Two seats open on Bella Vista City Council
Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2008
BELLA VISTA - Filing to run for an alderman position is not difficult. Getting people to run ? That's not so easy.
Aug. 6 was the first day for candidates to register for a Bella Vista City Council position, but as of Thursday, only four people had declared their candidacy for the six available seats, according to Elections Administrator Christine Southard.
Aldermen are elected to serve two-year terms. The new aldermen will be chosen during the Nov. 4 general election.
The filing deadline for the positions is noon Aug. 26, when the required paperwork must be turned in to the Benton County Clerk's Office.
The papers may be obtained at Bella Vista City Hall, 416 Town Center East, or at the County Clerk's Office, 215 E. Central Ave., Bentonville.
To qualify as an alderman, a person must be 18 years of age, a U. S. citizen and an Arkansas resident, among other requirements.
A petition with the signatures of 30 qualified registered voters is needed for each applicant. Petition signers must live in Bella Vista, but they do not have to live in the same city ward as the candidate.
An extra seat was added to the council recently when city officials divided Bella Vista into three wards. Each ward will be represented by two aldermen.
Four of the five existing aldermen have declared they will run again, which leaves two open positions.
Doug Farner is running for a seat for Ward 1, George Holmes is vying for a seat for Ward 2, and Earl Berdine and Arline Hutchinson are stumping for the two seats in Ward 3.
Alderwoman Shirley Borhauer has not announced her intention to run again.
If the open positions are not filled, the Bella Vista City Council will appoint two aldermen.
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