Thursday thumbs

Springdale government responds to its residents

Some people have green thumbs, and now that spring has sprung, let the gardening begin in earnest. Our thumbs are more often than not smeared with ink, a hazard of the newspaper biz. Today, we’ll throw just a trio of inky thumbs into the air for good cause:

Kudos to Springdale’s city government for responding with an attitude of positive change to residents’ complaints about what they viewed as heavy-handed code enforcement tactics. The bottom line is there are properties that need to be cleaned up in Springdale (like every community), but code enforcement officers also need to recognize they’re in the public relations business, too. The agency shouldn’t attempt to make a difference only, or even often, via citation, but by giving people a chance to do what’s right by their community without feeling like they’re threatened by big government. The mayor and city staff appear ready to adjust the city’s approach. Time will tell, but it’s good to see acknowledgements that there’s room for improvement.

A high level of interest by residents ready to serve in a Rogers City Council seat is a great sign of the city’s vibrancy. One can argue about the choice made to replace Sam Jeffery, who died way too young early this month, but it’s hard to find fault with the public service spirit demonstrated by the eventual choice. Barney Hayes served on the City Council from 1998 to 2010, became the city’s parks director from 2010 to 2015, then served as a planning commissioner as well as filling a seat on the Benton County Quorum Court representing part of Rogers. “When mama calls, I come running,” Hayes said of his history of serving the city. That’s a great attitude of public service.

Something’s not quite right when people identified as members of a private college’s board of regents can’t even remember being involved. Pat Boone, the famous singer, recently recollected he did agree to serve on the board of Ecclesia College in Springdale, which has been in the news lately related to an alleged kickback scheme involving at least two state lawmakers. Earlier, he denied being part of that board. Other members appear foggy about their role with the private Christian college. Even if the board of regents is a college promotional tool, the people whose names are connected with it ought to at least know something about it, especially if the use of their names is going to be used to attract tuition-paying students.