Russell will not seek re-election to city council

Friday, September 7, 2007

City Councilman Mark Russell announced Friday that he will not seek re-election in 2007.

Russell is completing his second term on the council. His announcement ends eight years of public service.

The announcement guarantees that two new city council members will fill seats vacated by Councilman Russell and Councilman Rist in January 2008. Both councilmen ran unopposed for re-election in 2003. Rist is challenging incumbent Mayor Joe B. McNeal in the mayoral race Nov. 6.

Russell chose to make his announcement the last day that petitions could be filed for city council. Wanting to avoid a repeat of the election in 2003, Russell said he held off announcing his intentions hoping a strong field of candidates would file to run. "My early announcement in 2003 may have contributed to the lack of a contested race which is not necessarily good for city government.

"I'm confident, after speaking with some of the candidates, that citizens will have an opportunity to elect conservative, honest, and ethical community representatives in November.

"The support these past eight years, from the citizens of Mountain Home have enabled me to experience a challenging and very rewarding career in city government," Russell said.

For more details, see next week's edition of the Mountain Home News.

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Thanks go to Mark Russell for years of putting the best interests of the city first and foremost. His tenacious efforts to keep the budget in mind always is the thing I appreciate most. We always need people on the council who are detail-minded. Don't get me wrong: dreamers are needed, too, but we can never forget the bottom line.

-- Posted by senior lady on Wed, Sep 12, 2007, at 4:44 PM
Thank you Coucilman Russell for the time and effort you have given to our community. You always seemed to know the right questions to ask when other council members did not. Best wishes for great success with your future endeavors.

-- Posted by Albert Clement on Thu, Sep 13, 2007, at 5:42 PM
Are you people joking? I went to council meetings for a year straight and all I can say is that they were a picture-perfect example of just how dysfunctional local government can be.

Not to single out Councilman Russell because they all had a part to play. Like little kids squabbling at the dinner table. It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad.

-- Posted by mrfresh28 on Mon, Sep 17, 2007, at 3:01 PM

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