WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ... JOHN SAMPIER : Former mayor is still finding ways to serve community
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/60005/
ROGERS — John Sampier used to be the face of Rogers. As mayor from 1981 to 1998, Sampier was the head of the city during the beginning of the immigrant influx, and he was featured by national media outlets for that reason.
That all changed in 1998, when he was unseated by current Mayor Steve Womack.
But Sampier did not go into hiding; he didn’t become invisible. He’s just hard to spot if you don’t know where to look for him.
It should be no surprise he’s found work in a public service field.
“ I’ve always had an interest in politics and government going back to school, ” he said. “ I was always running for (election to ) something. ”
Politics is in his blood — his father is a former city attorney and state senator. Following suit, Sampier served several terms as a city councilman and was elected to the school board. He still holds Rogers’ record for the longest tenure as mayor, accumulating about 17 following his appointment to the post.
The position he now holds is not an appointed one, but it still sees him working for the betterment of his community. Sampier is the executive director and sole employee of the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority, an organization trying to build a $ 63 million regional wastewater treatment facility south of Northwest Regional Airport.
The facility would treat 3. 6 million gallons per day but could be expanded to handle a much greater workload, Sampier said.
Sampier, a former biology and ecology teacher, calls it returning to his roots.
He does see irony in his career progression, however. After serving as the head of Rogers government, he took a job in government affairs for Waste Management, followed by his current work with NACA.
“ I went from mayor to trash to sewer, ” he said, laughing at his own joke. “ Some people would say, ‘ You’re moving up, aren’t you. ’”
The new gig also gives him some welcomed fringe benefits. While NACA is in its organizational phases, Sampier has plenty of time to spend with his five grandchildren.
“ An important part is to have the freedom to do what’s important as a family, ” he said.
He now has time to appear at all his grandkids’ school functions, he said.
To the rest of the nation, Sampier may be remembered, if he is remembered at all, as the mayor who noticed the immigrant influx when he saw a soccer field transformed to a futbol field.
On Feb. 16, 1998, Sampier was interviewed about the increase in Rogers’ Hispanic population on The NewsHour-Tom with Jim Lehrer, where he told this story.
“ I noticed two complete adult Hispanic soccer teams scrimmaging each other on one of the adult fields. And I commented to the other coach, I said, must be traveling teams. And he said, no, no, John, they live here, ” he said, as recorded in a PBS transcript of that show.
Sampier said he’s always been partial to the Hispanic people who became his neighbors. He credited the Hispanic people with having a sometimes too strong work ethic, being deeply religious, and embracing family.
“ You could have been describing a native Ozarkian, ” he said. “ You ever watch The Waltons ?”
Sampier said his legacy with the Hispanic population is his decision to do nothing differently, to treat them exactly as he would treat someone of his own race.
But the influx of immigrants into Rogers would be the least of his concerns. Finances were his top priority, especially early in his tenure as mayor.
The first budget Sampier presented to the council included only enough funding to fund the parks, library and museum for six of the coming 12 months. His ability to promote a one-percent sales tax increase to the voters was the difference between keeping those areas of the city working smoothly and laying off all the staff in favor of volunteers.
In the coming years, Sampier’s challenges were much the same as today’s. A growing population needs more facilities, utilities, amenity and, especially, infrastructure.
“ Freedom isn’t free ? Well, neither is progress, ” Sampier said.
He is not bitter about his loss to Womack and even praised his successor’s work on economic development. Sampier knows how hard the task was, and he does not want that responsibility again.
“ I enjoyed being mayor, but I don’t miss it, ” he said.