Arkansas Governor Appoints Joseph Whitfield Mayor

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Joseph Whitfield to serve as mayor of Helena-West Helena, filling the unexpired term after former Mayor Christopher Franklin was removed by court order following his arrest and related controversies. Whitfield, 33, is a Helena native who leads the nonprofit Delta Magic and the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce and has a background in education, with degrees from KIPP Delta Collegiate, Colby College and Relay Graduate School of Education. His appointment ends a roughly three-month vacancy during which interim mayor Don Etherly had been acting. The vacancy had complicated efforts to repair the city’s aging, leak-prone water system, a crisis for which the state has provided more than $11 million in assistance. Whitfield said he will focus on collaboration, community development, improving schools and infrastructure, and advancing downtown redevelopment, and he will complete Franklin’s current term and is eligible to run for a full term in 2026.