PEA RIDGE — Mayoral candidate Col. F. Joe Hart, 89, denies he twice ran for mayor in the 1990s, even though numerous newspaper articles prove he did.

His races in 1990 and 1994 were noted in a story that ran in the Sept. 29 issue of The Times.

“I don’t think I’ve ever run for mayor before,” Hart said in a recording left on the telephone at The Times office. He left the message after the paper hit the streets. “I don’t think I ran in 1990 and 1994. I was on the council a few times and I’ve got to tell you, being on that council was enough to keep me from running for mayor, especially at that time - boy that was really something.

“I don’t know where you got that from. I sure didn’t give it to you,” Hart said Sept. 29.

Hart filed for the 2010 election on Aug. 13. When interviewed Sept. 9 by The Times and asked about any political involvement, he said he had served on the Pea Ridge City Council. When told he had run for the mayor’s seat in 1994, he said he didn’t remember that.

Newspapers kept at The Times report Hart was one of two candidates for the Pea Ridge mayor’s seat in 1990.

Mary Rogers Durand, who was elected in 1986, remembers Hart running against her in 1990.

“He ran against me at least once,” Durand said.

A story in the Nov. 15, 1990, edition of The Times reported Incumbent Mayor Mary Rogers received 300 votes to Hart’s 207. Ina letter to the editor in the same edition, Hart wrote: “It saddens me to know that Pea Ridge will sit in a four year decay period.”

A story in the Nov. 17, 1994, edition of The Times reported Hart ran for the seat along with Duane Oliver and Jackie Crabtree. Crabtree was elected mayor, receiving 315 votes.

Oliver garnering 129 votes and Hart receiving 108.

Hart wrote a letter to the editor, published Nov. 17, 1994, thanking the voters who voted for candidates other than him, apologizing to his supporters and enumerating the tasks of mayor - estimating the job was worth $32,605 but only paying $3,000 per year.

In his campaign thisyear, Hart said the citizens of Pea Ridge pay too much for their mayor stating that the annual salary of $40,000 divided by the number of residents of the city means each resident pays about $15 each for the mayor’s salary. He said the Rogers mayor salary is about $100,000, and that, divided by the number of city residents, each citizen of Rogers pays about $3 each. He said he would be willing to work for a wage commensurate with that figure.

Hart is one of four candidates for mayor.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree is seeking re-election. Boyd McNiel and Rick Webb are also seeking the position.

The election is Nov. 2.

News, Pages 1 on 10/06/2010