Election Profiles: Fort Smith City Director, Position 6

Editor’s note: Between Oct. 13 and Oct. 27, The City Wire will present information from candidates in 15 key races in Crawford County, Sebastian County, Fort Smith and area legislative districts. A schedule of races presented will accompany this article and each article in the series.

Eric Arthur and City Director Kevin Settle face each other in the race for Fort Smith City Director – Position 6 race.

Arthur owns and operates Fort Smith-based MSC, a company that distributes jewelry, condoms and other health care items. He unsuccessfully ran for City Director – Position 2 during a 2008 special election.

Settle, his wife, Terri, and their two daughters are lifelong residents of Fort
Smith. He is a 1992 graduate of Southside High School, a 1994 graduate of Westark
Community College and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Settle is the engineering manager for Exide Technologies.

QUESTION TO THE CANDIDATES
In 400 words or less, identify what you believe are the city’s top two problems and top two opportunities, and how you would address the problems and maximize the opportunities.

• Eric Arthur response:
Fort Smith’s two top problems: lack of economic development and government spending and the two opportunities are economic development and less government.

First Fort Smith needs to control spending and be frugal.
Increase its emergency fund
Minimize debt and restructure
Think outside the box and look for niche
Business friendly, tax abatement zones, tax incentives stream line building permits.

Fort Smith is a great place for manufacturing and central distribution. The City and the Chamber needs to look at existing business and see how they can work together to create more jobs in our community.

Trade shows: business to business trade shows is a great way to introduce Fort Smith to potential small and medium size business owners. Fort Smith needs to attract business and not wait for business to come to Fort Smith.

Fort Chaffee needs an industrial rail system. If Warren Buffet invests 43 billion dollars in Burlington Northern Rail, as a train is the most efficient mode of shipping and can go 456 miles on a gallon of diesel, this is the wave of the future, not a port. Has anyone ever lived by a port city, you might as well say good bye to river front development.

Less Government, in all areas of government, from the Federal level to the city level the government has become top heavy. Fort Smith has increased its employment by close to 400 employees in the last ten years. Our government needs to work smarter not harder. Fort Smith should shrink its employees by nutrition so no one losses their jobs, and bring the government budget under control and pay off debt.

• Kevin Settle response
Our greatest challenges are the need for expansion of vital services and preparing a realistic budget.

Fort Smith’s overall population growth and development present urgent needs for expanded fire and police protection. Both departments have excellent reputations, but the Board needs to enact measures now to expand the police force and improve officer retention to maintain the present level of protection throughout the city limits. New homes and businesses at Chaffee Crossing are increasingly further away from existing fire stations, resulting in slower response times. Building and staffing a new fire station along Massard Road is critical to improved response times, maintain good fire ratings and help keep property insurance rates as low as possible.

Without question, the Board must perform a critical budget analysis to ensure revenues are utilized to the fullest potential. The budget is built on projections and revenue is impacted by sales tax collections which are impacted by the economy. I will ask for quarterly reviews so the Board can better track revenue with expenses. The hard fact is we must streamline operations in 2011 and set aside funds for long-term expansion of essential services which protect citizens, their property investments and City infrastructure.

Fort Smith’s greatest opportunities are Chaffee Crossing development (including I-49) and regional partnerships.  Over the past four years, a paradigm shift has occurred at Chaffee Crossing with the opening of Graphic Packaging, Mars Petcare, Umarex and Mitsubishi (Q4’11). These larger companies are paving the way for new and existing small to mid-size businesses to create more new jobs. Working with FCRA to offer tax incentives and develop infrastructure is key to continued residential, commercial, industrial and recreational development. I-49 will be the driver for new economic development across the region. I will continue to work with federal and state leaders to secure funding for its completion.

I am committed to working with regional partners to make good things happen for Fort Smith and surrounding communities. It is critical that we support RITA’s mission to improve all modes of transportation throughout the region and work with local businesses to encourage use of the port and rail systems to help lower costs and create jobs. The Board needs to take a leadership role and facilitate regular meetings between City, Chamber, County, UAFS and state leaders so we can work cooperatively for the benefit of the entire region.