Ken Richardson

Ward 2

Ken Richardson serves as City Director for Ward 2. Director Richardson was elected to his first term in November 2006, and re-elected in November 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. He is currently serving his fifth term. City Director Richardson is a lifelong resident of Little Rock and a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. He has served as Board liaison to the A&P Commission, Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission, Metropolitan Housing Alliance Board, and the Workforce Development Board.

Director Richardson has more than 30 years of experience providing training on youth development, violence prevention, and program design. In addition, he has over a decade of experience coordinating with the City of Little Rock Gang Intervention Programs and the City Intervention Reserve Team. Director Richardson is a nationally recognized expert in youth violence prevention and was the Director of Program Services for New Futures for Youth. He has also developed the Leadership Development for Youth Professionals training series for local youth workers. In addition to his work with youth at his job, he coached AAU boys’ basketball for many years.

Director Richardson has served as a member of the Vision Little Rock Public Safety workgroup, the Little Rock Police Department Justice Advisory Committee, the Neighborhood Coalition for Children and Families, and was involved with the National Forum of Black Public Administrators. He is currently a member of the Board of the Watershed Fatherhood Initiative.

Since joining the Little Rock City Board, Director Richardson has been a tireless advocate for the award-winning 12th Street Corridor Revitalization Plan!  The 12th Street Corridor Revitalization Plan was the contributing factor to locating the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library & Learning Center to its current location, which is within the boundaries of the 12th Street Corridor. The plan has also resulted in the construction of the 12th Street Police Station, which contains retail space that will be utilized by Southern Bancorp, UAMS, and Philander Smith College. In addition, the 12th Street Corridor plan has helped with:

• The construction of the Better Community Development Empowerment Center, which provides substance abuse treatment as well as pre and post-treatment services.
• The 20th Century Club’s Lodge, which provides housing to cancer patients.
• The UAMS 12TH Street Health and Wellness Center.
• The construction of Saint Mark Baptist Church’s Children & Youth Center.
• The People Trust Financial Center.

The Private sector investment included the development of a new laundromat, Garden Inn & Suites hotel, and People Trust Community Bank. We collaborated with the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association to establish a community garden and completed the 12th Street JumpStart infrastructure project with grant funding to enhance the ongoing revitalization of 12th Street.

New Ward Boundaries PDF