Council to appoint member
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/tnebc/News/4426/
City councilmen will appoint a replacement to join their ranks at the regular City Council meeting Tuesday.
Three city residents shared insights and experiences and answered questions fielded to them by three city councilmen at a special Committee of the Whole City Council meeting April 24. Each cited different qualities they believed made them the best for the job.
Each said growth, whether smart growth or wise growth were the major issues facing the city at this time. Each professed to be motivated.
Councilman James Dawson chaired the meeting in the absence of Mayor Jackie Crabtree. The position was vacated earlier this year by Guary Morgan, who moved out of town.
John Cody, Don Draper III and Nadine Telgemeier each told of their education and work experience and expressed a desire to serve on the Council.
I can bring to the table my experience in water, sewer, code enforcement, Cody said, explaining that his experience as a former Pea Ridge Water Department employee and current water superintendent at Garfield enables him to understand the citys business. He said he was also a paramedic and firefighter and could look at the needs of the fire department.
I came up through when Pea Ridge was small and the biggest thing was the mule jump, Cody said. I dont want to stir the pot.
Councilmen asked candidates what they believed the biggest issue facing the city is.
Growing pains, said Cody.
Construction, said Draper.
Growth, said Telgemeier.
Telgemeier said. You want your town to be prosperous, but monitor what brought you here in the first place.
Im a numbers person. I get into the details, she said. Im an out-of-the-box thinker.
Telgemeier said she worked with Boeing on the Tomahawk project and is accustomed to brainstorming to find solutions and looking at situations from different perspectives.
With energy as it is, we need to consider walkability, she said.
Draper said: My resume bleeds through with my experience.
A realty manager with Wal-Mart, Draper said he has worked all across the southeastern section of the United States.
Ive handled every store in the southeast for Wal-Mart its a pretty broad-range perspective.
I have an extensive amount of municipality experience with code enforcement and sewer lines virtually anything with a city, Wal-Mart is a hundred times greater.
Pea Ridge has great potential. I dont know if its all tapped yet, Draper continued.
Two seats on the council will be up for election this fall.