Kudos to Al Larson

After 16 years on the Eureka Springs School Board, Al Larson didn’t run for re-election. He attended his last board meeting in March, and I hate to see him go.

Al brought a particular presence to the board. As a contractor, he always saw the real world where students from this district would eventually live and work. He understood budgeting and planning, and he knew the right questions to ask when dealing with architects or subcontractors.

But nothing made me appreciate Al more than Covid. For months, public meetings featured social distancing. School boards, city councils, commissions… even the quorum court meetings had justices of the peace scattered across an open garage area at the county shop. Besides the distances, they all wore masks, too, which muffled their voices a little more. I had to continually raise my hand to ask JPs to speak up. They’d start off making an effort to keep their volume up, but almost everyone would quickly retreat into their customary manner of speech.

Which brings us back to Al. I can think back to a few others who made a point of projecting their voice, but Al put himself into a different category. He maintained his volume until he finished talking, and hollering at carpenters across a job site gave him an automatic advantage. On top of that, Al actually changed his content. I could hear him consciously keeping his statements simple and direct. So, I’ll miss him, even if we never have another pandemic. 

On a more positive note, the district still has an exemplary board. They’ve earned the confidence of the community, and they’ve had very little turnover. The seven board members work well together. The closest they ever came to disagreement was over masking, distancing, and other restrictions around Covid, but they stayed professional.

The board meetings are open to the public, but I’m often the only member of the public in the gallery. I don’t remember a single gripe or grievance in the past 10 years, so they must be doing something right.

Mike Ellis