(From left)  L.J. Bryant, Jeremy Terrell, Thomas Elwood and incumbent Mayor Harold Copenhaver share their policies and plans for Jonesboro in the third ASU-TV debate. Photo courtesy of ASU-TV.

Safety, economic development, quality of life and student civic engagement took center stage as  Jonesboro mayoral candidates offered their visions for the city’s future.

The third and final ASU-TV debate featured L.J. Bryant, Jeremy Terrell, Thomas Elwood and incumbent Mayor Harold Copenhaver, as they presented their plans and policy initiatives for improving the city. 

Throughout the debate, the candidates touched on issues ranging from public safety to economic growth, with Bryant and Terrell critiquing the current leadership for what they said was a lack of action on rising crime rates. 

However, a major point of discussion was how Jonesboro can better engage with Arkansas State University students, either through more collaborative efforts or stressing the need to create more job opportunities to retain A-State graduates. 

“We could do better; you guys are the next generation and at some point in time, we have to make sure that we’re engaging with you so that when we’re gone, you are able to take over,” Terrell said. 

Regarding safety and crime prevention, Copenhaver defended his record, stating a 12% drop in crimes against individuals and a 24% decrease in property crimes, although Terrell and Bryant argued this issue should have been either addressed long ago or the increase in crime is disproportionate to population growth. 

When it came to economic development and city growth, Elwood pushed for environmental initiatives such as composting facilities to use city resources more effectively. Terrell, however, focused on the city’s failures to create opportunities for youth and critiqued superficial investments, such as downtown sidewalks.

The candidates also discussed supporting local nonprofits, addressing the unhoused and improving Jonesboro’s infrastructure. Each candidate emphasized the importance of mobilizing young voters, as well as creating more opportunities for student engagement in local civic activities. 

Copenhaver said it’s crucial to engage with students through debates because it allows them to hear directly from candidates and understand the issues affecting them. 

“A-State plays a key role in shaping the future here in Jonesboro,” Copenhaver said. “My door has always been open for students and I’ve proven that over the last four years.”

Copenhaver said he spent time on campus, cultivating relationships and engagement with students, visiting fraternities and sororities at the A-State campus.

“Engaging young voters is my top priority,” Copenhaver said. 

L.J. Bryant said A-State is one of the biggest employers in town, creating many opportunities.

“I appreciate the opportunity coming to campus because it’s one of the largest populations in Jonesboro,” Bryant said. That’s why engaging with students in these local elections is such an important first step in getting them more connected to the area.”

Bryant said he has a 10-point plan and will only run for one term.

”This would allow for transformational change,” Bryant said. “I’m committed to what I’ve promised, so people know what to expect.”

Elwood said he wants the younger generation to vote, but is more interested in their engagement in local politics. 

“You want the best in people, but as an older person you know who’s telling the truth and who’s not. A younger person wants to be positive and wants to gravitate towards someone who shares their ideas that they’re interested in,” Elwood said. “If you mobilize young voters, you can elect the wrong candidate and that will affect your life down the line.” 

If elected, Elwood has plans to plant ginkgo trees along the sides of the railroad tracks on Aggie Road, implement a public trash bin that doesn’t need to be manned to decrease the amount of trash in the environment and create a composting facility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change as a result of burning natural materials.  

Jeremy Terrell said there was a lot of focus during the debate on what the current administration is going to fix. 

“If we had more kids and more youth engaged and more people in general that were holding our current politicians accountable maybe we’ll be talking about how we can do things better, instead of starting all over after we’ve been there for four and seven years,” Terrell said. 

Terrell said he has been a lifelong contributor to the Jonesboro community, having been involved in city youth and mentoring programs and anti-drug programs. 

“I believe that I’ve got a better grasp on what’s going on within our community, both with our youth and adults and the needs of Jonesboro, more than the other three candidates up there,” Terrell said. “I’ve been involved with lots of different things in Jonesboro and it gives me the advantage to understand what the needs are everywhere, not just in a few areas of judgment.”

Dustin Sullivan, an instructor of creative media production and faculty adviser for ASU-TV, said seeing all four candidates interact brought an interesting entertainment value. 

“Watching all the candidates with each other, even sharing a laugh at times, was fun,” Sullivan said. “It was nice to see that dynamic and the production crew did a fantastic job capturing those moments on screen.”

Sullivan said the students did an outstanding job with how they managed this debate. Compared to the first two debates, this one featured double the candidates, creating an additional challenge for the students to overcome. 

“They just did an excellent job, exceeding every expectation,” Sulllivan said.

He said it’s invaluable for students to work on these styles of broadcast, as it opens for more opportunities of learning. Additionally, he said there are future opportunities for students to explore other different types of broadcasting shows beyond this debate format. 

“As long as it meets the standard of public media and the student is passionate and willing to put in the work, we’ll support them,” Sullivan said. 

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