HOW WE SEE IT: Summer Vote To Follow Odd City Selection

Many a journalist has received a hot news tip and set out on the reporting process with visions of breaking a huge story, only to discover the facts don’t support what the tipster suggested. In short, part of being a journalist is knowing that verification has killed many a great story.

That axiom can be applied in a fashion to many avenues. Operating without the facts in hand can sometimes lead to disaster.

Springdale’s City Council no doubt learned a recently as its members determined how to replace one of its own.

Alderman Bobby Stout resigned effective April 1, leaving his colleagues to determine how they would fill the post until the 2014 election. Their options were to appoint someone or to hold a special election.

What happened next pulled the curtain back on what no doubt appeared to some as a good ol’ boy system at work. A vacancy such as this often will spark some speechifying about letting the people decide as a special election is called. But several aldermen and the mayor quickly jumped aboard a bandwagon to appoint N. Dwight Heathman, a six-year veteran of the City Council from the 1990s.

Heathman, who had lived in Ward 4 for 47 years, offered himself as a potential appointee. He pledged he would only stay in office for the appointed period and not seek election to the spot. The City Council appointed him 6-0.

There was just one little problem. Heathman, by virtue of the City Council’s redrawing of political boundaries last year, no longer lives in Ward 4. So, the next day, the City Council was forced to hold a special session to forget about all this appointment talk and call that special election some alderman complained would be oh so costly just a short time earlier.

We need to give credit where it’s due. Four aldermen - Mike Overton, Kathy Jaycox, Eric Ford and Rick Evans - supported a special election all along, but it took five votes to pass.

Jim Reed opposed the election because of the costs. Brad Bruns first voted against a special election, then switched his vote to a “yes” after the discovery of Heathman’s residency issue.

The mayor at first preferred a special election, but backed Heathman’s appointment soon thereafter.

Overton apologized for not doing his homework before bringing the Heathman suggestion forward.

So, after their one perfect candidate turned out to be ineligible, the virtues of letting the people decide apparently overtook the City Council.

Power to the people.

Even in Springdale, getting egg on your face is not a good thing. The rush to fill the vacant seat led to a mistake that embarrassed all. Such is life, but perhaps there’s a lesson for all here about doing one’s homework and not making assumptions. Those are skills not always evident in public policy debates.

The end result is Springdale’s voters will go to the polls Aug. 13 to name a replacement for Stout in the Ward 4, Position 1 seat. Candidates can file for the office starting May 1, with a deadline of May 4. Registered voters throughout Springdale are eligible to cast ballots.

One piece of advice to anyone eager to run for office: Don’t wait until May 5 to find out whether you live in Ward 4.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 04/24/2013

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