By TIMES-HERALD STAFF
St. Francis County voters agreed that the status quo is just fine when on Tuesday they reelected all four incumbents challenged for positions in countywide races.
For countywide positions, St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, County Sheriff & Collector Dave Parkman, County Clerk Elizabeth Smith and County Treasurer Ann Harbin, all turned back challengers with decisive victories.
Cisco took close to 71 percent of the vote to retain his seat by a 2,231 vote difference over former Justice of the Peace Author B. Witherspoon. Cisco received 3,734 votes against Witherspoon's 1,503.
"I just want to thank those who voted for me and supported me and the people that have worked in my campaigns over the years. We're going to continue to do what we can to make road improvements across the county and we will also continue to work to bring economic development to the area and keep taxes low. We're going to also improve and expand our road system," Cisco said. "I also look forward to working with our new quorum court justice, Luther Lieblong, and David Dunn, our new re-presentative," he added.
Wither-spoon also thanked his supporters and said he looked forward to another effort in two years.
"I'm pleased with how I worked and want to thank those that helped me with the election and those that voted for me. I look forward to running again in two years, and maybe I'll be able to get the message out about the changes that need to be made and the improve-ments that need to be made and why we need someone new in the Judge's office," Witherspoon said.
Sheriff Dave Parkman also took 71 percent of the vote in his re-election bid over George Cochran. Parkman defeated Cochran by 1,808 votes, taking a 3,552 to 1,744 victory in the Primary race. He moves on to face an independent challenger in the November general election.
"I'd like to thank everyone for their vote of confidence in me, especially those whose physical and financial efforts made this possible. I want them to know that I appreciate both their vote and the work that they have done."
Cochran was unavailable for comment as of press time.
In the race for County Clerk, incumbent Elizabeth Smith received 3,528 votes to retain her spot, beating challenger Paul Spears who took 1,734 votes in his effort to unseat Smith.
Smith thanked her supports for her victory. "I want to thank all of my supporters, family, friends and co-workers. I want to thank them for the confidence and support that they have shown me in this election," she said.
Spears was gracious in defeat, stating, "I would like to congratulate Elizabeth on her victory. Thanks to my supporters and all who voted for me. We will probably make another run at the office."
In the race for SFC Treasurer, incumbent Ann Harbin defeated Tammy Talley, who also challenged Harbin in 2002. In their first election Harbin won by a slim 111-vote margin, but she widened the gap this year with a 3,063 to 2,167 vote win. Harbin said she was pleased with the election as a whole.
"I am very pleased with the turnout for the election," stated Harbin. "I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would also like to thank all those who voted for me, and all those who supported me and worked so hard on my campaign. Let us all move forward to work towards making this a better county for all."
Talley was unavailable for comment at press time.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
David Dunn will represent District 51 as a state representative, after defeating Rujay Burke in Tuesday's Democratic Primary.
Unofficial totals give Dunn a decisive victory by a vote of 4,144 to 1,962. Dunn won in all four counties which make up District 51, including Woodruff, 186-86; Lee, 479-127; Monroe, 1,677-729 and St. Francis, 1,802-1,020.
Dunn thanked his supporters and also congratulated Burke on a well run race.
"I really appreciate the support shown to me and the turnout and interest in the race. I look forward to continuing to make improvements throughout the district and working with the people of District 51 to meet their needs. I also want to congratulate Rujay on a very well run campaign," Dunn said.
In the race for State Senate, Jim Luker was the winner, defeating Steve Jones by an unofficial count of 8,267-5,134.
Luker won in every county except Crittenden and Phillips, which Jones took 1,460-654 and 462-361, respectively. The other counties went for Luker as follows: Woodruff, 1,306-741; Cross, 3,523-957; Lee, 525-338; Monroe, 1,493-909 and St. Francis County, 405-267.
In another race which figured locally, Judge L.T. Simes won reelection as Circuit Judge of District 1, Division 1, Subdivision 1.1, defeating Chuck Halbert 8207-3832.
Simes won in every county, as follows: Cross, 2201-285; Lee, 1,794-1,439; Phillips, 2,006-1,094; Monroe, 479-313 and St. Francis, 1,727-701.
In the race for state representative from District 52, Nancy "Duffy" Blount defeated Reginald Murdock, 2,576-2,395.
Blount won narrowly in both counties which voted in the race, as follows: Lee, 1,447-1,286 and St. Francis, 2,576-2,395.
In other Democratic races in St. Francis County unofficial totals are reported as:
Donald Cagle defeated Ronnie E. Crider, 298-262 for Justice of the Peace, District 11.
Luther Lieblong unseated incumbent Sam Armstrong for the District 4 Justice of the Peace seat. Lieblong received 356 votes to Armstrong's 190 votes.
Thomas Barnes received 65 percent of the vote for constable of Franks Township, to avoid a runoff. Barnes garnered 216 votes, to 36 for Hoyt Parham and 80 for Harry "Junior" Mathes.
Vester L. Steele won for constable of Garland Township over L.T. Gardner, 287-100.
O'Dell Lucas Sr. defeated Jimmy McKee for constable of L'Anguille Township, 80-64.
Billy Gene Ray received 51 percent of the votes to avoid a runoff for constable of Madison Township. He received 1,187 votes, compared to 299 for Willie Tinzie Jr., 113 for Tony Jenkins, and 732 for Robert Smith.
James L. Thomas defeated Billy Pillow for constable of Teleco Township, 191-134.
In Widener, Abron Pitts defeated Carl Winters 33-8 for Position 1 on the city council.
There were also several races for the St. Francis County Democratic Central Committee, as follows:
For District 1, Position 1, at-large, Joyce Ann Jones defeated Earnestine Jackson 198-140.
For District 1, Position 2, at-large, Joe Young defeated Edward Watt, 189-175.
For District 1, Position 3, Trevah A. Gregory defeated Irene Combs 21-14.
For District 3, Position 1, Johnetta Crumbly defeated David Courtney, 16-11.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Close to 4,000 voters made their way to polling locations across St. Francis County Tuesday bringing the number of ballots cast in the Democratic and Republican Primary Elections to over 5,300.
With just over 31 percent of the registered voters going to the polls, many candidates had hoped for a larger turnout.
"I was pleased with the turnout, but I would like to have seen a larger turnout," said St. Francis County Clerk Elizabeth.
Smith said that the turnout, which had numbers similar to the 2002 primary totals, were close to the average seen in the county.
St. Francis County Sheriff and Collector Dave Parkman also commented on the turnout. "I was really satisfied with the election but we had a low turnout, and I would liked to have seen more folks come out," Parkman said.
While most candidates felt that the voting ran smoothly, there were problems at some locations. According to Parkman, there was a small issue in Hughes which was handled quickly.
"We did have a little problem in Hughes, but we were able to take care of it and get everything settled rather quickly. All in all, everything really ran smoothly throughout the county," Parkman said.
County Treasurer Ann Harbin, who had two judges posted during ballot counting, also remarked on how the election was handled. "I think everything went pretty smoothly. There weren't any problems that I'm aware of, and I was just being cautious," she said in regards to her decision to post judges.
There were some problems at the Forrest City Civic Center and in Colt with missing ballots for Republican voters. According to St. Francis County Election Commissioner Bettye Proctor, the problem wasn't with missing ballots, only with election workers who didn't know where the ballots were.
"There was some confusion about the Republican ballots, but we had them and they were at the Civic Center. The problem was that all of the ballots for Forrest City had been placed in one box at the Civic Center instead of in the different precincts, and when people asked for a Republican ballot, the workers didn't know that we had them. We got everything sorted out, and everything else went smoothly," Proctor said.
"We also had someone ask for a ballot in Colt, and we didn't have any out there so we took a ballot out and called them and let them know that we had ballots at the location. They came back in and got to vote. Everyone that was registered and wanted to vote today got to vote," said Proctor, adding that 15 votes were cast in the Republican primary.
While many felt Tuesday's election ran smoothly, St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco hinted that there might be a change in the way future elections are run in the county.
"For the most part, I think things went well today, but I'm still going to approach the quorum court and the election commission about making some changes. One of those changes may include the addition of a part-time employee who will handle all election duties, but have that be their primary responsibility come election time," Cisco said.
"If other counties around the state are getting this done and not having all of the problems, then I think St. Francis County ought to be able to do the same," he added.
Problems with ballot printing caused early voting to be delayed by close to a week.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City City Council on Tuesday heard from a representative of several businesses that would be affected by a proposal to prohibit the serving and sale of alcoholic beverages after midnight.
The second of three required readings on the ordinance was held at Tuesday's council meetings
Attorney Jim Miller said he was representing some business owners. He said under the Alcohol Beverage Commission, a Class A permit allows an establishment to serve alcohol until 2 a.m., and a Class B permit extends that to 5 a.m. He said there are both types of permits issued for different clubs in Forrest City.
"The owners feel that this is going to have a negative impact on each business, and also have a negative impact on the City of Forrest City," said Miller. "It's going to cut down on the customer base. And people are going to go to other places for entertainment."
He said many people don't get off until 11 o'clock. "So if you're closing down at midnight, they don't have a venue to go to."
He also said these businesses have spent money in opening the establishments and paying for the permits. Miller added that the ABC can be contacted if anyone is violating any of the requirements of its rules, including a so-called "good neighbor" policy. He said the ABC can investigate and handle complaints.
However, City Attorney Alan Cline said the city has tried the ABC route, but said the ABC has only one investigator east of Little Rock.
"If we could have gotten ABC to do anything about this problem, we wouldn't be here," Cline said. "We have contacted ABC until we're blue in the face with ABC. And ABC has done nothing."
After some more discussion, Mayor Larry Bryant said there is still one reading left on the ordinance.
"Maybe there can be some middle ground," he said, but also added that the taxes the city receives from late-opening establishments are sometimes offset by the extra hours of police work that are required.
Third reading, and possible amending, of the ordinance will be at the next meeting.
In other business, the council held second and third reading on an ordinance to allow the rezoning of some property on Izard Street from residential to commercial, at the request of Worley's Nursery. The ordinance was then adopted.
Bids were also opened for "chat," or crushed stone used on some road repairs. Two bids were received, one from Tri-Pod Trucking for $16.25 a ton, and one from Brazeale Trucking, at $15 a ton. Both are from Forrest City. The bids will be studied.
The council also passed an ordinance to waive requirements for competitive bidding to allow the city to purchase gas when needed. The city has been unable to get a locked price on gasoline because of the volatility of the market. The council will have to pass a new ordinance each time gas is purchased. On the vote, John Gadberry abstained. He questioned why the council was being asked to approve paying for something that had already been delivered. He was answered that the gasoline situation had become urgent.
The council also discussed an ordinance to allow the sale of an old fire engine to Cherry Valley. The way the ordinance is worded, Cherry Valley would pay $4,000 now and another $4,000 over four years.
Cline said allowing Cherry Valley to purchase the truck over time might run into legal problems. After some discussion, it was decided to offer to loan the truck to Cherry Valley, and give the city time to come up with a cash payment.
The council was also read a letter signed by several members of the Forrest City Musical Coterie, which advocated an in-house caterer for the Civic Center. The current catering contract ends at the end of this month.
On another matter, council member Mary Jeffers asked that drainage on Water Street be looked into.
There was also a brief discussion of the intersection of Division and Washington (Ark. Highway 1). One possibility was a beautification project. Another was to try and get a light at the intersection.
Also, Gadberry asked that a proposal for the final site of the new multipurpose center at the Municipal Sports Complex be presented at the next council meeting.
In other action, a meeting of the parity committee will take place at 5 p.m. Monday, May 24.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
By a 6-2 vote, Mayor Larry Bryant's veto of the construction of an animal shelter on land outside the city limits was overridden Tuesday night.
During discussion, one of the main points of contention was the location of the new shelter. Bryant said he wanted to build the new shelter at the same location as the existing shelter, which is in Ward 1.
Council member Cecil Twillie said the reason he wanted to relocate the shelter was that people in his ward wanted it somewhere else.
"I've been in contact with several people," said Twillie. "And everyone I have contacted wanted it to be moved out of Ward 1."
He said Ward 1 is already the most blighted area in town.
"Every time there is an opportunity for us to alleviate one of those (problems), as a council person I always vote to move it out of Ward 1. I'm not saying it has to be out of the city. But I'd just rather it not be in Ward 1.
Council member Roger Breeding said one of the reasons the mayor gave for his veto was that the shelter would be built outside of town.
"So is the airport," Breeding said. "And it has served the city for many, many years."
Bryant said the memo he wrote when he vetoed the ordinance authorizing the construction of the shelter was self-explanatory.
"First of all, no one has any explanation why we needed to move from where we were," Bryant said, "other than imaginary ghosts or fear that we'd have muggers and everything over in Ward 1. We don't have that.
"Number 2, it's outside the city limits, and how are we going to secure it? Are we going to run our police cars? Gas has gone up 35 percent already. Are we going to add additional miles just to go out to have security? We have security, for the most part."
He also said the proposed site is on a gravel road.
"We're going to tear up our city vehicles, our dog catcher trucks, going out to an area that's not paved. So the next thing on the agenda would be, "Well, let's spend the money to pave the road, from the city till,'" he said. He also said the utilities would have to be paid.
Bryant also objected to the city not owning the property, and he also objected to taxpayer money being used to pay for the shelter.
"Other humane societies around the state and around the country, they raise money," he said. "This one here, how much money has been raised for the building, how much money has been raised for the road, how much money has been raised for anything, other than everything coming off the city?
"But whatever the city so decides to do, always remember that the mayor here, without equivocating one way or another, is against this based on those points, and they're not in the best interests of the city," Bryant said.
He also said that a new animal shelter would actually be an improvement to Ward 1.
"We have a $100,000 animal shelter going up," Bryant said. "We don't have a $100,000 or $200,000 people shelter going up for homeless people. We put animals first, and I went along with that, that we would work with the Humane Society and have a shelter."
Council member Roy Hancock said he has had citizens speak to him, who were concerned over paving the road.
Chris Morledge, attorney for the Forrest City Area Humane Society, spoke to the council. He said it isn't a long drive to the property, because it abuts city property. He also said the Humane Society would be willing to give the property to the city, if the city ever annexes it. He further said the county has agreed to provide security. He also said it was not the intention of the Humane Society at this time to ask for the road to be paved.
On the vote, Council members Breeding, Steve Hollowell, Twillie, Brent Ponder, Mary Jeffers and John Gadberry voted yes. Louise Fields and Hancock voted no.
An Aubrey man working to secure a refrigerator in the rear of his pickup was sideswiped and killed Tuesday afternoon near the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds south of Forrest City.
The accident occurred just after 3 p.m. on Highway 1 South, according to a report on file at Arkansas State Police Troop D headquarters in Forrest City.
According to ASP Corporal Mike Kennedy, William Spencer, 82, was traveling south on Highway 1 with a refrigerator in the bed of his 1994 Ford Ranger pickup when the straps holding the appliance broke loose. Kennedy said Spencer reportedly pulled his truck to the shoulder of the road, but left it partially in the outside lane of traffic. Kennedy said Spencer was standing near the side of his pickup when he was struck by a 1979 Chevrolet truck driven by Luther Bledsoe, 80, 237 Laney Dr., Forrest City.
Spencer was killed instantly, Kennedy reported.
No charges were filed in the accident.
Arkansas State Police found about $700,000 in cocaine hidden inside an SUV traveling on Interstate 40 Tuesday night.
The 1997 Ford Explorer, driven by Maria Elena Catalan Tapia, 47, of Dallas, was stopped for a traffic violation at the 246 eastbound mile marker near the Widener exit about 8 p.m. According to the arrest report, Tapia was driving with her parking lights on.
After issuing Tapia a warning, the trooper received permission to search the vehicle in which he found seven kilos of cocaine hidden inside a trap door on rails under the rear cargo area.
Tapia and a passenger, Selina Pineda-Salgado, 61, also of Dallas, are charged with possession with intent.
Both were scheduled to be arraigned in St. Francis County District Court this afternoon.