PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge native Ray Easley was selected to fill the one-year vacancy of a City Council seat created when Jack Kelly moved out of the city limits.

Easley and Sharpie Wallace were both interviewed by council members, then left the room while their qualifications werediscussed.

“I wish we could have them both,” council member Bob Cottingham said.

Council members and city attorney Howard Slinkard discussed increasing the size of the council, which Slinkard said is one of the smallest in the area with four members. He said the wards would have to be redistricted to evenly divide the population.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree said: “We need to get the redistricting done by the end of the first of the year anyway. Jeff Hawkins at Regional Planning put together a map. We need to start looking at it.”

“We appreciate your willingness to serve,” Crabtree told the two men before issuing the oath of office to Easley.

News, Pages 1 on 09/28/2011