FORT SMITH : Hutchings wins Ward 3 seat
Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/234130/
FORT SMITH — Don Hutchings far outdistanced longtime Ward 3 Director Rick Parrish to win Tuesday’s primary for the Fort Smith Board of Directors seat.
Hutchings, 51, pastor of Evangel Temple, received more than 62 percent of the votes cast in the primary to avoid a runoff in November and become the new Ward 3 director. Retired naval officer Gary Marcotte came in third.
With 10 of 10 precincts reporting, the vote total was: Hutchings.................. 912 Parrish.................... 293 Marcotte................. 258
“The people were ready for a change,” Hutchings said Tuesday as the last votes were being counted. “I’m blessed to have a huge army of supporters.”
Parrish, an accountant, was completing his third four-year term on the city board.
As the economy worsens and money becomes tighter, Hutchings said the city’s budget should be trimmed by cutting expenses.
He received an endorsement from the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Parrish, an accountant, ran for re-election to champion two projects: construction of a river port on the Arkansas River at Chaffee Crossing and development of the Arkansas River near downtown, he said.
The city is not in bad financial shape as long as officials can spend the city’s money wisely, he said.
Marcotte said he wanted to restore honor and integrity to city government, which was embroiled in controversy earlier this year. He criticized city officials for continuing to recruit manufacturing jobs when most have headed offshore and said more efforts should be made to draw in hospitality and service industries like casino gaming.