By Martin Couch
Adrian Henley is running for re-election of Ward 3, Position 1 after serving for two years on the Bryant City Council and seeing what he feels are important accomplishments take place.
"I have enjoyed my first two years on the Council," Henley said. "Some of the positive things I have been a part of is securing Bryant's drinking water for at least another 100 years. This was one of the biggest accomplishments, I think, we had in the last two years because it will help our grandchildren that will be raised in Bryant."[more]
Henley was instrumental on the City Council to secure Bryant's future water by working with the Corps of Engineers to obtain it from Lake DeGray for the next 80 to 100 years.
"Some of my personal beliefs are that we as city officials are to spend the tax payers money wisely," Henley said. "Here in Bryant, we do receive one of the highest taxes in the state. This allows us to do much more than most cities with our population. I believe that this is one reason we were named as one of the top 100 cities in the U.S. to live in.
"I will do my best while I am in office to make sure that taxes are not raised again," he continued. "As a city official, I believe it is our responsibility to lower costs for our citizens and provide the best services available."T
hat's one reason Henley would like to see a city-wide trash service, which includes recycling services in the future for Bryant.
"I believe other cities have provided this at lower cost than we pay for the private services now," Henley said. "This was the number one issue that the Bryant Chamber of Commerce has identified as what the Bryant citizens want. We have done this with water and sewer, and I do not see why it could not be done with trash services. We, as city officials, should listen to the people and find a way to make this happen."
Another issue Henley would like to see put forward is the revitalization of the original areas of Bryant.
"Most of these neighborhoods were built before the city had codes established for sidewalks and adequate lighting," he said. "I would like to see some money put back into these older neighborhoods to help Bryant as a whole. If we only spend money on the growth of new areas in Bryant, then we will only create lower values for the older part of town. We must invest in our existing infrastructure also."
Henley is married and has two boys and a baby girl that is expected to be born around election time in November. He is a full time student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with aspirations of a PhD in Pharmacy. He has been a resident of Bryant since 1992 and provides his phone number (501) 351-6701 for those who would have questions about him running for Ward 3, Position 1.
"I have been able to meet some great people while being on the City Council for the past two years and I hope to have the chance to do even more now," he said. "I really enjoy speaking to the residents that care about Bryant as much as I do and working with them to resolve the issues that affect them personally."
