PEA RIDGE -- From the quiet agrarian town of the 1950s to the bedroom community of 1994 with 1,300 residents, the town of Pea Ridge has grown to a first-class city with more than 6,600 residents. And during the past 27 years -- more than a quarter of a century -- there has been one face at the helm -- Jackie Crabtree.
Crabtree has served as mayor since Jan. 1, 1995, when he took office to the then part-time position. He was repeatedly reelected but did not seek reelection this year.
Crabtree will be honored with a retirement celebration from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 16 in the lobby at City Hall.
"In his decades of service and commitment, Mayor Crabtree successfully met the moment to change the community including providing the services and needs citizens rely on such as a full-time fire department and paramedics and an expanded Police Department," said U.S. Sen. John Boozman.
"His leadership was crucial to improving the infrastructure in the city with an upgraded wastewater treatment plant, new water lines and additional sidewalks."
Crabtree, a business analyst with Walmart Information Systems Division for 31 years, stayed in his first job out of high school for more than three decades and continued in the elected position for almost three decades.
He served on the Pea Ridge School Board from 1990 to 1994 before becoming mayor.
While serving the city as mayor, he also served as the president of the Arkansas Municipal League from 2013 to 2014.
Crabtree said the first job he got after he was married was the Walmart job.
"It helped me working and learning different jobs in the warehouse. It gave me the opportunity to go from applications administrator to documenting how the systems worked and then to business analyst. Having a background in the warehouse helped me be able to understand the rest," Crabtree said.
"I think it helped me pay more attention to details and understanding how things worked and not taking things for granted," he said.
As for the city, he said: "I think the quality of life now is better; we've added some amenities. ... We have to change to stay alive and grow."
"I remember when I first took office and was trying to get things done, people kept saying, 'We don't want to change ... we don't want things different.' What happens when your body quits changing? You die. Do you want our community to live or to die? It increased their understanding," he said.
"Over the years, it's been a privilege to work with everybody," he said. "Everybody has made a fantastic contribution.
"It's by no means anything I've done on my own. It's all standing on the shoulders of those who've gone before us. It's been a real honor and privilege to be a part of the community and area I grew up in and see it flourish."
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NoneMayor’s retirement celebration
Where: City Hall, 975 Weston St.
When: Starts at 3 p.m. Dec. 16
Schedule
3-4 p.m.: Soft refreshments
4-5 p.m.: Guest speakers
5-6 p.m.: Closing with cake and celebration