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By Scott Loftis
SLoftis@cherryroad.com
Eureka Springs Mayor Butch Berry will face three challengers in the Nov. 8 general election — including a former mayor and a former city contractor involved in a lawsuit in which Berry is a defendant.
Green Forest will have a new mayor — or maybe an old one — while Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney will be unopposed in his re-election bid.
The filing period for municipal candidates, which opened Aug. 3, ended at noon Wednesday, Aug. 10.
Berry filed as a candidate for a third term as Eureka Springs’ mayor during the municipal filing period that ended last week. Filing to challenge his re-election bid were restaurateur Brandon Cox, former city events coordinator Tracy Johnson and former mayor Beau Satori.
Johnson, who formerly served as events coordinator for the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission on a contract basis, is the lead plaintiff in a civil lawsuit against Berry and several other current and former city officials centered around the CAPC. Satori was Eureka Springs’ mayor from 1999 to 2002.
In Green Forest, Mayor Jerry Carlton is not seeking another term in that office but is running without opposition for a seat on the city council. Charlie Reece — who served as mayor from 2009 through 2018 — filed as a candidate for mayor, as did former longtime city council member Willa Kerby and longtime District 8 Justice of the Peace Don McNeely. Local officials initially believed that Mc-Neely would have to resign from his JP position to run for mayor, but later learned that he can continue to serve as JP but cannot seek re-election to that position at the same time he is running for mayor.
Berryville’s four city council members — Jason Williams, Max Nichols, Linda Riddlesperger and Ashley Sharp — all are unopposed in their re-election bids, as are city attorney Clint Scheel and city clerk Leonda Davis.
Eureka Springs will have a new city clerk, as Ida Meyer was the only candidate to file for that office. Longtime city clerk Ann Armstrong is retiring. Forrest Jacobi, who was appointed as Eureka Springs’ city attorney earlier this year to fill the vacancy created by the death of Tim Weaver, will run unopposed for a full term.
Five of Eureka Springs’ six city council members filed to seek re-election, with three of them facing challengers. Autumn Slane, who holds the Ward 1, Position 1 seat on the council, is being challenged by Laura Jo Smole, who held the Ward 1, Position 2 seat before resigning for health reasons in October 2021. Ward 2, Position 1 incumbent Melissa Greene is running for re-election against former council member Bob Thomas. Bill Ott, who holds the Ward 2, Position 2 seat is seeking re-election with a challenge from Steve Holifield.
Incumbents Terry Mc-Clung (Ward 3, Position 1) and Harry Meyer (Ward 3, Position 2) are unopposed in their re-election bids. Also unopposed is David Avanzino, who is a candidate for the Ward 1, Position 2 seat currently held by Nick Roberts.
Green Forest city clerk Morgan Darby-Gonzalez is unopposed in her re-election bid, as are city council incumbents Carroll Smith (Ward 2, Position 1) and Odra DeLeon (Ward 2, Position 2). Carlton is running unopposed for the Ward 1, Position 1 seat, while Allison Launius is unopposed for Ward 1, Position 2.
Holiday Island Mayor Dan Kees is unopposed for re-election, as is city clerk Wesley Stille. Because Holiday Island is now classified as a city instead of a town, its city council will change from a five-member body with no ward designations to a six-member body, with two representatives from each of three wards. Current city council members Lynn Dumas, Ken Mills, Jerry Pittman and Linda Graves are unopposed in their bids to return to the council, while current council member Patrick Elwood is seeking the Ward 3, Position 1 seat with opposition from Brian Tagliaferro. Barbara Kuhn is unopposed for Ward 3, Position 2.
In Oak Grove, Robert Fairweather is unopposed as a mayoral candidate. City clerk Stephanie Shepard and city council members Gary Gray, Jayme Wambold and Terry Hutchison — all incumbents — are also running unopposed.
The general election will be held Nov. 8.
All of the filings are unofficial until they are verified by county election officials.
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