Smith Makes Second Run At Rogers Council Seat

ROGERS -- If the city had a cheerleading team, Carrie Perrien Smith, a candidate for the Ward 4, Position 1 seat on City Council would likely be a member.

"I love living and working in Rogers. It's a great city with many of the amenities of larger cities. When I go to the AMP, I'm in awe. It's amazing we have such a magnificent facility in our area," Smith said.

Smith, 49, has lived in Rogers for several years, has been involved in volunteer work and has used her marketing skills to help small businesses become more successful, she said.

Smith ran unsuccessfully for the same council seat in 2012. Incumbent Bob Goodwin won that race. He isn't seeking re-election.

"I've been attending council and committee meetings for more than three years to learn more about our city," Smith said. "I don't think enough people pay attention to local government. Basically, the city staff and council do a good job at most things; they are good stewards of taxpayer money."

The biggest problem she sees with local government is the lack of a strong connection with residents.

"It's difficult to reach people on a one-to-one basis. However, if I were on the council, whenever I saw someone new in the council chamber audience, I would want to meet them, make them feel welcome and explain how the system works if the person appears not to know what's going on," Smith said.

She said the city should use more than just a website to communicate with residents.

"The Rogers Fire Department has a great Facebook page where visitors can learn a lot about the Fire Department, and even where firefighters might be working an accident or a fire. The city should use podcasts, send out a newsletter, emails, be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get their message out to the residents," Smith said.

Smith also would like to see the city employ a horticulturist to oversee landscaping of public property. Bentonville has a staff horticulturist who coordinates with a garden club to maintain landscaping on the square, city officials said.

Smith said she thinks volunteers and students could provide most of the labor for such a program in Rogers.

She said the Northwest Arkansas Council has taken an interest in improving the downtowns of the area's cities.

"I'm glad they are taking an interest in the downtown areas, but there are other areas of the city that need support as well," Smith said.

She would like to see more help for small businesses, which she said are the backbone of Rogers.

"The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce does a good job of working with the larger companies, but I think more should be done, either through the city or the chamber, on developing small businesses."

"She really does love small businesses," said Bear Chaney, Benton County assessor.

"I've gotten to know her through some of her speaking engagements, and she is great at solving problems. She is a good listener and easy to approach. She wants to hear all sides of an issue before trying to solve the problem," Chaney said.

"I think if she were elected to the council, she would be a great asset to the community," he said.

"Carrie is a caring and giving person. She willingly gives of her time to help others," said Willie Johnson, a performance improvement and training consultant with J.B. Hunt Transport.

"I think she would bring her skills and caring to the council. She is genuinely concerned about peoples' welfare and how things look in the city. She has good business sense. Her business expertise would be a benefit to the council and the city," Johnson said.

Two other candidates have filed for the Ward 4, Position 1 council seat: Carlos Chicas and Antonio Christopher Covington. Chicas also ran in 2012; Covington is making his first run for the Rogers City Council.

Filing deadline for a municipal office is noon Aug. 15. The general election is set for Nov. 4.