COMMENTARY: He’s In, He’s Out, He’s Back

THE TRYING TIMES OF GRAVETTE’S PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

— It’s been a rollercoaster month for one Gravette city worker.

If you live in Gravette, chances are you know Junior Hartley.

Hartley has worked for either the city of Gravette or neighboring Sulphur Springs since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Well, not quite, but it’s been longer than this writer has been alive, anyway.

A lifelong resident of this area, Hartley first started working for Gravette on July 28, 1968, when he was still in high school. He earned $1.50 an hour to help install a water line.

After graduating from Gravette High in 1971, he immediately went to work for the city. A couple of years later, he was put in charge of water and wastewater for Gravette.

After a long stint working for Sulphur Springs, he came back to Gravette, where he has been the city’s director of public works for the last 11 years. Well, most of the past 11 years, that is.

You see, earlier this month, Mayor Bill Howard announced he was eliminating Hartley’s position.

“The position of public works director is being eliminated,” Howardwrote in a letter to Hartley. “Therefore your employment with the city of Gravette is terminated effective today, July 2.”

Just like that, the 57-yearold Hartley was out. All those years of city service didn’t seem to matter very much.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Dozens of people - Hartley said it was between 80 and 100 - turned out at a Gravette City Council meeting on Thursday and presented a petition with about 200 signatures seeking Hartley’s reinstatement.

Council met in executive session for more than an hour to discuss the matter.

When they reconvened in public, they voted 5-1 to give Hartley his job back.

I reached Hartley on his cell phone Friday afternoon. He was already back on the job, working on a sewer liftstation or something. His other duties include taking care of streets, sidewalks, parks and the city cemetery. He wears a lot of hats.

“I have a deep feeling of commitment to this town,” he said. “I know a lot of people. I’m going to stay and do the best that I can.

And I’m really pleased with all of the support of the citizens of Gravette.”

Mayor Howard didn’t have much to say about Hartley when I reached him Friday.

Asked why he eliminated Hartley’s position, Howard said, “It wasn’t needed.”

Ah. That explains it. Or does it?

I asked Howard if this was the end of the matter.

He said he was waiting to hear back from the Arkansas Municipal League on how to proceed from here, but he intends to keep fighting to get his way.

If that’s how Howard - a lame-duck mayor who declined to run for reelection this year - wants to spend his last five months in office, that’s his right. But is it really a war worth waging? He certainly doesn’t seem to have the City Council on his side.

Ken Foxx, who recently announced his intention to run for mayor, saidthat Howard’s decision to terminate Hartley was the wrong decision. He said that the city has failed to outline exactly what Hartley should be achieving in his position.

“I think the leadership has to some degree failed to provide the specifics,” Foxx said.

He called Hartley “extremely savvy” and said that, if elected, he probably would look for a way to keep Hartley employed with the city.

“I have found Junior to be very capable,” Foxx said.

Hartley told me he had opportunities to work elsewhere, but he prefers to stay where he is.

“I enjoy my job,” he said.

I asked Hartley about his relationship with the mayor, but he wasn’t about to go very far on that subject.

“I try to work well and professionally with everybody,” Hartley said. “I feel if (Howard) will work with me, I can work with him.”

Admittedly, I don’t know Hartley very well, but from what little I’ve learned about him, I think he could probably work with just about anyone.

DAVE PEROZEK IS AN EDITORIAL WRITER FOR THE BENTON COUNTY DAILY RECORD.

News, Pages 2 on 07/26/2010

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