October Membership Meeting

Join us on Tuesday, October 20, for the next Membership Meeting featuring guest speaker, Marco McClendon, Mayor of West Memphis, AR.  Mayor McClendon will provide an update on exciting developments happening across the River in West Memphis! Deadline to register/cancel is Wednesday, October 14.  Cancellations received after the deadline date will not be refunded due to financial obligation to the venue.

About the Speaker, Mayor Marco McClendon

Marco McClendon was born and raised in the city that he loves and serves. On January 1, 2019 he was sworn in as the 13th elected Mayor of the City of West Memphis, Arkansas, becoming the youngest and only the second African American to serve in that position. McClendon was raised by loving parents who instilled in him and his siblings the importance of giving back to their community. While being educated in the public schools of West Memphis, McClendon began to nurture his desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

In 2003 Marco McClendon was elected and became the youngest City Council Member in the state of Arkansas. From the beginning, McClendon’s public service has been fueled by a burning desire to give every citizen of West Memphis access to high performing schools, safe streets, clean neighborhoods, jobs that pay a livable wage, access to healthcare and above all the ability have a solid future in the City of West Memphis. As a council-member, McClendon championed legislation that led to West Memphis’ first Gun Buy Back Program, the City’s Sky Cop Program and the placement of Resource Officers in every public school, as well as other ordinances that are making a positive impact on the lives of West Memphians.

Since he assumed office West Memphians have experienced the remarkable results of Mayor McClendon’s bold vision and strong leadership. During his first term as Mayor, he led the efforts to clean up neighborhoods and the business community, by working with the City Council and property owners to eradicate unsafe and dilapidated structures across the city. He ushered in the largest investment in public facilities in decades. As a result, the citizens will now enjoy the benefits of impressive new city parks, public safety facilities including both police and fire protection, a new municipal justice complex, as well as a new state-of-the-art Public Library Innovation Center. The Mayor’s leadership and energy has had a historic impact on the private sector as well. This resulted in the creation of 2,000 new jobs in the hospitality, retail, tech and manufacturing sectors. The total investment in both public and private facilities in less than his two terms in office has topped 7 billion dollars. This included the largest single investment in the history of the state when Google selected West Memphis for it 4-billion-dollar data center, which will be their most advanced and eco-friendly facility of its kind.

Mayor McClendon has also reimagined how city government responds to the needs of the residents of West Memphis. His administration has improved how residents can access what’s occurring at city hall in this digital age by updating the televised city council session, Text-My-Gov and by ushering in a more robust utilization of the city’s social media platforms. Additionally, the Mayor has appointed staff to work directly with the business community, faith community and citizenry at large to accelerate constituency services. His values are shaped by a commitment to access, responsiveness, fairness, opportunity and dignity for all citizens.

The Mayor is an alum of both West Memphis High School, and Arkansas State University-Mid South. He is the proud father of 4 amazing children.