Most Fort Smith city director positions go unchallenged

Of the four Fort Smith city ward – city director – positions up for election this year, three have been declared the winners because they have no opposition. Ward 3 is the only position in which the incumbent, Lavon Morton, did not seek reelection.

The noon deadline for filings for the City of Fort Smith Board of Directors positions 1, 2, 3, and 4 (representing Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4) passed with the only position to have more than one person file being Ward 3, according to the office of Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard. All the candidate petitions filed have been verified and declared sufficient, the notice said.

Russell Bragg, Lee Kemp and Carl Nevin filed for the Ward 3 position and will face each other in the Nov. 5 general election. Bragg has 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 serves on the audit committee for the city.

Kemp was born and raised in Fort Smith and is a 2002 graduate of Southside High School. He is lead pastor of Forefront Church on Jenny Lind, which he and his family founded in 2013.

Nevin, 69, a small business owner and factory worker, has lived in the Fort Smith area since 1978. He has been “very involved in local politics since 2022,” noted a press release about his candidacy.

Since only one candidate filed for Positions 1, 2, and 4, the incumbents in each of those positions, the noted candidates are declared elected with no opposition and without necessity of their names being included on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, the notice from the clerk’s office said.

Director Jarred Rego, director of advancement for the Fort Smith-based Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, is serving his first term as director for Ward 1, having been elected in 2020.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Fort Smith. It has been a genuine honor and privilege,” Rego said. “It’s really amazing when you take a moment and reflect on some of the historic and incredible things we have accomplished together over the last three and a half years.”

He said his priorities include supporting public safety, investing in clean and reliable water, reducing the number of “rundown properties,” and supporting “transformative projects and ideas designed to help Fort Smith prosper, thrive, and grow.”

Director André Good, 59, was first elected as the city director for Ward 2 in 2008. He works in dispatch operations for FedEx.

“As part of my servant leadership role, I personally visit constituents at their homes or businesses, and then communicate with city staff and department heads the concerns and how to best resolve any misunderstanding or issues,” Good states on his LinkedIn page. “It is vitally important to be familiar with other departments and committees that make up our city team and to show support for their work. As such, I attend meetings outside of the regular Board of Directors meetings so that I may listen and when asked or prompted, offer suggestions or information for collaboration and better team building.”

George Catsavis, 69, was first elected to the board as the director for Ward 4 in 2010 to fill a partial term left vacant when Bill Maddox resigned from the board.

“I’m honored to be able to serve the city for four more years representing the people of my district. Evidently the people think I’m doing a good job, and I’m happy to continue to work to represent them and do what is best for the people,” Catsavis said.

The term for the directors in Wards 1 through 4 is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2028.