A recent review of Council Member Sheila Dickson address of record reveals she lives outside of Stamps city limits. Stamps City Council Members are required to live inside of the city limits and within the ward they represent per Arkansas Code (ACA) §14-44-103. According to her candidate package, Dickson provided her address as 934 North St in Stamps, Arkansas. While portions of North Street are within city limits, Dickson’s residence is located on the portion of the roadway, which sits outside the city limits.

The boundaries of each district are noted in purplish/pink color.  Dickson’s address, as depicted by the arrow on the map, is located outside of the boundaries of the ward map. Her address, according to information pulled from the Lafayette County Assessor’s Office, records her subdivision is noted as 09-16-23 Rural Metes and Bounds. Addresses located outside of the city limits are noted with the rural metes designation. 5GNews searched a neighboring property that sits directly behind the Dickson’s property and learned they were recorded with the same subdivision. The neighboring property is also one that is outside of the city limits. 

During 5GNews research, we also learned that 934 North St was included on the GIS Map twice. One reflects the correct location of the Dickson property while the other appears on the property of another homeowner. According to the input style of the second address, the individual we spoke with at the state advised that it was a manual entry. We were advised that GIS entries are the responsibilities of the Office of Emergency Management (OES). We later reached out to OES here in the County and were advised that the 911 team is responsible for address entry. The 911 division was a part of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office until May of 2023  when they became their own separate entity. The official we spoke with at 911 did state that they would work to get the erroneous address removed. It is important to maintain accurate addresses in GIS as this information is relied upon by emergency personnel when being dispatched to a call. 

We talked to several other county officials to figure out the process for validating addresses and candidacy eligibility. Speaking with the County Clerk’s office, we asked what their process was for validating a candidate’s eligibility before adding them to the ballot. According to County Clerk Angela Brazell, they do not have a validation process they follow. They rely on the affidavit signed by the candidate as evidence of eligibility. Unclear why there wasn’t a process in place, we further probed for answers as they seem inconsistent with previous information given about the filing process. Brazell advised she did not know and was unable to provide further answer since the staff she would confer with was out of the office. 5GNews had been told in an unrelated matter in which they inquired at the Clerk’s office that they check the candidates package including validating resident signatures on the petition for ballot inclusion. A candidate is required to collect a specified number of signatures from eligible voters representative of the position they are running for. It is unclear why the Clerk’s office would validate if the signatures on the petition for candidacy are that of an eligible resident but not check if the candidate who is filing is eligible to run for the position for which they filed.

We also talked with a representative of the Lafayette County Election Commission to see what their process was for ensuring only eligible candidates are placed on the ballot. According to the representative, they rely on the candidate’s affidavit and that the County Clerk’s office has done its due diligence in confirming the individual is eligible to run for the position in which they filed. We also spoke to another source familiar with the previous questions that had come up about Dickson’s address. Those questions were quashed, when the then County Clerk Cindy Edwards, stated she had called the State and was told the address was explained by the ongoing redistricting of Stamps City Council Wards. It is unclear why this answer was satisfactory because redistricting only redraws the lines within the already existing area. Dickson’s address was never in the existing ward map area. The City would have to annex her property into the city in order for it to affect the ward maps. The City has not annexed any additional land since Dickson last resigned from the council and as such her property remains outside the city limits.

It is questionable why Dickson would knowingly refile under an address, which she had previously been advised was outside of the city limits. Dickson is also a member of the Stamps Rotary Club. The Rotary Club lives by the 4 way pledge which asks 1) Is it the truth? 2) Is it fair to all concerned? 3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

5GNews also reached out to City of Stamps for comment and at the time of story publication was still awaiting a response as to how or if the matter will be addressed. As more information becomes available, we will provide an update to the story.