PEA RIDGE — A forum for the four mayoral candidates is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 12, in the community room of the Emergency Services Building and is open to the public.
Mayor Jackie Crabtree, Col.
F. Joe Hart, Boyd McNiel and Rick Webb are running for the position of mayor. Interviewed recently, each candidate answered specific questions and expounded on his qualifications for mayor.
Crabtree, who was first elected in 1994, recalled that the mayor’s position was part-time and paid $250 a month when he first took office. It became full-time in October 2004.
“This is way more than a 40-hour a week job. There are so many things that go on after hours and weekends that you have to keep up with and make sure Pea Ridge is in the forefront of people’s minds. Somebody said you have to be a cheerleader for the community. If you’re not out there promoting the community, taking advantage of everything that comes our way, then you’re not fulfilling your job.”
He said the city has grown from 15 employees to 31 since he’s been mayor.
“We’ve gone from a population of a little over 1,800 to our estimated census of about 4,300.”
“It’s not time for someone new... It’s time for someone who has the experience who knows what we’re doing with.”
Crabtree said he is still working on getting an activity center in town, but the costs have been prohibitive.
Crabtree said he’s proud of the fact that he was able to get a doctor located in town after Mercy Medical pulled its clinic here. He is also chairman of the Missouri Arkansas Partnership, a group which looks at economic development in the area to benefit the community.
Col. Joe Hart, who said the current mayor’s salary is excessive for the job, said he would be mayor 24 hours a day.
“It isn’t an 8 to 5 job. I would not treat it as an 8 to 5 job.”
“There’s a council that sits here and I would get that council to agree to a lower salary with the difference being used to lower the tax on the water bill,” Hart said. “I’m going to work the various roads and the speed limits.
Every employee of this city will have in writing what his responsibilities are. If I’m elected, they will have their job responsibility in writing,” Hart continued, but declined to give specifics on any changes saying it would give ideas to the other candidates.
“I have proven my capability under the highest of expectations.
For instance, helping to rebuild the economy of West Berlin,” Hart, a former U.S. Air Force officer and prisoner of war, said. “It’s like having battle scars, you’ve been there ... That’s evidence I have the ability to perform. These (pointing to his presidential commendations from 1960 and 1964and his college transcripts from 1956-’57 from the University of Pittsburgh) verify that.”
Boyd McNiel said he’s running to provide accountability and more service instead of reasons why things can’t be done.
“As mayor, we need to do something about the illegal immigration. The city can not do anything ... but they would not be coming here if they didn’t think they could get a job.
“I would like to give the building inspector the authority to where he can walk out and while he’s inspecting the framing, plumbing or sheetrock ... find out if the workers are legal residents ... If they, after a certain length of time can not provide that information, the job will be shut down, provided the City Council gives us permission to do that,” McNiel said.
McNiel said he would like to see no charge on us ing the community room and the “courthouse” open to the public instead of people standing outside waiting for court. “It’s a public building,” he said. Rick Webb said he has a passion for the town of which he is a native.
“I’ve had family members - grandfathers, uncles - my family has served this town in many capacities. My raising and upbringing has led me to do a lot of things to serve the community,” Webb said.
“When I’m elected, I will be a full-time employee of the city as mayor.”
Webb said he would resign his job as a car salesman and as a member of the Pea Ridge School Board.
Asked about the rumor that he intends to fire Police Chief Tim Ledbetter and hire his brother-in-law Darin Wright as police chief, Webb said: “That is rumor. No. That has never been talked about.”
And whether he promised a paving contract to the son-in-law of B.J. White: “Absolutely not. No.
“There has been no promise to anybody for anything that has come from Rick Webb.
“The only promise I will give to the people is I will give 100 percent as the next mayor of Pea Ridge.”
Webb was elected to the Pea Ridge City Council in 1994, re-elected in 1998 and elected to the Pea Ridge School Board in 2002, according to Times records. He missed five of 12 council meetings in 2000 and was not on the Council in 2001.
Webb said he has watched the city grow and each area, city departments as well as the school, increase in size.
He said there was not a police department when he was on the council and he remembers there being 32 graduating seniors from the high school. Webb refers to his years on the School Board as proof of his ability to manage budgets, adding that it was during his tenure that the school district purchased land on Weston Street, built the new high school and junior high school and hired superintendent Mike Van Dyke.
“We’ve asked for and received two millage increases,” Webb said, referring to the school district, adding that two more facilities are about to be constructed on school property. “There’s been a lot of change ... I still believe a lot of folks want their children in a small school atmosphere. I know we’re growing. I think a lot of folks are moving here because of affordable housing and the school system. We want to keep them here.”
News, Pages 1 on 10/06/2010