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Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Hope Board of Directors Election 2026

2 of 7 council seats are on the ballot, with 4 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 11 days left

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Election day (Nov 3): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Two seats on the seven-member Board of Directors are contested: Ward 1 and Ward 4. Director Gary Johnson (Ward 6) and Mayor Don Still (Ward 7) are unopposed.

Election day · Nov 3

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

What the next council decides

01Aquatic center, parks and new fire station4 sourced facts

Where it standsA Recreation Aquatic Center of about $25 million is under construction, paid for with a voter-approved sales tax, and the new fire station was going out to bid in fall 2026.

What's on the tableContracts and change orders for the aquatic center, fire station and tennis and pickleball courts, and how to use any leftover contingency money.

  • Wilson said voters had overwhelmingly approved the sales-tax package after an earlier attempt to fund a recreation and convention center had failed. SWARK.Today · Sep 2, 2026
  • City Manager J.R. Wilson said the approximately $25 million aquatic center remains on schedule for completion in October or November 2027. SWARK.Today · Sep 2, 2026
  • The city began with $27,303,231 for park improvements, including the Recreation Aquatic Center, the Roscoe E. Smith Park splash pad and bathrooms, tennis and pickleball courts and future soccer-field improvements. SWARK.Today · Sep 2, 2026
  • Bids for the new fire department were to be advertised beginning Sept. 20, with bids expected to be opened Oct. 14. SWARK.Today · Sep 16, 2026
02Trash fees and landfill bonds3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn 2026 the board added a monthly debt-service charge to trash bills and approved bonds for solid waste and landfill remediation projects.

What's on the tableRefuse rates and how the city pays for landfill improvements and remediation.

  • In February 2026 the board approved a monthly debt service charge of $7 for residential customers, $10 for commercial bagged and $30 for commercial dumpsters. City of Hope · Feb 17, 2026
  • In April 2026 the board adopted Ordinance 1773, amending the city's refuse fee ordinance to provide for a debt service charge. City of Hope · Apr 7, 2026
  • In August 2026 the board adopted an ordinance authorizing a waste disposal revenue bond for landfill remediation after a public hearing with no public comment. City of Hope · Aug 18, 2026
03Hope's hospital3 sourced facts

Where it standsIn September 2026 the board conveyed the city's half-ownership of the Southwest Arkansas Regional Medical Center facilities to Hempstead County.

What's on the tableWhat happens to the East 16th Street property the city still owns jointly with the county.

  • County voters approved a three-quarter-cent sales and use tax for the hospital on June 9, 2026. SWARK.Today · Sep 16, 2026
  • The board adopted Ordinance 1783 conveying the city's interest in the hospital facilities to Hempstead County, with all directors present voting aye. City of Hope · Sep 15, 2026
  • The city's separate property on East 16th Street was removed from the transaction and will remain jointly owned by the city and county. SWARK.Today · Sep 16, 2026
04Proposed data center4 sourced facts

Where it standsVinco/Vastera has an option to buy Hope Water & Light land in the industrial park for a data center; no sale had been made as of September 2026.

What's on the tableWhether the city adopts its own rules for such a facility, and whom it confirms to the Hope Water & Light Commission, which would vote on the land sale.

  • Mayor Don Still said no money had changed hands and the company held only an option to buy. SWARK.Today · Sep 2, 2026
  • Vinco said the facility would use about 40 megawatts of electricity and cost about $300 million to build, excluding servers and other equipment. SWARK.Today · Sep 4, 2026
  • Hope Water & Light commissioners are nominated by the mayor and confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the Hope City Board to serve five-year terms. SWARK.Today · Sep 4, 2026
  • Still said the property under consideration is not owned by the city and is outside the city limits. SWARK.Today · Sep 2, 2026
05Blighted and condemned buildings2 sourced facts

Where it standsIn July 2026 the board began condemnation proceedings against nine more structures after 10 previously condemned buildings had been demolished.

What's on the tableWhich properties to condemn and how much money to put toward demolitions.

  • The board approved a resolution declaring nine properties public nuisances, giving owners 30 days to abate them before demolition proceedings may begin. SWARK.Today · Jul 23, 2026
  • Code enforcement reported that 10 previously condemned buildings had already been demolished, with one more awaiting utility work. SWARK.Today · Jul 23, 2026
1 note on these statements

SWARK.Today posted a Coffee with the Candidates video featuring Ward 1 candidates Mark Ross and Allen Flowers on Oct. 19, 2026. SWARK.Today · Oct 19, 2026

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Hope add a monthly debt-service charge to trash bills to pay for landfill projects?

  2. 2. Should the city add extras, like an outdoor pool slide, to the new aquatic center if contingency money allows?

  3. 3. Should Hope give its half-ownership of the hospital facilities to Hempstead County?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted5 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Trevor Coffee, Reginald Easter, Kiffinea Talley2 on this ballot

7 council seats. The council decides by a 4-vote majority.

  • Hope's City Board of Directors is the legislative body of the city government and meets twice a month on alternate Tuesdays. SWARK.Today · Aug 21, 2026
  • The Board has seven directors, one for each of Wards 1 through 7; the mayor also holds a ward seat. City of Hope
  • Directors are elected to four-year terms. AR Votes
  • The directors choose the mayor and vice-mayor from among themselves; in January 2025 they again elected Don Still mayor and Kiffinea Talley vice-mayor. SWARK.Today · Jan 8, 2025

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