Sherry Kelley calls herself “a Renaissance woman.” Elected in November 2014 as the first woman mayor of Gurdon, Kelley, 56, is, and has been, involved in a number of projects aimed at improving life in the city she calls home.
Kelley said she campaigned “door-to-door” for the mayor’s job.
“I received 72 percent of the vote,” she said, noting that she had already served the community for four years as Clark County justice of the peace for District 10 when she decided to run for mayor.
“I ran for mayor because I love Gurdon,” she said.
“I underpromise and overdeliver,” she said of her style of politics. “I was able to secure a quarter of a million dollars in grant money for the communities I represented as a justice of the peace. I want to do more for the city of Gurdon.
“Gurdon is a great place to live. We have a great school system, a low crime rate and affordable real estate. It’s a community in the best sense of the word.”
Kelley said the city’s biggest employer is Georgia-Pacific.
“They just announced a $37 million expansion project of the lumber mill,” she said. “We are thrilled about it.
“Georgia-Pacific is able to invest in the Gurdon plant because of its stellar workforce, which includes many Gurdon residents. Our workers are really great.”
Kelley said the city also received $250,000 from the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County to upgrade the city’s water-and-sewer-treatment system in support of the Georgia-Pacific expansion project.
Kelley met her husband, Bill Kelley, in California. They married and moved to Gurdon 28 years ago. Her mother, Mary Lewis, came with them.
“Bill’s parents were from Arkansas,” Sherry Kelley said. “They moved back to Arkansas, and it seemed like a good place for us to come, too.”
Kelley attended several colleges, including Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and one in San Diego, California, where she lived for 10 years.
“I studied all things that interested me,” she said with a smile.
She was a morning radio-show host and news reporter in Arkadelphia for 13 years. She then worked for the Gurdon Times, which, she said, “gave me a real in-depth look at every aspect of the city of Gurdon.”
The Kelleys are both artists. Bill, who is retired, is a stained-glass artist. Sherry said she is a “self-taught artist.”
Her artwork can be seen throughout downtown Gurdon. She designed some of the banners that line Main Street. She also designed the Gurdon Mural.
Sherry Kelley and her mother painted the Gurdon Mural, which depicts the city’s history on the wall of the building that now houses the studio of Gurdon artist Russell Butler.
“I got a grant for the mural, which is very large,” Kelley said. “I get really involved in everything I do. I’m crazy like that.”
Kelley said she hopes to develop a park on the vacant lot next to the mural site.
“A local welder created a fence in front of the lot,” she said. “I can see us building a small stage there, where people can perform or hold events, … something similar to what they do in Mount Ida or Mountain View.
“It takes such a long time to get grants approved. I wanted to get the mural painted quickly so the citizens could have a feeling of hope and community pride. I wanted them to have something to feel good about in their town now.”
She began the mural project in 2012 as she was ending her first term as a Clark County justice of the peace.
One of the mayor’s biggest projects continues to be the development of the Market on Main, which was made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Enterprise Grant worth more than $95,000 that she wrote when she was a justice of the peace. The funds are being used to restore the old Austin’s Variety Store into a market that will include the sale of locally grown fresh meat and poultry; a bakery offering muffins, cupcakes and custom cake orders; a restaurant; and a venue for small events, such as family gatherings or weddings.
Kelley said the entire project is worth almost $140,000 of grant money, donated materials and services. She said she writes all of the grants as a volunteer and receives no financial or other compensation for her efforts.
“It’s so sad what’s happened to Main Street,” Kelley said. “It’s fallen on hard times. “The railroad doesn’t stop here, and the interstate has taken the traffic away from town.
“There are more old buildings on Main Street that I hope we can refurbish like we are doing at the Market on Main.”
The mayor has also gotten grants to improve the soccer and football field at Gurdon City Park.
“Gurdon City Park is really a nice park,” she said. “It’s got a lake, a boat ramp, fishing piers, tennis courts, a baseball field and a playground. The soccer and football field, which is being built by volunteers and donations of dirt and labor, will be a nice addition to the park.”
Kelley said she is visiting every department in city government to learn about the various roles of city employees.
“I’m working on code enforcement with the city marshal’s office now,” she said. “People want to see the city cleaned up. There are laws on the books; we just have to see that they are enforced. We hope to offer a curbside cleanup in April.”
Kelley said she also hopes to start a Gurdon Trade Days event this spring.
“I’m hands-on,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a doer. I want to learn everybody’s job. I want to be a good steward of our minimal resources.
“We have great employees here at City Hall. They are stepping up to the plate and doing all that I ask them to do. I’m going to ask more of them, too.”
Kelley is a member of various organizations,including the Rotary Club of Gurdon, the Gurdon Community Development and Entertainment Club, the Gurdon Chamber of Commerce, the Clark County Industrial Council and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Intramodal Authority.
She is a founding member of the Economic Development Corp. of Clark County and a graduate of Leadership Arkansas and Leadership Clark County. She is a member of the Caddo River Art Guild and delivers Meals on Wheels.
“I’ve been to all 50 states, 15 provinces of Canada and Mexico, and to Africa, Asia and Europe,” she said. “I’ve lived in big cities and small towns. I love Gurdon. I am happy here.
“I used to love to travel and be adventurous. Now, not so much.”
Kelley said she would have an “open door” policy as the new mayor of Gurdon, but she will not have set office hours. She will preside at meetings of the City Council, which meets at 6 p.m. the last Monday of the month. Those wishing to speak must be on the agenda.
Those who want to see the mayor at other times may call City Hall at (870) 353-2514 or look for her around town. She’s sure to be working on one of her many projects.