Director Lee Kemp enters Fort Smith mayoral race

Fort Smith Director Lee Kemp on Thursday (April 16) made official his bid to be the next Fort Smith mayor, saying he wants to bring “unity, respect and opportunity” to how the city tackles complex issues and engages citizens in moving the city forward.

Fort Smith Mayor George McGill announced in March he would not seek a third four-year term as mayor. City Director Christina Catsavis, whose at-large position term ends in December, announced her mayoral bid in early February. The other board terms that expire Dec. 31 are Director Kevin Settle (position 6) and Director Neal Martin (position 7).

Kemp, 42, the lead pastor at Forefront Church, noted the following five priorities he would pursue if elected mayor.

• Building stronger partnerships across business, education, nonprofits, and neighborhoods
• Promoting civility and professionalism in public meetings and civic leadership
• Strengthening relationships with state, federal, and funding partners
• Supporting job creation and economic growth
• “Rediscovering Fort Smith” by fostering community pride and engagement

“As mayor, I will work to unite our city and help residents see Fort Smith with fresh eyes,” Kemp said in a statement. “Because when pride rises, participation increases — and when participation increases, growth follows. Pride fuels progress. While the structure of our government handles day-to-day operations, leadership still matters. Tone shapes culture, culture shapes collaboration, and collaboration shapes progress. Fort Smith deserves a mayor who will elevate and champion our city every day.”

In an interview with Talk Business & Politics, Kemp said he hears from residents and city employees that the negative tone and mean “spirit” at city board meetings and on social media is getting worse. He said the “polarization of federal politics has permeated down to local government,” and creates divides and personal attacks that aren’t helpful.

“We’ve got to find a way to not cut each other off at the knees,” he said.

He said the issue of improving the tone and creating a positive environment was a key factor in his decision to run for mayor.

“It was enough for me to give up my vote as a director that I could use my skill set to serve as mayor and help, if the people will have me,” Kemp said in the interview. “If not, I’ll retain my seat and continue to try to be that voice as a city director.”

Kemp also said the mayor, which is primarily ceremonial in Fort Smith’s form of government, can have an impact on big-picture leadership, including helping the city find tough financial answers to significant water system needs.

“I think one of the things we talk about with these complex issues, we have to continue to focus on action-based leadership, and if we had to swallow the whole pill at one time, you know, that becomes very hard,” Kemp said. “What I want to do is help make sure the board navigates through that in a tone that creates a culture for collaboration and helps convey trust and honest dialogue that says, ‘Here is the prerequisite information, and now we can come to this decision point.’”

Kemp is also not supportive of talk from some citizens about changing the form of government. In Fort Smith’s form of government, the city administrator is the CEO, managing an annual budget of more than $300 million and more than 1,000 city employees who provide safety, sanitation, water, sewer, and other key services to a city with a population of about 90,000.

Changing to a mayor-council form of government would place management responsibility with the mayor. Most large cities in Arkansas with a mayor-council government have at least one experienced city manager supporting the mayor in day-to-day operations. The mayor-council form of government would also include elections for city clerk, city attorney, and city treasurer, according to state law.

Kemp said the current form of city government gives the most representation to the people and “allows the professionals to do the work.” He said he would 
“not champion” any effort to change the form of government.

If Kemp is elected mayor, the board could appoint someone to complete the city director term that ends Dec. 31, 2028, or call for a special election. The first opportunity for a special election would be in March 2027. According to Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard, the board also could appoint someone to fill the position until the election cycle is complete. In either appointment scenario, qualified Ward 3 residents could apply to be appointed. The board would then select a director from the applicants.

THE PROCESS
The filing period for the board positions and the mayoral election begins at noon July 29 and ends at noon Aug. 5, according to Gard. Candidate packets will be available at the clerk’s office on May 7.

If there’s only one qualified director candidate for each position, that individual will be declared elected without being on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. If there’s more than one qualified director candidate for each position, all candidates will be on the general election ballot. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast at the general election, the two candidates with the most votes will be on the Dec. 1 runoff election ballot.