Name: Janelle Williams
Age: 64
Occupation: More than 28 years of experience in hotel and property management.
Party: Republican
Position you're running for: El Dorado City Council -- Ward 4, Position 1
Prior political experience: I've never held a political office. I have an extensive background working with different department heads, community/public officials and community/civic and nonprofit organizations. I have lots of experience working within the city as a volunteer in several capacities, including the American Red Cross, Medical Center of South Arkansas Hospital Auxiliary, El Dorado Civitan Club, Keep El Dorado Beautiful, Union County Republican Women, Union County Republican Committee, the Union County Fair board of directors, American Legion Auxiliary, Union County TOUCH Coalition, Inc., Union County Extension Homemakers Clubs and the Arkansas Federation of Republican Women. (Williams is also a former member of the Union County Election Commission).
Why did you decide to run? The need for change in our city government and the future of El Dorado.
What qualifies you for this office? I have spent 40 years in business environments and I understand accountability in business, supervision of employees and public relations.
What do you hope to accomplish if you're elected? I hope to bring back accountability and transparency in city government. It is a business and should be operated as such.
Key issues:
• Transparency in city government
• Cleanliness
• Trash
• Signage
• Vacant, overgrown lots
What do you think is the biggest issue facing the residents of Ward 4 and how do you plan to address it if elected? The city of El Dorado has a lot of issues that need to be addressed. One of those issues is cleanliness of the city -- a multifaceted problem that needs to tackled on several different fronts, including trash around local businesses; overgrown curbs; residential trash not being picked up on a regular basis; vacant lots; appliances and abandoned cars; enforcement of (applicable) city ordinances that are already on the books; and work with Keep El Dorado Beautiful.
What should voters know about you? I am a highly motivated, detail-oriented, versatile, results-driven individual. I understand the importance of accountability in business, accounting, sales reports, purchasing and inventory control and working with budgets.