Holliday announces city board candidacy
District 1 City Director Erin Holliday is running for the seat she was appointed to last May, announcing last week that she wants to continue the civic engagement she started in 2013 as a member of the Community Development Advisory Committee.
Holliday was appointed to the planning commission prior to the board appointing her to serve the remainder of Suzanne Davidson’s second term last year. District 1 is the city’s northernmost political boundary and includes the areas of Park and Whittington avenues.
“Serving my hometown over the last seven years has been something that I am incredibly proud of,” she said in her announcement. “I am looking forward to four more years of service and working alongside my fellow directors and city staff.”
The city made election packets available May 15 for the three director positions up for election in November. The filing period is from July 24 to Aug. 14. Districts 1, 3 and 6 are up for election on the seven-member board.
City Clerk Harmony Morrissey said packets have been provided to the three incumbent directors, whether they’re running for reelection or not. She said Marcia Dobbs-Smith, District 3, and Mark Toth, District 1, are the only people who had requested packets as of Thursday.
Toth and Holliday were two of the three applicants for the remainder of Davidson’s second term.
Holliday is the executive
director of Emergent Arts, a nonprofit promoting year-round literary arts education and hosting community art exhibits and events. She’s also the executive director of the state’s arts advocacy organization, Arkansans for the Arts.
Holliday was awarded the first artist residency through the Hot Springs Sister City Program and spent June 2018 in Hanamaki, Japan, representing the arts community of Hot Springs. She returned to Hanamaki that fall to install the site-specific illuminated sculpture the city gifted Hanamaki for the 25th anniversary of the Sister City relationship.
The board said Holliday’s perspective as an artist and young professional recommended her appointment last May. She’s the youngest member of the city’s supreme legislative and executive body.
“I am excited to announce my run for reelection on the one-year anniversary of my first city board meeting,” Holliday said in her announcement. “This year, I have had the honor of representing my neighbors in District 1 in some very impactful projects, and I hope to be a part of seeing them through.
“Most notably, I am excited to find a partner to develop the Majestic site. The perfect project will be something that will drive our downtown economy and improve the quality of life of our residents.”
City director is an unpaid position with duties that include approving the city’s budget, setting its policies and approving contracts of $60,000 or more. Candidates are required to submit petitions for nomination supported by the signatures of 50 registered city voters and a statement of financial interest.
Registered voters residing in the district they wish to represent for at least 30 days and who are 21 or older are eligible to serve on the board.