Rogers Mayoral Race: Who are the candidates?

In the race against Latimer, Hines plans to run on his record of a long career in public service. 

"There's no course path to become the most qualified public servant for a community, and certainly in the office of the mayor," he said. "It's quite arguably the closest form of government to the people, and also likely the form of government at the local level that really affects people's daily lives. Decisions we make today can absolutely change people's lives tomorrow."

This time around, Hines said he will approach campaigning with a little more ease. 

"I'll run the same kind of election I've always run, which is well-funded and aggressive," Hines said. "It's a bit unique of an opportunity for me because I know that this is the last. That's a freeing opportunity for me to have a community conversation with folks in a very calm manner about what the future holds and where we want to go as a community."

From downtown to uptown, Hines said the growth of Rogers over the last decade is a testament to how much progress he has made since becoming mayor. In turn, Hines said this growth has improved the quality of life of Rogers residents. 

"The first year I was in office, we ran with a public bond election, and then we did another one in 2018," he said. "I'm really proud of roughly half a billion dollars in public investment during the last 14 years."

Hines said investments in the private sector tripled the amount of public investments. Ultimately, Hines said that ongoing conversations with the community about changes like revitalizing downtown or introducing a new waterpark with these investments are what make big changes happen. 

"It's that kind of commitment, it's that kind of conversation with the community that really helps big things happen," he said.

If reelected for a fourth term, he said he wants to do another bond election. But, he ultimately wants to set Rogers up for success once he finally leaves, especially after the city was devastated by severe storms in May. 

"I think we have an opportunity and probably a responsibility to write in some different policies and ordinances that help protect where we are right now," Hines said. 

Hines said the general fund reserve was around $15 million when he was first elected. Peter Masonis with the City of Rogers said the general reserve fund is now at around $80 million. Although the fund is higher than it once was, it is dwindling after the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes. 

According to Masonis, around $17 million of the fund has been used for storm recovery efforts. Masonis said he anticipates the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse the city for most of the funds. Still, Masonis said the city could see a $5 million loss from the general reserve fund. 

"It’s a little bit of a moving target," Masonis said.

If reelected, Hines said he wants to work to put the city in a better financial position next time a natural disaster hits. 

"As we just learned, more importantly, we need to have those kind of strategic reserves so that when we have, and if we have another natural disaster, we can respond the way we did to this one where we're up the next day not worrying about where the money's going to come from to build back and put our community together," Hines said. "We start immediately taking care of folks and cleaning up our community."

In his last term, Hines said he would also be looking for someone to take his spot.

"I'm really hopeful that this next four years is time for the community to understand that there will be a new face in 2028," he said. "We need to identify who those folks are that might want to carry this torch."

In this search, he is looking for someone who wants to stay in this role. 

"I want to make sure that when we pass this torch, it's not a one-year and out term, but that it's someone that can give sustained leadership over a period of time," Hines said. "That's what I'd like to leave Rogers with."

As for his opponent, Hines suggests Latimer is not prepared to step in as mayor.

"This is too big a city, too dynamic a city, to have much on-the-job training," Hines said. "You really need to have a background, and that's what I tried to do to prepare myself to run for mayor, was serve on the city council, be a public employee, learn the community, so I wasn't just holding out for the management position. I had built what I thought was a background that would allow me to do this job, and I'm pretty proud of the record I have over the last 14 years. I'm hoping that I can leave this community in four years in a position to have someone else in that role.”

Under Hines' leadership, Latimer said city government has lost a sense of urgency when it comes to issues residents face. 

"I think over the last few years, we've seen not as much of an urgency for issues that the city has to deal with," Latimer said. "I'm willing to work hard for our city. I'm willing to show up to work every day and really advocate for things that matter and things that affect Rogers residents every day."

Latimer said residents of Rogers are looking for a change in leadership, and he believes he could be that new leader. If elected, Latimer said he is planning to work, protect, and build the city of Rogers. 

"The issues that we're seeing can't wait four years," Latimer said. "I think our crime rate's going up, can't wait four years. I think in four years, we have a bigger problem than we have today, and we really need to address it now."

According to statistics provided by the Rogers Police Department (RPD), the department's cases have decreased over the past four years. The department included cases of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson in these figures: 

• 2020: 3,028 cases
• 2021: 2,353 cases
• 2022: 2,260 cases
• 2023: 1,928 cases

While campaigning, Latimer said he's learned that residents are most concerned about crime, issues with roads and infrastructure, and the city spending money in other areas.

"I'm out talking to as many people as I can right now," Latimer said. "I'm hearing a lot about things that they deal with on a daily basis. Roads are one of them. Crime is one of them that they're dealing with every day. Those are issues that we have to get under control."

If elected, Latimer said he plans to protect Rogers by reactivating the gang task force.

"I think one of the big things that we've seen in my conversations with some of the people at the sheriff's department is that we've seen a rise in gang activity," Latimer said. "They're in our jails, they're in our communities, and they're in Rogers. And really one of the first things that I would do would be to reactivate our gang task force to combat some of this."

Public Information Officer Don Lisi with RPD said the department would implement a task force if they saw a need for it. 

"Based off the data, crime rates have not necessarily increased," Lisi said. "As far as the 'gang-related' crimes, our command staff (in cooperation with other agencies both federal and local) monitor these potential issues very closely. If they felt it necessary to address a gang problem, a task force would have been implemented as soon as they saw a need."

Latimer said he is also hoping to reevaluate the police department's "no-chase policy." Lisi said there is not a "no-chase policy" in place. 

"Our officers are permitted to pursue offenders under strict circumstances and close supervision, in order to maintain and ensure safety to both the public and our officers," Lisi said. 

Hines said the policies Latimer is aiming to implement could do more harm than anything. Although population growth is typically associated with an uptick in crime, Hines said the police force is prepared for the population growth. He said the only obstacle the department faces is hiring qualified police officers. 

Latimer maintains that there could be changes within the city's police department to ensure the safety of residents. 

"For our campaign, we want to make sure that Rogers stays a safe, welcoming place to work and live," Latimer said. "I think that Rogers can be really the leader in our area, in business and commerce, entertainment, and a great place to raise a family or to live."

Additionally, Latimer plans to work closely with local and state governments. From conversations with a few city council members and state representatives, Latimer said Rogers' city government hasn't been very open to working with the state legislature and surrounding towns.

"That needs to change," he said.

He is also looking to "cut red tape" in the city's building process if elected. More specifically, he said he wants to look at revitalizing downtown. 

"I think our downtown is great," he said. "We want to make improvements because it's a cool place, it's a fun place to be, and it really should be."

The Rogers City Council unanimously passed a Unified Development Code in July, which controls how things are built in the city. It has a specific emphasis on promoting walkability, increasing housing, and preserving nature. Latimer said he believes there are some good things to the new land code standards, but he does have concerns.

"There’s going to be a lot of speed bumps that we're going to have to navigate through this new zoning as we move forward," Latimer said. 

Latimer said he spoke with a resident who is planning to rebuild after May’s tornadoes. 

"We’re making things more difficult for people who have just gone through a tragedy, and I think those are some of the things that we need to reevaluate," he said.

Above all, Latimer said he plans to use tax dollars more efficiently if elected. 

"There's always more that we can do, and there's always more ways that we can be more efficient at the money that we spend, at our the tax dollars that we get in, and really being responsible about where we spend those tax dollars to have the greatest impact."

Rogers residents will vote on their next mayor in the election on Nov. 5, 2024. 

The nonpartisan position comes with a four-year term. 

Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.

Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:

• iPhone app
• Android app

Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device

To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.