Mayor, council members appointed in Sulphur

Sulphur Springs fills three vacant council seats and appoints new mayor at its Thursday meeting

Photo by Larry Burge 
Sulphur Springs City Council members are Nancy Reich (left), Susan Buckner, Martha Kreder, Mayor Greg Barber, Shane Weber and Bill Middleton.
Photo by Larry Burge Sulphur Springs City Council members are Nancy Reich (left), Susan Buckner, Martha Kreder, Mayor Greg Barber, Shane Weber and Bill Middleton.

— Out with the old and begin anew was the mood in Sulphur Springs’ City Hall Thursday evening.

The most expressed opinion at the city council’s Nov. 14 regular session, from speakers at the podium as well as conversations across the room, was fi nding ways to bury the past and move the town forward in a positive direction.

The resignations of two aldermen and the mayor on Oct. 10 placed the responsibility of the town’s leadership on three council members and Mayor Pro Tem Alice Peck. Therefore, the November meeting called for nominating and voting for a new mayor and three council members to fill vacant seats.

In the meeting, Peck asked each candidate to discuss why he or she might be the best person for the job. She called on Ward 3, Position 1, contenders Steve Holland and Bill Middleton to speak fi rst.

The owner of Holland’s Roofing and Steve’s Place Café, Holland said that he had lived in Sulphur for 19 years. He said, “I’d like to get people working together.”

Since moving his family to Sulphur about a year ago, Middleton has become a member of Sulphur Spring’s Volunteer Fire Department.

“Several people have helped my family settle [in Sulphur],” he said. “I’d like to return thefavor by serving on the council.”

After deliberation, the three-member Council chose Middleton for the Ward 3, Position 1, council seat.

Contending unopposed for Ward 2, Position 1, seat was Shane Weber. He said he “looked forward to the challenge.”

He and his wife, Roxanne, moved their family to Sulphur from Arizona in July of 2012.

“I’m from a small town and worked for a sheriff’s office. The best things about this town,” he said, are its “good people and long history.”

Weber said he envisioned Sulphur as “a private tourist destination,” where people could stop by, say hello and hang out awhile. To accomplish his goal, Weber said, “We must establish a confi dence in city government, use our resources wisely and fairly invest in the city and its citizens.”

Weber vowed to help the town grow by working with all its citizens and not against them.

“The board and the city’s employees must have and use good moral judgments, be honest and have integrity,” he said.

Contending unopposed for the Ward 2, Position 2, seat, Nancy Reich said she had come to Sulphur from a rural farming community in Kansas.

“Even though it may seem that people are backbiting and not so much on the same page, a lot of times that is what brings people together to move forward as one unit,” Reich said. It’s like “wading through the bad to get to the good.” She said it takes people hearing each other, talking and pulling together to accomplish the goals that all want for the town. “It can all happen,” she said, “it just has to be that we’re all willing. I would like to be a part of that.”

After the three-member council voted to accept Reich, Weber and Middleton as its new members, Mayor Pro Tem Peck swore them in. Each then took his or her respective seat at the council’s table.

Two council members, Alderman Greg Barber and Alderwoman Susan Buckner, had placed their names in the ballot box for the mayor’s seat. Councilwoman Buckner spoke fi rst before the now full-seated council.

“We love it here,” Buckner said, referring to herself as the manager at Ozark Water and Air Services in Sulphur, and her husband Shawn Buckner, owner of Shawn’s Automotive on Arkansas 59 Highway North.

“There are many people living in Sulphur with different opinions,” Buckner said. “Nobody here is perfect. People here have had disagreements, some going on for 60 years. My lands, enough, we all live here.”

She gave reference to Sulphur’s current fi nancial situation. During the past month, Buckner and Mayor Pro Tem Peck had to contend with a state’s financial auditor checking out the city’s books, with results pending.

“I don’t believe any money has been stolen,” Buckner said, referring to the problem being only “shabby bookkeeping errors.”

“We’re in the process of straightening it all out. We love our little town,” she said. “I feel I can do the city some good as its mayor.”

Next up, Greg Barber, local contractor, said, “I agree with Susan [Buckner] on a lot of things she just said. But I can’t honestly stand here and tell you that I want to be mayor. I know the headaches that come with the position. I know the thanklessness. I know the many hours you have to dedicate to the job.”

Barber said his reason for running for mayor was that “some people asked me to run because they want to see the city’s government changed. I feel our city government has lost sight of the fact that we work for the people. Citizens are our bosses. We should not disrespect citizens’ wishes. We should try to get citizens to work with us. And, we do not get rid of volunteers willing to work for the city for free.”

The council voted 4 to 1 to appoint Barber as Sulphur’s mayor until the November 2014 general election.

After the meeting, Barber said, “I feel overwhelmed, fl attered and appreciative to the people who have voiced confidence in me. I pray that I don’t let them down. I know I can do the job. I’ve been mayor before.”

Justice of the PeaceCurtis Curry swore Barber in as Sulphur’s mayor on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Benton County Court House.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 11/20/2013