West Fork Chooses Mayor; Prairie Grove Grows After Votes

STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Mitch McCorkle, longtime fire chief for West Fork, and his wife, Henryetta, vote Tuesday in a special election to decide the mayor of West Fork at The Frank Wenzel Community Center.
STAFF PHOTO ANDY SHUPE Mitch McCorkle, longtime fire chief for West Fork, and his wife, Henryetta, vote Tuesday in a special election to decide the mayor of West Fork at The Frank Wenzel Community Center.

West Fork has a new mayor and Prairie Grove will grow by 800 acres after two special elections Tuesday.

In West Fork, Charlie Rossetti received 330 votes, or 72 percent, to Steve Winkler's 127, or 28 percent.

At A Glance

By The Numbers

Election Results

West Fork Mayor

• Charlie Rossetti: 330, 72 percent

• Steve Winkler: 127, 28 percent

Prairie Grove Annexation

• For: 84, 55 percent

• Against: 70, 45 percent

Source: Washington County Election Commission

Rossetti had served as interim mayor since November, when Francis Hime abruptly resigned. He'll finish Hime's term, which goes to the end of the year.

Before the vote, Rossetti stressed improving quality of life in a town where some yards hold chickens instead of dogs. Several projects are under way to improve or expand West Fork's trails, parks and problematic public water system.

"We've got a lot of things started," Rossetti said after the unofficial results were announced. "I think we've got a good thing here for West Fork."

From the other side, Winkler framed his race in terms of fighting a "good ol' boys" club of city officials. Winkler has attended meetings for several years, writing about them in the Washington County Observer newspaper and gaining an outspoken reputation in the town of 2,400.

The town's leaders are like a "clique," Winkler said last week, shutting out dissent and protecting each other. He pledged to open up the town's politics and bring more accountability to department heads.

"I'll keep doing what I'm doing, but I'll work a little harder at it," he said Tuesday night. As for whether he tries again in November, Winkler said he'd "have to assess things a bit."

Roughly a third of the town's registered voters turned out. Midday voters arrived at a fairly steady pace, even during a short bout of lightning and pea-sized hail.

"He can work and he can get the job done," said Jan Blackmon, who stood with a Rossetti banner outside the West Fork Community Center about noon Tuesday. "I've always known him to be a man of his word."

West Fork voter Michael Parks said he wasn't familiar with either candidate before the race. He said he agreed with Winkler that some officials wield too much power but leaned toward Rossetti because of his more positive campaign.

"No small town's perfect, but it works for people here for now," Parks said. "I think Winkler just wanted to change too much too fast."

To the west, Prairie Grove's voters extended the city's borders to absorb about 800 acres along its southern edge by an 84-70 vote. The land encloses U.S. 62's new bypass.

Mayor Sonny Hudson and other officials pushed for the annexation. Businesses are looking to set up along the bypass, they said, and the city needed to move ahead of that growth.

"Growth is one of the things cities try to be a part of and work with -- that's the deal," Hudson said last week. "If we didn't need to go that direction, we wouldn't be."

The city would benefit from sales taxes from those businesses while also making them safer for customers, he said. The city's codes and inspections are more stringent than Washington County's.

At least two landowners in the annexed area opposed the plan, saying they preferred living outside the city.

NW News on 04/09/2014

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