By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
On the advice of St. Francis County Attorney Fletcher Long, members of the St. Francis County Election Commission agreed Tuesday afternoon to leave a deceased mayoral candidate's name on the ballot in the Forrest City mayor's race in the November general election.
According to Long, as a rule, the Secretary of State's office generally allows a candidate's name, in this case Carroll Bishop, to remain on the ballot, if that candidate dies prior to the election.
"As a general rule the Secretary of State's office has allowed a candidate's name to remain on the ballot because by statute, the only person who can remove a candidate's name once it is filed is the candidate," Long said.
Interim Forrest City City Attorney Chris Morledge raised the question regarding Bishop's name, seeking clarification in case the city pursues an attempt to remove his name from the ballot.
In other business, commissioners again followed the advice of Long on the matter of individuals who filed for municipal races in the 60-to-90 day period allowed by state law for independent candidates. According to Forrest City municipal law, all candidates for municipal office must file before noon on the day before the preferential primary. Following an Attorney General's ruling in July, several candidates entered races for city council positions in Forrest City.
"It is the opinion of the Attorney General that the 60-to-90 day filing window for independent candidates must be upheld, which actually means that there are two separate laws governing when the filing period begins and ends. It is my opinion, that candidates who filed in either the May filing period or the 60-to-90 day window should be left on the ballot," Long said.
Commissioners also pulled for ballot positions in the elections on the November ballot. In Forrest City, positions on the ballot in the mayor's race will be as follows: Position 1, Chris Oswalt; position 2, Bill Baxter; position 3, Mayor Larry Bryant; position 4, Frederick Freeman and position 5, Carroll Bishop. In the race for ward 1, position 1 alderman, position 1, Henry Peacock; position 2, Roy Hancock and position 3, Clifton Avant.
In the ward 1 race, there was some confusion when Avant approached the commission seeking to change the position that he was running for. Avant was seeking to stay in the ward 1 race, but in a post that would put him against alderman Cecil Twillie for the position 2 spot. Commissioners denied the request.
The other positions in Forrest City races are: Ward 2, position 2 alderman, position 1, Louise Fields, position 2, Glenn Ford. In ward 3, position 1, the spots will be Steve Hollowell in position 1 and Danny Capps in position 2. In the other ward 3 race, incumbent A.L. "Sonny" Harris Jr. was picked in the 1 spot and challenger Brent Ponder the 2 spot. In ward 4, in the race for alderman in position 1, Frank L. Shaw III will be in position 1 and Roger F. Breeding position 2. Incumbent John Gadberry will face off in ward 4 , position 2, from position 2 against Ray Woodard in position 1.
In Wheatley, Mayor Larry Nash was able to get the position 1 spot in the November general election in his race against challenger Timothy W. Sparks.
In alderman races, Billy R. Darby, was picked for position 1, and Robbie Horton got the second spot in the position 1. In position 2, Rodney Hicks, was chosen for position 1 and Enola Gay Kersey received the second post, by default. In position 4, David Lee will be in position 1 and Ethel M. Watson, position 2. In position 5, Woodrow Harris, position 1 and Ellis Coleman, position 2.
In Palestine, where only two municipal races will be held, Mayor Willetta Carroll will be in position 2 and Henry Kimble, position 1. In the fight for alderman, ward 1, position 1, Rickey Plunkett received the nod for position 1 and Danny Parson got position 2.
To the east, positions were also chosen during Tuesday's meeting. The results are as follows: In Madison, Alderman, ward 1, position 1, Oscar Lee Brown, position 1 and Sandra H. Smith, position 2; ward 2, position 2, Christal Taylor, position 1 and Thomas E. Davis Sr., position 2; ward 3, position 1, Gail Graham, position 1 and Annie Winfrey, position 2; and in ward 3 position 2, Janice Whitaker, position 1 and Steve McDaniel, position 2.
In the Widener Mayor's race, challenger Larry White, position 1 and Mayor Dot Halford, position 2. In the city clerk's race, Lillian Williams, position 1 and Terri Billingsley, position 2. In the two alderman races, the breakdown is: In position 1, Carl Winters, position 1 and George Danner, position 2; and in position 4, Versie Pitts, position 1 and Edward Busby, position 2.
In Hughes, where Mayor Donnie Mooney will face off against two challengers, the breakdown was: for Mayor, Donnie Mooney, position 1; Greg Gardner, position 2 and Edward Watt, position 3. In the aldermen races, in Ward 1, position 1, Malcom Curne got the nod ahead of Joe Cox; in ward 1, position 2 at large, Rudolph Robinson, position 1 and Thomas Turner Meurrier, position 2. In ward 2, position 2 at large, Jessie White in position 1 will face off against Robert Joshaway, in position 2. In the five man race for ward 3, position 1, Irene Combs received the 1 spot, Gary Barkley, position 2, Joyce Long, position 3, Reginald Mitchell, position 4, and Jake Gardner, position 5. In ward 3, position 2, at large it will be Ray Charles Robinson in position 1, Edward Gardner in position 2 and Jon E. Tate in position 3.
In statewide races, it was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jimmie Lou Fisher getting the position 1 spot while Gov. Mike Huckabee received position 2. There will also be a space for one of four write in candidates. In the Lt. Governor's race, Republican incumbent Win Rockefeller received the 1 spot and challenger Ron Sheffield took the 2 hole. In the Land Commissioner's race, Dennis Wohlford, Republican, of Bentonville will face off in position 1 against Mark Wilcox, of Greenbrier, in position 2.
In the Secretary of State Race, former Land Commissioner Charlie Daniels will face off against Janet Huckabee, wife of Gov. Mike Huckabee. Daniels is in the first position and Huckabee in the second spot.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson will be in the first position and Attorney General Mark Pryor will be in the second post. In the U.S. Congressional District 1 race, Democratic Congressman Marion Berry is in the second position and former Congressman Tommy F. Robinson is in the first position.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A feasibility study for a transportation mall for St. Francis County is finally in, and the projections from the study show figures that could net close to $8 million in revenue, 800 jobs and over $270,000 in tax revenue for St. Francis County and Forrest City on an annual basis.
Interim project coordinator Frederick Freeman, speaking to the St. Francis County Transportation Commission on Tuesday, said the project is progressing now that the study has been received.
"We've been working on the study, and we are now working on locating and negotiating the land deal. We're also working on any funding that we will need assistance with from the county," Freeman said.
According to Freeman, the price tag on the project will be in the neighborhood of $40 million, and the county's portion of that will be between $10 to $15 million. St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco told commissioners that any funding received from the county would be through grants and other entities only available to counties.
"Our investment will be in the grounds of the facility in things such as sewer and water and providing the land for the buildings to be built on. Any money that the county puts into this project will be in terms of grant money and so forth which are available to counties," Cisco said.
According to the study, a total of 385 new jobs will come to the area due to the transportation mall with a total of $6,386,880 in income. Overall impact of the mall will bring in 462 jobs and $8,212,073 in income. The annual tax projections would be $180,208 for the county and $90,104 for the city.
Freeman said that the next phase of the project is to approach different funding agencies in an attempt to gain support for the project.
"We've got several more hills to climb, but everything is going extremely well right now," Freeman said.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
A request for rezoning was presented to the Forrest City Planning Commission at their regularly scheduled meeting held Tuesday afternoon.
Representatives of Forrest City Bank asked commissioners to change the residential zoning for a half-block area west of the bank's North Washington location to commercial. The land is bordered by Cook, Rosser and Stone streets.
Attorney Alan Cline, representing the bank, asked commissioners to also vacate the alley that runs north and south between Stone and Cook streets.
Chairman Danny Capps read a letter from a citizen in opposition to the rezoning, stating, in part, that the rezoning had the potential to lower property value and hurt the resale of property.
Bank president John Stipe responded to the letter. "We plan to fix up the surrounding area with landscaping and maintain a 20-foot buffer zone between our property and the residential areas."
Capps then asked what would be built on the land. Stipe answered by saying, "We plan to hold some of the land for future expansion, but the bulk of it will be used for parking."
Commissioners approved both of the bank's requests, allowing the matter to now be addressed by the Forrest City City Council at its next meeting.
Items used to manufacture crystal methamphetamine were confiscated during a routine traffic stop Tuesday night near Beck Spur.
A 1994 Chrysler driven by James Michael Goff, 46, 655 Maple, Forrest City, was stopped for speeding just after 10 p.m. on Highway 70 West by deputies with the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department.
The vehicle's owner, Bruce A. Hoselton, 30, Highway 70 West, Forrest City, granted deputies permission to search the vehicle where they found a duffle bag in the trunk containing a variety of items used to manufacture the drug.
Goff and Hoselton are each charged with conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance, methamphetamine.
A North Carolina man was killed early Tuesday when he was ejected from a sport-utility vehicle in which he was a passenger, as it crashed on Interstate 40 in St. Francis County, State Police said.
According to a report from ASP Troop D, in Forrest City, George G. Thornton, 41, of Mann's Harbor, N.C., died in the accident about 4:40 a.m. near the Palestine exit from I-40 in the western part of the county. According to Lt. Tommy Wicker with Troop D, Thornton was a passenger in a 1986 Chevrolet Blazer, driven by Dick H. Nordmann, 47, also of Mann's Harbor. According to Wicker, the vehicle was traveling westbound on I-40, when it left the highway on the southern side, veered back onto the roadway and overturned, ejecting Thornton.
Nordmann was hospitalized for treatment of his injuries, the report said.
State police on Tuesday also reported the death of a Fayetteville motorcyclist on Sunday in an accident in the Washington County community of Tontitown.