Mayor Baker: ‘I’m going to remain very active’

Thursday’s presentation of the Spirit of the Frontier awards may have been Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker’s last official function during his 20-year mayoral stint, but he doesn’t plan to lie low when his term ends Friday.

On Thursday (Dec. 30), Baker presented 17 Fort Smith citizens with the award that recognizes those who made significant community contributions. About 120 attended the luncheon event held at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

According to program literature, “The Spirit of the Frontier Award is Fort Smith’s highest honor and is given to individuals who have been examples of the Frontier Spirit that has helped to make Fort Smith, Arkansas one of the outstanding cities in the United States of America. The Spirit of the Frontier winners have helped to blaze new trails, ford heights and make a difference in helping to make ‘Life Worth Living in Fort Smith, Arkansas.’”

2010 Spirit of the Frontier award recipients are: Mike Blaylock; Craig Cannon; Dr. Michael Coleman Sr.; Sister Mary Sarto Gaffney; Dr. Cole Goodman; Dr. David Hunton; Dr. Jerry Jeffries; Larry Loux; Bill Maddox; Velma Mealer; Gene Nelson; Rev. Jean Nickson; James Reddick; Cindy Remler; Frank Sharum; Steve Sharum; and Mike Smets.

But it was Baker who, despite a frail appearance and weak voice, showed an aggressive spirit during a pre-event interview.

“I don’t think about it,” Baker replied when asked his feelings about the event being his last official mayoral function. “I close one door and open another. You’re not going to get rid of me. I’m going to remain very active.”

He would not offer specifics about the post-mayoral activity, but did say “many things” need to happen in the city, and he expressed concern that “too many things are going on behind the scenes” in city government.

“The things I couldn’t do as Mayor, you know, I had to hold my tongue on a lot of things. Now, I don’t have to,” Baker said.

And without being asked about the election, Baker said he should have never attended an Oct. 22 election forum so soon after leaving the hospital.

“People thought I was dead. I should have never done that (forum),” Baker explained, adding that the physical image of him in the media resulted in people not voting for him.

Baker, 71, who sought a sixth, four-year term as mayor, was in and out of the hospital prior to the Nov. 2 election. He appeared at a forum with election opponent Sandy Sanders on Oct. 22, less than 24 hours after being released from St. Edward Mercy where he spent more than a week recovering from an infection. Previously, Baker entered St. Edward Mercy Medical on Aug. 18 with severe dehydration and was released around Sept. 13.

Based on pre-election polling conducted by The City Wire, there may have been a swing in voter sentiment following the Oct. 22 forum. In the first ever professional survey of the mayoral race, The City Wire Election 2010 Poll showed Baker with a 42% to 34% lead over Sanders. The Oct. 19 survey of 600 likely voters in Fort Smith also showed that 24% of voters were undecided.

Sanders won the election with 53.9% of the vote.

The Spirit of the Frontier awards lunch was originally scheduled for Dec. 16, but was rescheduled when Baker returned to the hospital for several days. The recent hospitalization was Baker’s fourth known hospital stay in the past 13 months. Baker successfully underwent surgery and chemo for colon cancer in late 2007.

At the end of Thursday’s event, Dr. Jeffries addressed the audience and Baker, saying Baker represents the true Spirit of the Frontier. Jeffries noted it ironic that Baker, as director of the award program, has not been an eligible recipient. Instead, Jeffries pulled out an eye patch and presented Baker with the “Rooster Cogburn True Grit” award.

“He deserves the Rooster Cogburn award for having true grit and coming out here today,” Jeffries said over audience applause.