Director Merry says no to Mayoral bid (Updated)

It was just in August that Fort Smith City Director Philip Merry began publicly toying with the idea of running for mayor. But Merry's ambition for the top job on the Board of Directors may be sidelined, at least temporarily, as he has confirmed to The City Wire that he is unlikely to run for mayor in 2014.

Merry also confirmed that he would not seek re-election to his at-large seat on the Board.

According to the first-term director, other obligations have been made it difficult to serve in his elected position and in his private sector position in the insurance industry.

"Right now I have a whole lot going in with growth at my business and I would not be able to do both," he said.

Merry's job has kept him from seeking another position he toyed with earlier this year – a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

"I'm an insurance guy by trade. I'm not independently wealthy where I can just skip rocks so I can just do politics as a (hobby). I still work. And I still have a kid in medical school,” he said in early August.

Something else that has weighed in Merry's decision to sit out next year's mayoral election is the fact that he thinks current-Mayor Sandy Sanders, who announced for re-election on Oct. 24, is "doing a good job."

"Do I really want to? I don't want to pick a fuss, you know? Competition's good and everything. But Sandy's done a good job. It would not be to run against Sandy. It would be to offer services of my talent, my strengths."

Should circumstances change and Sanders forgo his announced re-election campaign "due to his health" or other reasons, Merry said his current views on the race and staying out of it would likely change. But he said as it stands now, running for mayor is a very unlikely move.

"But if I was to declare, I would not run for either. It's whether I should run for mayor or not. But no, I am not running for re-election on the city at-large seat."

And even though Merry's time on the Board will draw to a close next year, it does not mean that he will relax. To hear Merry tell it, he still has work to do and a mission to accomplish before he says his goodbyes to his colleagues and friends.

"I just am very excited about the Chaffee Crossing for the ballfields, conclusion of the ballfields at Ben Geren, in my non-profit world to help the U.S. Marshals – I just look forward to that day,"

Merry said he is also focused on finding a way to complete the dredging of the Arkansas River to a depth of 12 feet, which will increase barge traffic along the river from Catoosa, Okla., to the Mississippi River in eastern Arkansas, as well as continuing the collaborative efforts of the Board and the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority for continued growth in the western-most section of Fort Smith.

He also wants to work with officials in the city and downtown business leaders to bring "rock and roll downtown" as a way to spur growth.

"I know people that are hanging on the thread, on the come, to stay in there on the hopes that downtown will ignite. So I want to help make any decision that can help foster (growth downtown)."

Merry was very clear in saying that while he will continue to be involved in the community, he feels that now is the time for a younger generation to step up and lead in Fort Smith.

"Not be engaged, I want to see them lead. You qualify, you're a young professional. Run this city. We'll be your wingman. The best thing Fort Smith could say to young people is if you come to our place, you'll run the show. There's a lot of great people. So I want to help them do that. So there's a lot on my plate. A lot of that is to drive growth. I want to do my part to drive growth in my last year."

Whether or not his son, Parks Commissioner Bryan Merry, follows his father's call to lead by running for Merry's now-open Board seat is still a bit of an unknown, though Merry said he doubts he will.

"No. He's on the Parks Commission and is enthralled and just loves helping Mike Alsup and the prior chair and now the new chair. He's in his element there. He just loves the parks. That's his thing now," he said. "(Running for my seat on the Board) was never the plan. That's not the plan. He's a gifts-service type of guy. Quality of place, quality of life is the parks and that's where he wants to go. As soon as I say that, he may want it, but if I know Brian Merry, he wants to help Mike grow the parks."

And even though Merry has now made clear his future with regards to the Board, he said he hopes his announcement does not diminish his role on the Board of Directors because "there's work to be done in the year (ahead)."

"There's good work to be done with the budget and another year's worth of work in the four year term."

Following Merry's announcement, former Director Don Hutchings said in an e-mail that he would run for Merry's at-large seat on the Board.

"I hesitated to run against my friend, Philip Merry, but just learned of his plans to not seek re-election," he said, adding that Merry had served with honor and distinction.