PLATFORM

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Jonesboro is no longer just a small university town; it is a regional economic hub. We are competing against cities across the nation for jobs in the industrial, technological, medical sectors on a regular basis. As our next mayor, Harold Copenhaver will use his business development experience to help recruit high paying jobs to Jonesboro. 

Harold believes we must maximize some of the greatest assets Jonesboro has to offer in Arkansas State University and the NYIT medical school. By working closely with these institutions, we can cultivate a ready to work talent pool that will rival any similar city in the nation – one that any industry would be proud to partner with.

As with any growing city, Jonesboro faces challenges when it comes to increased criminal activity. Harold is committed to both immediate and long-term solutions to reducing crime in Jonesboro. 

As a State Legislator Harold was a strong advocate for our first responders. As Mayor, he will equip our police department with the tools they need to keep us safe. He will focus on cleaning up blighted areas that are known harbors for criminal activity, and he will take advantage of technologies that are proven deterrents to crime like cameras, streetlights, and modern data modeling that identifies areas of need. 

Harold believes that one of the best ways to reduce crime, in the long run, is to invest in our youth early and to improve relations between children and law enforcement. He will use a creative mix of grants, private donations, and carefully budgeted programs to help keep our children occupied and learning with youth-based activities and after school and summer programs.

Harold will not take shortcuts that will cost our city in the future when it comes to growth. One of his top priorities will be to conduct a thorough review of Jonesboro’s current and future needs. Harold believes development must be done in a way that is compatible with our ability to provide basic infrastructures such as water, utilities, wastewater treatment, and drainage. These problems are much cheaper to do right on the front end than to fix in the future. 

Harold will be a strong advocate for improving our local streets, repairing neglected sidewalks, and reducing traffic congestion. He will work closely with state and federal officials to ensure our highways in the city are properly maintained. 

Harold will be forward-thinking about how Jonesboro can prepare for the needs of tomorrow. He will utilize grants and other cost offsets to make sure Jonesboro is on the cutting edge of broadband technology and that we improve our local parks and green space to offer greater enjoyment for  Jonesboro families. 

Jonesboro citizens deserve to know how, why, when, and where their tax dollars are being spent – and nobody believes this more than Harold Copenhaver. As Mayor, Harold will continue to improve fiscal transparency and take advantage of the latest technologies to make expenditure searches more user friendly for the citizens of Jonesboro.

Harold will take a proactive approach when it comes to disclosing city expenditures and explaining why they are needed. As mayor, he will use multiple city platforms to help educate citizens on the latest developments in city budgeting and reasons why a project requires public investment.

The best way to ensure sustainable growth in Jonesboro is to invest in all areas of our city. Harold will work with the City Council, community leaders, and neighborhood associations to promote economic development in all directions of Jonesboro. 

Simply put, we are all one city, and improvements in older and previously neglected parts Jonesboro make our city better as a whole. A banker by trade, Harold knows how important financial access is to a community and he will work with lending institutions and local banks to bring more branches to North and West Jonesboro. 

Additionally, Harold will utilize zoning overlays and opportunity zone districts to promote development in stagnant and struggling areas. 

Retaining our local talent is key to the long-term success of Jonesboro. Like many cities, Jonesboro is faced with the constant challenge of talent loss. While no amount of amenities and investment can keep every promising young businessperson or family here, we can make improvements to make sure we are on the right side of the curve. 

As Mayor, Harold Copenhaver will take a fiscally responsible approach to improving our local quality of life by taking advantage of available grants that greatly reduce the financial burden placed on our city. 

When a project does require significant city investment, he will make sure that investment is well maintained and that the overall return makes sense for our local economy.

On average, Jonesboro operates on a nearly 70 million dollar budget. As a State Legislator, Harold Copenhaver helped to balance a budget in excess of 6 billion dollars. Harold served on the Legislative Audit Committee and has experience in making sure that tax dollars are closely monitored, accounted for, and protected. 

In the midst of a pandemic economy, Jonesboro, like cities across the nation, face uncertainty ahead in regard to future economic conditions. Keeping our city operating in a responsible fiscal manner has never been more important. 

As Mayor, we can count on Harold Copenhaver to use his experience gathered from the banking industry and as a legislator to make sure that Jonesboro not only remains on solid ground but is poised to jump to the front of the pack while other cities are struggling to just get by – positioning Jonesboro for a bright future.