Benton Courier - JONES: Drama ahead for Bauxite?

Georgia Babbitt and Eddie Jones don’t care for each other. Half of that fact is difficult to understand because Babbitt is a most likeable lady.
Babbitt is a Bauxite alderman with a lot of experience as a public servant. She’s served on the Bauxite council before and she spent 10 years on the Bryant council. She is said to be a devoted home health care provider at 74, an age when she could be relaxing and enjoying life. She’s devoted to people, and to staying busy.
Babbitt is among a group of Bauxite residents who became fed up with Jones’ administration when Jones was mayor and decided to do something about it.
Babbitt, current Mayor Gary Duncan and others who wanted their city back put Jones and his cohorts, including former Alderman Jeff Cole, on the outside looking in with comfortable victories over them in the 2006 general election. As Babbitt puts it, “We doubled them up and bent them over.”
Now, they’re back. Jones and his buddies, that is. Jones and Cole are among a few who are trying for council seats.
“I know I’m in for a battle,” Babbitt says, “and some others on the council know the same thing. These guys aren’t going to make life easy for us.”
Jones, Cole and the others appear to have two battle cries: They say the current administration is responsible for exceedingly high water bills in Bauxite and they are reportedly playing on the sympathies of some people who opposed Bauxite’s annexation a while back of an area around Mount Olive Road.
What Jones fails to mention is that in May 2002, during Jones’ administration, the City Council adopted an ordinance establishing water rates in Bauxite. And, in October 1995, Jones, who was mayor for 12 years, signed a resolution authorizing the city to pursue loans for water and sewer system upgrades.
Well, it was quiet in Bauxite for a while, but it looks like the campaign season may produce much of the same as in years past: charges, allegations, mistruths, finger-pointing and all the rest.
Jones does not deny that the city was investigated several times during his tenure — of course, how could he deny that — but he is understandably quick to point out that “I was never found guilty of one thing.” You also may recall that the city received a considerable amount of negative, and embarrassing, publicity when a former female city employee alleged, after being charged with using a city credit card for personal use, that Jones authorized the use in exchange for sexual favors.
Here we go again?
• • • • •
IT’S GOOD TO SEE Warren Burleson back in the political arena in Benton as a council candidate.
Burleson served one term on the City Council before being defeated in 2006. He readily admits that he found his sense of political direction too late.
Burleson is a class act, a true gentleman, and I thought he molded himself into one of Benton’s best aldermen.
• • • • •
Jim Harris of Bryant, a former journalist and press secretary, will provide Courier readers with an exclusive daily diary from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Harris is the brother-in-law of Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate. Harris served as press secretary for Huckabee, Ray Thornton and Jay Dickey. He also was editor of the Hope Star and Texarkana Gazette and now is president of Harris Oil and Timber Co.
The diary will begin Sunday.
And, before any of you feel the need to throw a flag and claim political foul, understand that six of Arkansas’ 32 delegates to the GOP convention are from Saline County — second only to Benton County in number of delegates.
Conversely, there are no delegates from here at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and certainly no delegate with a journalism background who would be pleased to provide the Courier with a daily diary. Otherwise, certainly, we would have offered the same from that convention.

Whit Jones is editor of the Courier. His column appears periodically. Any opinions are those of the writer.
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