Speak from the heart
Editor, The Commercial:
I recently participated in the Runoff Candidate Forum hosted by the NAACP and other community partners. I am writing this letter to the editor to set the record straight.
That night, I spoke from my heart while Mayor (Shirley) Washington and my opponent (William Fells) gave heavily scripted remarks. He repeated his talking points so many times that I found it difficult to recall which question we were answering. Perhaps I could have expressed myself a little better, but what I did was tell the truth.
The strength of my campaign is that I am the candidate you can trust. I have the courage to speak truth to power, and I have done so throughout my 20 years of public service. Third-ward residents know me -- and trust me to represent their best interests.
I am the candidate for the people and not for any special interest group. I want to provide a better quality of life for all the residents of Pine Bluff. I have lived in the third ward all my life, unlike my opponent, who was hand-picked by Mayor Washington and Go Forward to move into the district just to run against me.
I am also the first council member with the political judgment to oppose the divisive (failed) Go Forward Tax from the beginning. In a rare moment of candor and one of his unscripted responses, my opponent said, "If you disagree with your boss, you better keep it to yourself."
Since he was hand-picked by the mayor and is funded by Go Forward, I question who his boss is -- as an alderman; the mayor, Go Forward, or the people?
Ultimately, the Ward 3 council member race boils down to a "show-horse" versus a "work-horse." I am the trusted thoroughbred who works for a better quality of life for you, the people.
Glen Brown Sr.,
Pine Bluff City Council Member Ward 3