Why Didn't More of Our Aldermen Stand Up for Our Right to Vote?

On June 29, 2009, referendum petitions were submitted to the Searcy City Clerk Peggy Meads. Searcy voters signed the petitions, so they could vote for or against the A&P tax. The over 1200 signatures on these petitions was several hundred more than the required minimum number to refer the A&P tax ordinance to a vote of the people. In her capacity as City Clerk, Peggy Meads "certified the sufficiency of signatures on the petitions." Mayor Belinda LaForce and the Searcy City Council chose to ignore those petitions, and denied our referendum petition rights established in Amendment 7 of the Arkansas Constitution.

The Mayor and the City Council used a 1948 ordinance setting the deadline for the filing of referendum petitions at 30 days as the basis for denying us the right to vote. In a Daily Citizen article on June 16, 2009, Warren Watkins reported, "City Attorney Buck Gibson said the 1948 ordinance does apply to the A&P ordinance." However, later that day, Mayor Belinda LaForce researched the 1948 ordinance, and in her email to the City Attorney at 5:59 P.M., she reported the following conclusion:

"City adopted a new Code of Ordinances by Ordinance 519 (in attachment above)  I believe this Ordinance repealed all other ordinances except those specifically listed in the ordinance. There is nothing in that Code of Ordinances reflecting the City having a deadline on filing a referendum petition." (emphasis added)

So, according to Mayor Belinda LaForce the 1948 Ordinance 303 was repealed by Ordinance 519, and, therefore, it did NOT apply to the A&P ordinance. Although Mayor LaForce concluded the deadline to file the petitions was the state limit of 90 days and the petitions were filed before the deadline, she and the City Council chose to disregard the petitions anyway.

As a result of the City's disenfranchisement of the voters, a lawsuit was filed to compel the City government to hold an election on the A&P tax ordinance as required by the Arkansas Constitution. In a hearing on September 30, 2009, for that lawsuit, Judge Tom Hughes ruled the 1948 Ordinance 303 WAS REPEALED by Ordinance 519, and a March 27, 2010, Daily Citizen article reminded readers that this meant "the petitions were filed in a timely manner" (emphasis added).

After Judge Hughes' ruling, an alderman motioned in the October 2009 City Council meeting for the City to appropriate funds for a special election on the A&P tax ordinance. Alderman Steve Sterling objected and motioned that the subject be tabled indefinitely. Alderman Dale English seconded the motion, and it passed with the votes of Alderman Sterling, Alderman English, Alderman Mary Ann Arnett, Alderman Mike Chalenburg, and Alderman Jim Dixon.

In November 2009, Aldermen Mary Ann Arnett and Jim Dixon were deposed in preparation for a hearing for the lawsuit to compel the City to hold the constitutionally-required election. In both Alderman Arnett's deposition and Alderman Dixon's deposition, Greg Niblock reminded them of Judge Hughes' ruling that the petitions were filed in a timely manner. In the December 2009 City Council meeting, Alderman Dixon made a motion that the City hold an election on the A&P tax ordinance in April 2010, but he voted against his own motion. After voting against every prior motion to hold an election, Alderman Arnett supported the December 2009 motion that finally granted our right to vote.

Why did Alderman Mary Ann Arnett side with the Mayor and four other aldermen to suppress our right to vote for over six months? As one of the legislators for the City, she and her colleagues had the power to call for an election as they finally did in December anytime after the petitions were filed. Searcy voters should not require intervention from judges and lawyers for our City officials to allow us our constitutional right to vote.