Local mayors set goals for their cities in 2014

Merriam-Webster defines the word “resolution” as a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do. While we are just two days into 2014, mayors from throughout the Three Rivers area have made some resolutions to make their towns great in the new year.

Whether it’s losing weight, working together as a city or bringing out the best in others, they are each looking to improve their cities in 2014.

Jackie McPherson, mayor of Heber Springs, said he is looking to get fit in 2014.

“Personally, I’m going to be getting back into good shape and getting healthy. It also helps us to promote our community center, and encourage others to get fit in 2014,” he said.

He is also encouraging others in the city to follow his lead and get into shape.

“There’s so many different things we can do to get fit, and my wife and I are getting ready. Getting healthy cuts down on medical costs and prevents you from losing time at work.”

Mayor Gary Fletcher of Jacksonville said he wants to be the best mayor he can be in 2014.

“I want to give my best every day. If you live every day like it’s New Year’s Day, and work your tail end off, I think it’s going to be a good year for Jacksonville.”

He said, in 2014, the city is going to see a lot of things it’s been working on for the last couple of years come to fruition.

“We’ve worked hard to make things happen with a rough economy. We’re not going to sit back and play the victim card — we’re still responsible for our destinies in life.”

Like McPherson, Fletcher also aims to get fit this year.

“On a personal level, I need to start exercising,” he said. “I’ve got to start doing a good job of taking care of myself, but I always want to give every day my best.”

Searcy’s David Morris wants to listen to the citizens of the town that this mayor calls home.

“I want to make a continued pledge to do my best to be an attentive listener, and do my best to help people,” he said. “If it’s something that myself or the city can do, I’m going to try to do my best to help people resolve their problems.”

Morris said if a problem arises, and the city can afford to solve it, he’s going to do his best to resolve it.

“If there’s something that can be done to help people resolve issues that are a concern to them, we’ve got to realize that we can do that. I also want to treat everybody like the Golden Rule says.”

Doyle Wallace, mayor of Bald Knob, has a few goals for his city in 2014.

“I want to get the east side of Bald Knob Lake cleaned up and build a small beach there, and a pier for young kids and older folks to fish,” he said.

In addition to the lake cleanup, Wallace wants to make parts of the city more accessible.

“I want to get the county judge to help us with a gravel road from the Bald Knob Sports Complex to our fishing pond about 100 yards from our five ball fields, and build a pier there for fishing,” Wallace said.

Wallace said 2014 is his last year as mayor and he wants to make it the best yet.

“We are in the process of getting a new water tank built beside our old one for backup, in case we have a problem of some kind with the old one. As it is, if something happened, we’d be out of luck for some time,” he said.

Mountain View Mayor Ron Sterling is looking to bring his city together in 2014.

“I’d like to see us work more closely with our seniors and also our youth. That’s really important to me,” he said. “I went to a meeting at our senior center, and they were trying to decide if they were going to give money for their propane bill or their food, so we’re going to see how much closer we can work with them.”

Sterling said he is a part of the senior center board and is going to try to be a part of as many meetings as he can in 2014.

“I want to stay involved with our youth as well. The more sports they can get involved with the better. They just need opportunities where they can be involved.”

Sterling’s town of Mountain View has quite a bit of tourist traffic, he said, and he is going to make an effort to be more involved with advertising the city itself.

“I’m going to try to work closely with the downtown merchants in 2014, because Mountain View is a tourist town — that’s our main industry,” he said.

While each mayor has specific goals for their cities, they all have one thing in common: They want the new year to be the best ever for their citizens.

Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.

Upcoming Events