Editor’s Note: This report was written by Eli Dean.

Candidates for Des Arc mayor and two City Council positions discussed government transparency, infrastructure needs and long-term planning during a public forum Monday, Oct. 12, hosted by the Des Arc Chamber of Commerce.

About 40 people attended the event, which was structured as a formal debate and moderated by Grand Prairie Herald Managing Editor Michael Hibblen. The forum was held one week before the start of early voting in Arkansas.

Incumbent Mayor Roger Scott and City Council candidate James Rowen did not attend, leaving four candidates to answer questions about the city’s future. All candidates were invited, according to the chamber.

Anna Beth Fisher, who is challenging Scott for mayor in a rematch of the 2022 election, emphasized the need for greater cooperation between the mayor and City Council. Fisher, who previously served 12 years on the council, said the city’s current approach to addressing problems is unsustainable.

“Stop putting bandaids on our problems,” Fisher said. “We don’t have a plan. I promise to show up, do the work, and I will never stop trying to find ways to make Des Arc a better place.”

She called for greater financial transparency and suggested establishing a spending threshold that would require notifying the council about major purchases.

“Right now, there is no transparency,” Fisher said. “We have to file a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act request] to know where our finances are.”

Both candidates in the Ward 3, Position 2 race participated in the debate. Paul Guess and Stephen Fields discussed their priorities for the city, with both emphasizing the importance of community involvement and long-term planning.

Guess, a former president of the Des Arc Chamber of Commerce, criticized the lack of a comprehensive plan for the city’s future.

“This is one of the most important local elections in my lifetime,” Guess said. “Together, we can build a Des Arc worth coming home to.”

He said the city needs plans looking one, three, five and 10 years ahead to guide improvements and encourage growth.

Guess also proposed holding informal meetings with residents, which he would call “Coffees with Paul,” to give community members opportunities to discuss concerns and share ideas directly with him.

“There is a large amount of opportunity ahead of us,” Guess said. “But we will only rise up together.”

Guess also addressed his relationship with Fisher, who is his sister. He said their family connection would not prevent them from making independent decisions if both are elected.

“Just because we are siblings doesn’t mean we will vote the same,” Guess said. “If I have to recuse my vote, then so be it.”

Fields said he wants Des Arc to be a community where steady population growth remains a priority over the next decade.

“There is still a lot of work to do. We are all going to work together,” Fields said. “We will try to do the right thing for the community.”

In the Ward 2, Position 1 race, incumbent Doug Estes participated remotely via Zoom from Washington, D.C. His opponent, James Rowen, did not attend.

Estes addressed questions about absences from City Council meetings, saying he watches meetings when traveling and remains informed about council business even when he cannot participate.

“I do not miss anything the city council does,” Estes said.

Estes, who acknowledged having been described as a “thorn in the current administration’s side,” criticized what he described as a lack of communication between the mayor’s office and council members. He said some city purchases were not brought to the council’s attention until three or four months after they were made.

“We do not have a plan for infrastructure,” Estes said. “We have no goals except band-aiding our infrastructure. I am hoping that whoever the mayor is, whether it’s Mayor Scott or Mrs. Fisher, that those decisions change, and the council becomes more of a collective unity to make the decisions that are best for the city.”

All four participating candidates emphasized the importance of improving Des Arc and encouraged residents to vote in the upcoming election.