Veteran Centerton council member moves out of state

CENTERTON — Misty Elam resigned from the Centerton City Council on Tuesday because her husband took a job in Louisiana and they are moving there, she said in a phone interview Wednesday.

The move makes Elam no longer eligible to serve even if it were possible. Arkansas Code 14-44103 requires a council member to live in the ward from which he or she was elected. The city must declare a vacancy if the council member leaves the ward. The city declared a vacancy at the same meeting in which Elam announced her resignation and will take applications for a replacement, Mayor Bill Edwards said Wednesday.

The council will decide who will replace Elam at its April 9 meeting, Edwards said. Applications are available on both the city’s website and on an entry by Edwards on the “Centerton Arkansas Neighbors” Facebook page. The deadline to apply is April 1, he said.

The city’s website includes a ward map so applicants can check their residency. Elam represented Ward 1 in the Position 1 seat. Ward 1 covers much of northern Centerton, according to the webpage map.

Elam was first elected to the Ward 1, Position 1 seat in 2012 and served continuously until Tuesday’s resignation.

Whoever fills the vacancy will serve the remainder of Elam’s term, which expires Dec. 31, Elam said. The replacement will be eligible to run for a full two-year term in the November election, Edwards said.

The council consists of six positions, with two people representing each of three wards. Each member is paid $400 per regular meeting, which is once a month, and $150 per special meeting, according to Shannon Zappettini, city finance director.

Elam