GENTRY — Editor’s Note: Information for Gentry mayoral candidates Jason Barrett and Roy C. Beeler is being repeated to correct the attribution that published in Sunday’s newspaper.
Jason Barrett
Age: 32
Residency: Gentry, 18 years
Family: Single
Employment: Route/activity bus driver, Gentry Public Schools
Education: Graduate of Gentry High School; additional hours earned at NorthWest Arkansas Community College; recently completed two Arkansas Municipal League Certified Continuing Education Programs — Municipal Finance and Budgeting and Human Resource and Personnel Matters Affecting Arkansas Municipalities; hours earned toward Associate’s Degree in Business.
Military experience: None
Political Experience: Currently Gentry Alderman, Ward 1. Other appointments include: chairman of Personnel Committee; chairman of Water and Wastewater Committee; member of Fire Department Committee; past chairman of Police Committee.
Reason for candidacy: On my campaign pamphlet is a heading that says, I’m not running against anyone — I’m running for something — a new sense of community in Gentry. I am seeking the mayor’s office because I believe there is currently, for whatever reason, a disconnect between that office and the citizens it serves. My reason for seeking this office is to re-establish a sense that the city of Gentry is not an office on Main Street but that the city is simply an organization of its citizens who work together in a community where every citizen has a part to play.
I established what I see as some critical issues in our city’s growth and well-being. They are: survival of local businesses in hard economic times; an expectation that the city exists to serve and protect its citizens; the ability of all citizens “to have a say” regardless of status; increased personal accountability in day-to-day city operations; better communication within and throughout city departments; an attitude that all city officials are servants of the public; making maintenance of streets, alleys and easements a priority; an attitude that every job is everybody’s job; and pride in our city’s appearance to the "outside world."
Goals in office: Following are some of the strategies I would use to accomplish my goals. These ideas come from my experiences in living and working for 18 years in Gentry and things I have learned during my term as alderman. Some of my strategies would be to: work closely with chamber of commerce to support existing businesses and attract new ones; direct all departments to purchase city supplies and materials locally when possible; maintain posted office hours and have an “open door” for the community; expand the city’s website to include minutes of meetings, monthly budgets, etc.; hold regular meetings with department heads and listen as much as I speak; share the responsibility of leadership with the City Council; develop in cooperation with employees a manual of city operational processes and procedures; visit all city employees on the job site; assist citizens, with city personnel and city equipment, in the upkeep of city alleyways; explore ways to fund additional city services through grants; be a full-time employee; and listen carefully when you speak and weigh carefully the merits of your opinion. I made my list of goals and ways to reach them and I put them on paper so that, if I am elected as mayor, the citizens of Gentry can hold me accountable for what I said I would do.
Roy C. Beeler
Age: 35
Residency: Gentry, 31 years
Family: Two children
Employment: U.S. Postal Service, Fayetteville.
Education: High school diploma, Gentry High School
Military experience: None
Political experience: City council 2000-06, three teams; ran for mayor in 2006
Reason for candidacy: I have lived in Gentry all my life and want the chance to serve my community.
Goals in office: None