Arkansas State Plant Board and in leadership positions with the Arkansas Poultry Federation and the National Chicken Council.

The Ward 3 position is held by Lavon 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. Morton said he has not made a decision yet on whether he will run for reelection.

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 said he is seeking reelection.

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, Sheri Gard, Fort Smith City Clerk has said. 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 on Dec. 3 this year.

Per state law, candidates cannot start collecting signatures on their candidate petitions until May 9. Gard said candidate packets will not be ready in the City Clerk’s Office until closer to that time.