The safety issue in downtown Jonesboro is discussed by mayoral candidates

Jonesboro, Arkansas – The next mayor of Jonesboro might decide how to handle the former Citizen’s Bank building downtown.

The four contenders for the job discussed their opinions on the most current safety issues.
According to LJ Bryant, the city council has requested choices for this building on several occasions.

“The council is part-time, and the mayor obviously has staff and all of these resources at his disposal. Bryant stated, “We’ve badgered him to give us options, and we haven’t gotten any.”
All Jeremy Terrell can hope for is that the appropriate people do whatever gets done.

“Hopefully, the experts will be called in.” This might be a little bit more than what we’ve experienced in Jonesboro. Nothing of this magnitude has ever been demonstrated before,” Terrell remarked.

Thomas Elwood claims he can recall a time when the building was purchased by several groups and that the ongoing legal dispute between the two parties needs to be settled.

“I recall that exact moment when they did that. To spread out the ownership liability, they took that action. It was a ploy for the law. Thus, it ought to be simple to disentangle. Elwood stated, “It shouldn’t be as difficult as they’re making it out to be.

We also had a conversation on the current efforts being made by the city to solve the issue with Mayor Harold Copenhaver, who is running for reelection.

“We’re going to go ahead and request structural engineers to visit the property right away and provide us with an analysis on what we need to do and how we can proceed with that,” Copenhaver stated.

Safety is the one thing that all four candidates have in common.

If it is going to be here, it must be safe. Elwood stated that it must complement downtown rather than detract from it.

Bryant stated, “Code enforcement and other possible legal actions forcing the property owners, right here in the heart of Downtown, to protect the citizens of Jonesboro.”

Copenhaver stated, “But above all, we want our community to be safe.”

“A catastrophic event of any kind would be the last thing we need to hut the residents of Jonesboro,” Terrell stated.