Four men seek two PR city council seats
In Pea Ridge, incumbents on two City Council seats face opposition.
For Ward 1, Position 2, incumbent Bob Cottingham and Matt Ahart are seeking the seat.
For Ward 2, Position 2, incumbent Lance Sanders and Cody Keene are both running.
Ward 1, Position 2
Bob Cottingham, 69, moved to Pea Ridge in 1982. He was born in Nebraska and grew up in Wichita, Kan. He is a graduate of Wichita West High 1968, Marymount College 1976, Salina, Kan., and Salina Area Vo Tech School 1980. He retired from Walmart Aviation in July 2017 after 18 years, Walmart PMDC after 13 years.
Cottingham was appointed to the City Council in 2005 and has been re-elected twice.
“I love this city and its citizens and want to give back to this city a little bit of all it has given to my family and I over the years,” Cottingham said. “I feel I can best do this by representing the people I think so highly of by being involved in our city government. Striving to listen to what they want, need and desire to help our city grow and improve not only for ourselves, but most importantly for the future of our children and further generations.”
“We owe the future generation of citizens the best city we can leave them, and I want to do my part as best I can. Being a voice for the people I think so highly of is my way of contributing to accomplishing this goal.
“I’m very proud of our city, its citizens, and the many friends I have made here and enjoy representing. I consider it an honor and I do not take that responsibility lightly or for granted. I will give you my honest very best.”
A Vietnam veteran (196872), Cottingham served in the Army National Guard from 1974-78. He met his wife, Sue, in the Air Force. She is also a veteran.
Married for 46 years, the Cottinghams have two children, Candi and John, and two grandchildren, Lily and Benjamin (both 7 years old). The Cottinghams are members of First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge.
Matt Ahart, 38, moved to Pea Ridge in 2015. A native of Newport, he moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2006.
“We decided we were going to stay in Northwest Arkansas,” Ahart said. “We love it here. We are Arkansas natives and we looked around the area — Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale — and chose Pea Ridge.
“We like the hometown feel, we like the school systems,” Ahart said, adding that his son began kindergarten here in 2016. “We like the small town feel.”
A graduate of Newport High School in 1998, Ahart attended Pratt Community College in Kansas (where he played baseball) and graduated from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. He works at Keller Williams, is a real estate agent and is a project manager for AECB, a construction company from Cabot.
“I just really feel like it’s t “I just really feel like it’s time for my generation to step up and serve the community we live in,” Ahart said. “I hope to embrace the growth that I feel like is coming eventually.
“I feel like the position that I’m in in my line of work, helps me to work with a team, work as a community to help make decisions on city policies and hopefully make right decisions for the future of our community.
“I’m vested here in this community and I’m here for the long haul,” Ahart said. “I just want to be involved and be a part of what’s going on here in Northwest Arkansas and Pea Ridge. I think our community is on a good path and want to keep it on that path.
“What I want to contribute is to develop a team like atmosphere among the city officials and with the public as well. I want the public to know that if I am elected, my door will always be open,” he said. “I’m real approachable. They can talk to me about any issue and I will do my best to pull together to make a good decision on what will benefit the people the most.”
“I think it would be a special privilege to represent the city, to have the public’s voice heard if it needs,” he said, adding that he has attended city council meetings in both Springdale and Rogers and is familiar I’m pretty much my own boss.”
Ahart and his wife, Bridget, who have been married 10 years, have two children, Elijah, 8, and Shiloh, 1. They are members of Cross Church, Rogers, where they’ve been for 20 years and their son goes to children’s activities at The Ridge Church in Pea Ridge. He coaches youth baseball.
Ward 2, Position 2
Lance S. Sanders, 49, moved to Arkansas in 1993 and to Pea Ridge in 2006.
“I’ve had the pleasure in living in many areas of our great country. The majority of my formative years were spent in Big Spring, Texas. After some time in California,” he said.
“As a child I had the unique ability to run a small business, usually involving computers and electronics. Putting people first has always been my creed. Shortly after moving to Pea Ridge, I started Sanders Computers in 2007. Five years later, I transitioned to mobile device/ computer repair and sales by purchasing Digital Java. Currently, we have two locations in Northwest Arkansas and our projection of growth is very promising,” he said.
He was elected to the City Council four years ago.
“Raising my family in Pea Ridge, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many members of this community; all of whom are intelligent, uniquely talented, and certain our small town’s ability to grow, while maintaining our sense of who we are,” he said. “I am grateful that the people of this great city have entrusted me these last four years to empower their voice. Now more than ever, the decisions our elected officials make regarding rate of growth, city planning and infrastructure will have a lasting impact. I would love the opportunity to serve another term as we embark on a new and exciting chapter in our town’s rich history.
He and his wife, Sandra, have been married 22 years and have two daughters, Stephanie, a graduate of Pea Ridge High School who is attending the University of Arkansas, and Emily, who is currently in the third grade.
Cody Keene, 30, is project manager and estimator at Dean Crowder Construction. He and his wife own the Branded K, an event center north of town.
“I’ve grown up here all my life and I think we’ve done great things with our city,” Keene said. “I think there’s the next level we can reach. We need some younger people who can take it to the next level.
“We have a mayor who has done a great job for 20 years but we have a lot of people who aren’t happy. There are people who want to have it the way it is, but in order to grow, we have to make a change. I deal with multimillion dollar contracts every day. I know how to use what we’ve got in order to make the most of what we’ve got,” he said.
Keene and wife, Tiffany, have been married 11 years and have four children.