TONTITOWN — The City Council named Jack Beckford as mayor Tuesday.
Beckford, 55, the loser of a November council race, will finish out the two years remaining in the term of Tommy Granata, who resigned during December’s City Council meeting. Granata was elected mayor in 2010.
Beckford said he planned to be sworn in as mayor today.
“I thought the city was needing help,” Beckford said. “I think things have been working better lately. I want to smooth things out and keep the city moving forward.”
The Tontitown city government has been unstable over the last few years, with Granata resigning once before then returning as mayor. Granata said, after his resignation, it came out of frustration with obstacles to conducting city business created by opponents.
The city has also gone through about seven recorder/treasurers in six years.
Beckford lost to Sunny Hinshaw for the Ward 1, Position 1 council seat in the general election. Hinshaw, along with all the other council members, voted to appoint Beckford.
One other person had inquired about the mayor position, said Alderman Clint Penzo, but didn’t follow through by formally asking the council to be appointed. Penzo did not say who the other person was.
Beckford was the chairman of the Tontitown Planning Commission for 10 years and also was appointed to complete a one-year vacancy on the council in the 1990s.
A delay in approval of a budget disrupted the business of the city, Beckford said.
“It’s tough to work on the city’s business when you don’t have a budget,” Beckford said.
The council approved the city 2013 budget Jan. 24. A city’s budget must be approved by Feb. 1 of each year, according to state law.
During council comments at the end of the meeting, Alderman Henry Piazza recognized the city finally had a mayor, almost two months after Granata resigned.
“I think this calls for a round of applause,” Piazza said, as the audience obliged.