Fort Smith Directors cite 1% harassment (corrected)

Editor’s note: Story corrected to remove inference that City Director Kevin Settle voted for direct enacment of the 1% prepared food tax.

story by Luke Hobbs
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Several Fort Smith city directors say they and those close to them have been harassed by anti-tax protestors and that they want the discussion surrounding the 1% prepared food tax to become more positive.

The tax was approved by the board in February as a solution to an annual deficit with Fort Smith Convention Center operations predicted to occur when $1.8 million in annual state turnback money dried up. The state turnback program—which supported expansion or construction of tourism facilities — ended for Fort Smith in June 2010. The center has since operated on a reserve fund.

After a contentious few months that included a petition drive to force the tax to an election and a court hearing that essentially overturned the city’s rejection of the petition drive, the board is moving toward an election on the issue.

In last week’s (July 12) study session, Directors Kevin Settle and Andre Good both addressed the actions and words of food tax protestors whom they believed had gone too far in expressing opposition.

Settle said some of those petitioning against the tax had acted “totally out of line.” He said petitioners cornered one of his friends in a Fort Smith restaurant with repeated pressings to oppose the tax.

In a subsequent interview, Settle said other friends and family members have had similar experiences in Fort Smith restaurants with petitioners.

But he declined to speak further about the tone of anti-tax opposition, saying he didn’t think it was fruitful to focus on it.

“We need to move forward,” he said.

Good had said during the study session that some tax opponents were “following blanketed lies about what [the Board was] doing.”

When asked later via email to elaborate, Good mentioned  “those unfounded, uneducated, often-repeated statements such as ‘the directors are shoving this tax down our throats,’ ‘the directors will increase the 1% tax up to a 3% tax without voter approval,’ ‘the directors are taking away our rights to vote,’ and other remarks such as this board knew the funding source would end and they did nothing about it; and that the board of directors are not listening to the will of the people.”

Good said he, his family, and his friends have been harassed because of his stance on the food tax. He said he has received anonymous mail calling him an “Uncle Tom” and dubbing the four directors who voted against the tax the “Terrible 4.”

Director Pam Weber, who, like Good, voted for the prepared food tax ordinance, proposed last week that the Board enact a new ordinance establishing a citizen referendum on the food tax.

“By saying the other day that I want a vote,” Weber said, “I’m saying I want to move forward.”

Weber, too, said she and those close to her have been harassed because of her support for the food tax. She said her mother and sister recently attended a Board meeting because of a zoning issue that affected them. According to Weber, a food tax opponent followed them to their car afterward and told them that Weber would face a recall as a result of her vote for the tax.

“My family should not be treated like that,” she said.

Settle, Good, and Weber all agreed that they have also received significant support for the food tax ordinance, though their supporters have not been as vocal as their opponents.

“I do think we’ve had a very loud opposition,” Weber said. “And that’s OK.”

But Weber added that she was encouraged by how people reacted to her referendum proposal last week.

“I want to believe we’ve turned in a more positive direction,” she said.

When asked whether he thought the dialogue was improving, Settle didn’t answer directly, instead saying again that the city must move forward.

“Let’s get all the facts out there,” he said. “Let’s let people decide based on all the true facts.”