PEA RIDGE — Why do you want to be mayor? I’d like to give back to the city for the years I’ve lived here and I think there are a lot of improvements that could be made like the management of the city functions - the Street Department and all those departments.
Why should someone vote for you? For the reasons I just gave.
What do you hope to accomplish? I hesitate to say. If Ii give this to you, all these other guys are going to pick this up - like a better life in this city.
Do you have a specific agenda? (Pointing to his head, Hart responded) Up here. That’s all I’m going to tell you for the same reason. If the people will start getting to debates, then you’ll hear a lot of them.
What are the sources of revenue for a city - for Pea Ridge? Primarily from taxes ... and a certain amount from the state.
I have no way of knowing that. That’s one I’ll do when we’re all together.
The city has a budget of about $2.25 million not including the Water/Wastewater Department which brings the budget to about $4.7 million. What is your experience in managing a budget of that size? The budget that I had when Iwas the quality assurance manager at Martin Mariettawas in the realm of about $20 million; I had two off-site locations - one in Florida and one in California and I supervised all of the vender quality assurance people. I worked on a budget.
The city has about 30 employees, who report to various department heads, who report to the mayor. What people management skills do you have? I can do that in my spare time.
What do you believe is the job description of the mayor? In my opinion, to see that the goods and services that it takes to run the city satisfy the expectations of its citizens and to do it in a cost-effective way..
What are your plans for the various city departments? I can’t tell until I observe their operation and these other clowns will copy it. I have a way of making sure they know what they’re supposed to do and so will I.
Water/wastewater: No answer
Streets: There’s one item I’m definitely going to work. Pea Ridge has a reputation of having speed traps. I’m going to be sure they’re eliminated. That’s the worse thing a citycould have is a reputation of speed traps. I’ve heard it spoken in Rogers and outside of Pea Ridge, if there’s even a hint of one ... I’m not going to go into those details.
Parks: Be sure they’re run efficiently.
Library: Same thing
Police: I think they’re operating efficiently. I have no way of saying anything else. I haven’t been that close to them. I have to assume. If there are improvements, that they’re taken care of.
Fire/EMS: I don’t want to go there either, I’ve already had a hassle with them. Ask me after I’ve been mayor for six months.
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I think the salary is excessive for the job. I’d be a mayor for 24 hours. It isn’t an 8 to 5 job. If you take the mayor’s salary of $115,000 down in Rogers and divide it by the population, it comes out to like $2.87 per person. Now, compare Pea Ridge. Take the salary of $40,000 and divide it by the population of 2,400.
Everyone here pays like $15 per head.
I would get the Council to agree to a lower salary with the difference being used to lower the tax on the water bill. I will negotiate a salary commensurate with the responsibilities.
News, Pages 6 on 09/29/2010