Robert “Butch” Berry ran for mayor without opposition four years ago. But this time he is facing two challengers, Mike Seals and Theodore Cottingham. He is also the first mayor in recent memory who has been willing to tackle a second term.
Robert “Butch” Berry
When asked what he has accomplished in his first term, Berry said government, whether on the legislative or the administrative side, is collaborative by nature.
“So, the short answer is: ‘I’ did not accomplish anything, but ‘We’ accomplished more and different things, than I expected when I took office in 2015.” Here’s a summary:
- Eliminated extraneous spending and established cost-containment measures through a budget freeze
- Established monthly department head and city council reviews of budget
- Established long-term debt reduction strategy including early pay-off of the police building loan, as well as early pay off of 2008 and 2010 water/sewer bonds ensuring a savings of more than $250,000 in interest
- Brought Fund 80 water/sewer into compliance with Ark. State law, as well as bond covenant compliance for the first time
- Acquired a $700,000 ladder fire truck through FEMA grant
- Increased reserves nearly $400,000 in 2½ year period
- Acquired a grant to repair the auditorium parking lot tunnel collapse and worked with Carroll County to repair the tunnel and fix the parking lot
- Flint Street drainage project completed with grant from NWAEDD
- Water meter upgrade project completed
- Water leakage detection and line repair in progress
- Solar panels installed on Planer Hill Transit and Welcome Center with a grant
- Installed Passport Parking app for all city parking at no cost to the city
- $250,000 street improvement on Hillside and Grand Ave.
- Collaborated with Berryville and Green Forest to open the first Carroll County Career Center (C4)
- Developed the only downhill gravity mountain bike trails between the Rockies and the Appalachians
- Working with developers, builders, and investors for construction of green, affordable, low-cost housing and apartments
- Ord. 2223 passed, ensuring Civil Rights protections for all in the City of Eureka Springs
- ADA Compliance efforts commenced and completed a 200-page Self-Assessment Plan
Berry said if he is re-elected, these are his goals:
- Continue to build reserves and pay down debt
- Repair Black Bass Dam
- Continue diversifying the economy with higher paying jobs
- Establish a percentage of reserves for a development fund to make future purchases of land and buildings for city development and water/sewer expansion
- Develop a comprehensive approach for development of water/sewer expansion
- Develop Low Impact Development (LID) standards
- More solar and sustainable energy solutions for city and citizens
Berry said protecting our rich heritage, environment and natural resources is not an option, it is an obligation.
Prior to being elected mayor, Berry served on city council from 2003-2006 and from 2009-2012. He was on the Planning Commission for more than 15 years beginning in 1973.
Theodore Cottingham
Cottingham, who moved to Eureka Springs in early 2017, said he could no longer sit on the sidelines.
“I had to stand up, and I did,” he said. “I do. I offer myself to be mayor of Eureka Springs. All my life I’ve let others stand up to lead our government while I was in business. My heart now compels me to action, and I offer me. My education, a degree in finance, an MBA, and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, and my business experience – three years an internal auditor for a large public company, then forming my own accounting and consulting business for 20-plus years – form a unique skill set to offer you. I’ve taught in two universities and was a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary.”
Cottingham said his very first city council meeting did him in.
“I entered the courthouse and walked into a very small conference room,” he said. “I couldn’t believe we were sardined in this little room. For community people like me attending, there were maybe four chairs. Citizens who wanted to address council had to sit outside in the hallway, then were ushered in for their three allotted minutes, then ushered out. That began a stream of questions in me that has not ended. I began talking with friends and merchants about city government, asking questions and listening. When I began to tell others I was thinking about running for office, I was greeted with warnings about how dysfunctional city government is, or with great encouragement to run for office and help change things.”
Cottingham said he began to study city financial reports, attend meetings and talk with people, assimilating city history of who and why it’s all like it is.
“I immersed myself in a learning process studying small tourist towns, their challenges and opportunities,” he said. “I looked at what growing progressive cities are doing. I found a significant movement toward open government, digital city hall, cloud-based reporting, innovative citizen engagement, and a central force providing focus and cohesiveness among departments. These are all things that I value and champion.
“We need a lot of paint in this town. We need unity. We must embrace change, entering the 21st century technologically, educationally, and mentally, with a city government and infrastructure that will serve us well into the future, and welcome our guests from all nations to our destination. We must heal ourselves from adamancy to see and feel for each other, operating as a city for all our citizens equally. My theme is strategic preparation for deliberate growth.
“I bring a vibrance to renew vision for desired growth, a skill set for strengthening our economy, increasing our diversity and accountability. Being strategic, we will use metrics to measure our progress toward defined goals and change what may not be effective. Instead of constant vacancies on city commissions and a stagnant out-of-touch, unfocused city hall, let us unify in transforming our government to operate with a service mentality that’s creative, effective, efficient, reinventing itself to be responsive and transparent.”
Mike Seals
A native of Baton Rouge, La., Seals has called Northwest Arkansas home for more than 35 years. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with an undergraduate degree in business and an MBA.
“I fell in love with the Ozarks and chose to make these hills my home,” Seals said. “My first trip to Eureka Springs was to see The Passion Play in 1979 with some other college kids. I loved my time in Fayetteville and ended up marrying an Arkansas girl and went to work for J.B. Hunt in Lowell as a management trainee and had been promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations, in charge of leading 10,000 associates, before I was thirty.”
Since leaving J. B. Hunt, he worked in a number of executive positions with small enterprises all focused on launching new products and technologies.
“I still have new innovations and enterprises in my blood and will continue to spend time bringing new things to life,” Seals said. “It is one reason I began volunteering in 2017 as a board member of The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce and helping lead a small team on economic development. I do see a very bright future for our town. But, as is necessary in all endeavors in a rapidly changing world, constant evaluation and recalibration is necessary, and effective leadership is critical.”
If elected, he plans to listen to people and together create a great long-term vision/mission for the community. He also wants to enlist, empower and support people, including leaders, who are passionate about their individual roles that contribute to accomplishing the mission.
“The future we create for Eureka Springs needs to be in line with our history and the culture of our unique town,” Seals said. “It needs to be something we can all get excited about, something we can be proud about accomplishing, for ourselves and future generations.”
In addition to a long-term vision, Seals said we need to have short-term successes that accomplish two things immediately: First, bring in more, a lot more, tourists. Second, diversify our economy in the right way resulting in more full-time attractive jobs that also contribute to tourism.
“Common sense, right? Yes, but at this point, we have to be honest with ourselves and admit it hasn’t been happening to the degree that it should,” Seals said. “We have way too many empty commercial buildings in retail, lodging and entertainment, and we have far too many citizens and businesses struggling for their very survival. Our town and area have so much to offer, this just shouldn’t be. We have many skilled, knowledgeable, experienced people working on these two great needs and I am confident I can effectively lead us to this future, one we can all be proud of and celebrate together.”