Frank Scott

Little Rock mayoral candidate Frank Scott in runoff with Baker Kurrus
 

The Nov. 6, 2018, election saw Little Rock mayoral candidate Frank Scott come close to emerging victorious. But opponent Baker Kurrus garnered enough votes to force a runoff with Scott. 

Scott came in with 37.11 percent of the vote; Kurrus 29.03 percent. The two were in a five-man race with Warwick Sabin, Vincent Tolliver and Glen Schwarz. Scott needed 40 percent of the vote to have won on Nov. 6; as it is, he and Kurrus will face off on Dec. 4.

If elected in the runoff, Scott will be Little Rock’s third black mayor but the first to be elected by the populace. The city's first two black mayors were the late Charles Bussey  and Lottie Shackleford. Both held the office at the time it was a honorary position that was voted on by the city board of directors. Bussey’s selection in 1981 made The New York Times. Shackelford, chosen in 1987, was also the city’s first woman mayor.

Scott is a banking executive, former member of the Arkansas Highway Commission, former director of intergovernmental affairs for the governor’s office, and an associate pastor.  I interviewed Scott — for whom I voted — in 2017, during the time he put together an exploratory committee to decide whether to run for mayor. Circumstances prevented me from interviewing him again after his decision; however, I give him some words of encouragement when running into him at several social events. 

"Together, we must find ways to overcome the challenges stalling our city’s growth and prosperity," he states on his website, Frankscottjr.com. "We must grow our job base and economy while also addressing pressing issues of public safety. ... We must discover new opportunities that benefit all corners of the city. It’s time to invest in all corners of our city to unite one another."

It’s my personal hope that Scott gets his chance to take Little Rock further into the 21st century.