Support for candidate

Dear Editor:

A dozen years ago, while writing for Carroll County News, I began covering Green Forest city council meetings. Things went about like you’d expect for a while, but Mayor Richard DeWeese resigned and moved away. Then things got weird in a hurry. Alderman David Garrett helped get Janell Compton appointed as interim mayor, and they joined forces to reward their friends and punish their enemies. I have to confess, from a journalism standpoint, I had a lot of fun. It was never boring, and covering one six-hour council meeting earned me a first-place award for news writing from the Arkansas Press Association.

During this period, Willa Kerby sat on the council, but she faced a solid voting block working in lockstep with the mayor. She only had one vote, but she also had a voice. She couldn’t stop this cabal from trying to hijack the city government, but she did the next best thing: She made sure they did it all out in the open. Willa helped minimize the damage Garrett and Compton could do, and the city eventually elected a new mayor.

Charlie Reece brought sanity back to city government, and Willa and the other aldermen at the council table helped make Charlie’s visions a reality. He accomplished some great things as mayor, but he eventually outgrew the city. He ran for county judge twice, and then settled into a leadership position among the county’s Republicans.

Whoever Green Forest elects as mayor will do all the usual things mayors do to attract new businesses and maintain the existing economy. But the future of Green Forest is its people, and Willa has a clear advantage here. When she talks about ways to improve life for those who live and work here, you’re not hearing campaign promises. She has said the same things for years. I won’t get to vote in this election, but like her signs say, “I’m with Willa,” if only in spirit.

— Mike Ellis