In 2007, when Brookland Mayor Kenneth Jones began his first term, 1,362 people lived in the Craighead County town.
Locals then feared that the recent opening of the U.S. 49 bypass, which skirted the town to the west, would keep visitors from the downtown area. Revenues would dry up—both from less taxes on local sales and in the lack of tickets the police would issue to those zipping through the old main road through town.
They were worried that booming Jonesboro to the south and Paragould to the north would expand toward each other, creating a smaller version of the Northwest Arkansas metroplex of Springdale, Fayetteville, Benton and Rogers, and Brookland would be squeezed out of existence.
But now, 17 years later and with Jones, 66, serving his fourth four-year term as the city’s leader, Brookland is thriving. It now boasts a population of 4,064 and could have had more had voters approved one of two large annexation measures.
More than 20,000 people drive on the city’s U.S. 49 bypass each day, and businesses like Sonic, Jordan’s Quick Stop and McDonald’s have opened on the thoroughfare. Recently, the town’s first grocery store opened.
While that may not be a major accomplishment for larger cities, it was a coup for Brookland and Jones. Prior to Harp’s opening, residents had to drive either to Paragould or Jonesboro to buy food.
“It’s an exciting time to be in Brookland,” Jones said. “We want Brookland to be here for years to come.”
Jones’ leadership almost didn’t happen but for what he calls a “divine intervention.”
He was a regional salesman for a Mississippi manufacturer of drill bits and machine parts. Jones’ sales turf was in Arkansas, Missouri and western Tennessee, and he did well.
But he wondered about his future. He didn’t want to be on the road all the time, leaving his family in Brookland.
“I prayed about it,” Jones said. “I asked that the Lord open a door. A few days later, a gentleman said he and others wanted to talk to me.
“He said, ‘We want you to run for mayor,’” Jones said. “I said, ‘What?’ I talked with my Little League ball coach and he was excited about this. It was so humbling.”
When Jones told his father his political intentions, his father laughed. “You’ll never make it,” Jones said his father replied. “You won’t lie to people.”
Jones made a list of things he wanted to do after he was elected to his first term. He needed to put in sidewalks. He had to fix flooding problems that occurred whenever it rained. He wanted to clean out ditches to help with drainage and he wanted businesses and people to move to his town.
He knew he was on the right track when, after talking to executives while attending an opening of a First Community Bank branch in Bay some 20 miles away, the bank decided to open another branch in Brookland.
“He’s a big part of the community and our success,” said City Council member Candi Bishop. “It’s been great working with him.”
David Loggins, who is serving his first term on the Brookland City Council, often jokes with Jones.
“If you catch him on a day when he’s not grumpy, it’s a good day,” he said, laughing. “We’ve gotten a lot of things done for Brookland.”
Not everyone is pleased, though, with the city’s progress.
One 30-year-old man who asked not to be named said he thought Brookland was growing too fast and officials could not properly keep up with the growth. There were potholes in streets and subdivisions were popping up all over, creating more traffic issues. There are frequent vehicle accidents near the town’s main intersection by the school each day, he said.
“I moved here from Jonesboro to get away from the crowds,” he said.
But as is the case with many small towns, Jones’ mantra is if a town is not growing, it’s not surviving.
Recently, during a City Council planning session, Jones and aldermen met with a Garver representative to discuss more ideas for the town.
Plans call for building a sports complex with several softball fields and Little League baseball fields and a fishing lake. Jones has already met with architects to develop playground equipment for another city park and there’s more subdivisions going in to accommodate the town’s growth.
And the city wants to build a new 7,400-square foot City Hall to house the mayor’ office, council chambers, meeting rooms and the police department. Workers are scheduled to break ground on that project in May.
Jones isn’t sure yet if he’s going to run for a fifth term in 2026. He’s already held the position longer than anyone in the city’s history. However, his health may keep him from seeking another term.
Jones went to his doctor after experiencing stomach trouble late last year. Doctors found “spots” and he underwent treatments that included a lengthy hospital stay. He was let out of the hospital the day the Harp’s grocery store opened, but Jones did not attend.
He called the store’s opening the “biggest accomplishment” of his administration and a symbol of the town’s prosperity.
“I went to the Arkansas Municipal League meetings when I was first elected to see what it took for a city to grow,” he said. “We took baby steps until we started walking.
“Now, we’re starting to run,” he said.
