Committee picks Reed to fill term

Vote on former member’s confirmation will be April 28

SPRINGDALE — The City Council’s Committee of the Whole on Monday night chose former council member Jim Reed to complete an unexpired term on the council.

Reed will serve Ward 1, which covers the north central and northwest areas of Springdale.

The council will vote on confirmation of the appointment April 28. The seat will be up for election in November.

Reed was elected to the City Council in 2006 and served 12 years, not running for reelection in 2018.

“I just want to help the city,” Reed said. “I’m experienced and can help them fill out the year.”

In addition to Reed, seven other residents of Ward

1 applied for the open seat.

The seat opened Feb.

29 when council member Colby

Fulfer moved out of the ward.

The council members convened a 20-minute executive session to make their choice.

Council member Brian Powell — who also serves Ward 1 — announced the decision to appoint Reed.

“His experience we need right now to carry the council,” Powell said.

“You still have a lot of bond money to dole out, and I am familiar with the bond,”

Reed said. The city passed a $200 million bond issue in February 2018. As a member of the council, Reed played a part in considering the city’s needs and putting together the package to present to voters.

Council members voiced their concerns if the council chose a candidate who planned to run for election, it might look to the voters as if the council was supporting that candidate for the seat.

And council members considered not filling the position.

“We are so close to the election,” said council member Kathy Jaycox. “Let’s just leave it vacant and let the whole of Springdale decide. And when the election’s complete, the person can start the next day as far as I’m concerned.” Powell disagreed.

He said living with the current threat of covid-19, members might miss meetings due to illness.

“But the city’s still got to operate,” he said. “We’re not taking away the citizens’ right to vote — they will vote for whoever they want to. It’s an unprecedented time, and we have to fill this room to meet and discuss these events.”

Dale Tyler, a member of the Planning Commission, spoke to the council first as a resident of Ward 1, not as an applicant, he said.

“I firmly believe the position needs to be filled now,” Tyler said. He noted the decision the council made during its April 14 meeting not to fund the position of assistant to the mayor.

“My ward had only one representative to make that decision for me,” he noted.

Shortly before the council convened in executive session, Mayor Doug Sprouse pointed out choosing Reed would help them avoid the tough decision. Reed said very clearly he didn’t plan to run for the position.

“I don’t want to run again for the seat — I promise,” Reed said. His comments were met by chuckles from the men and women he served alongside.

Most of the applicants said they would run for the seat in November, if they were chosen to fill the seat now.

Joel Hernandez said he didn’t consider running for the seat when he submitted his application. “But we would have to wait and see what happens.

It would be a big decision. It would be a family decision,” he told the council.

All eight applicants addressed the council during Monday’s meeting.

“I don’t know how we’re going to pick someone,” said council member Jeff Watson. “We have a fine eight people.”

Sprouse and council members expressed delight with so many candidates applying for the position.

They encouraged the remaining seven to run for the seat in November.

Reed