Three on ballot but only two in race for District 5 JP.

2 vying for JP District 5 seat, but 3 candidates on election list

The ballot for Pulaski County Justice of the Peace District 5 has three names, but only two candidates are running.

That concerns Lillie McMullen, who faces Mary “Jill” Kennedy in the Democratic primary May 22. The winner will square off against the unopposed Republican nominee, Dante L. Shelton.

A third Democrat, Terri Hollingsworth, had filed for the seat. She withdrew in March after she accepted a job as chief administrative officer for the Delta Regional Authority in Clarksdale, Miss.

“I wanted to serve and be an integral part of developing policy for the county,” Hollingsworth said in an e-mail. “But my first job to serve is the role of mom and provider for my son, Joshua. Taking the position ... will allow me to be in a better position to provide for my child while at the same time administering an agency that serves the people of the Delta through economic development grants for public infrastructure, transportation, work force development and creating jobs.”

The problem was that Hollingsworth missed the March 8 deadline to withdraw and have her name removed from the ballot, according to the Pulaski County Election Commission.

“I have been so busy with learning my role, the programs and moving to Helena, that I have been delinquent about releasing a statement about my campaign suspension,” Hollingsworth said in the email.

Mcmullen said she wonders how many people know Hollingsworth has withdrawn from the race. She noted that Hollingsworth is a well-known name within the district. Terri Hollingsworth’s late father, P.A. Hollingsworth, was an attorney and one-time political figure, serving on the Little Rock Board of Directors and the Arkansas Supreme Court.

It’s not a matter to take lightly, Mcmullen said. “She and I would be dividing votes because we’re somewhat in the same circle. Many people who knew her also know me.”

With Hollingsworth remaining on the ballot, she could get enough votes to force Mcmullen and Kennedy into a runoff.

“It is not in the best interest of the candidates and not in the best interest of the voters” to have both candidates essentially run twice to be the Democratic nominee, Mcmullen said.

The race marks the second time Mcmullen is seeking the seat. She lost two years ago to longtime incumbent Wilandra Dean. Dean declined to seek re-election this year.

Mcmullen, 59, a divorced mother of two, is a certified school psychology specialist with the Little Rock School District. She also is an adjunct instructor at Philander Smith College.

“I am working hard, just as hard as I did before,” she said.

Kennedy, 31, is a mother of one and married to Jason Kennedy, the assistant chief deputy clerk for Pulaski County. She works as a corporate trainer. Her husband’s job won’t interfere with her responsibilities if elected, she said.

“In regard to my husband, he is one of more than a thousand employees of Pulaski County,” Kennedy said in response to a question about whether she would recuse herself in issues or budget matters before the Quorum Court that involve his office.

“Jason, along with every other employee, is part of departmental budget proposals. Having said that, if there is an instance which is directly related to him, I would recuse myself from that vote,” she said. “I would still vote on departmental budgets for the county/circuit clerk, which has more than 100 employees, and I intend to vote on the county’s budget as a whole. To do otherwise would be ignoring the responsibilities I am asking to be given.”

Kennedy doesn’t plan to accept the health-insurance benefits the county provides to elected officials. “I am not running for this position to gain a financial windfall.”

Both candidates who remain in the race seem to agree on the issues. Both support protecting the Lake Maumelle Watershed from development. The issue of how strictly zoning regulations should be to keep development in check and limit the pollutants in stormwater runoff draining into the lake is pending before the Quorum Court.

“It’s a hot-bed topic for most of the citizenry,” Mcmullen said. “They have expressed keeping the water quality pristine.”

Kennedy agreed that it is a “big issue” in the district, which is bounded on the north by Interstate 630, on the east by South University Avenue, on the south by Chicot Road and on the west by Interstate 430.

“I absolutely support oversight when it comes to the Maumelle Watershed,” she said. “Water is something everybody needs, so it’s everybody’s responsibility.”