Small business owner Deb Wemette announces run for Hot Springs mayor

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Small business owner Deb Wemette has announced her candidacy for mayor of Hot Springs, pitching herself as an independent voice for residents ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Wemette, who said she will celebrate 20 years in business this October at Churchill’s Fine Cigars, told ABN she is not affiliated with any downtown association — or, as she put it, “the good old boys.”

“I want to be a voice for we the people,” Wemette said. “I would like to sit on that board and make decisions based on nothing but what we the people need.”

On parking, Wemette said she wants to return downtown to the free parking she found when she first moved to the city, paired with an employee who chalks tires to keep spaces turning over. She also wants to rethink how Hill Wheatley Plaza is used, noting the city closes off its 68 parking spots for events. Wemette said many of those events could shift to a nearby lot, freeing the plaza’s green space for the public.

“Imagine being able to listen to music or go to the arts things underneath the trees by the creek,” she said.

Wemette called the city’s aging water system the biggest issue facing Hot Springs. She pointed to the Gulpha Basin project and said money has been spent on pumps that cannot run because the infrastructure serving them is failing — including pumps at Lake Ouachita. She wants the system fully mapped by an independent company.

The city spends about $3 million a year on water infrastructure, Wemette said, but at that pace, she argued, it would take far too long to bring the system into compliance. She said the state is assessing $1,000-a-day fees that are being held in abeyance if the city addresses its infrastructure by September 2027.

“We have a lot of water and they need to catch up with it,” she said.

Voters head to the polls Nov. 3.

“I really would appreciate your support,” Wemette said. “Deb Wemette — like we already met. That’s my fun last name.”