WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2010
9:48 AM

The city council met last night for the regular December meeting. The approved the revised budgets for 2010 and passed the budgets for 2011. They spend quite a bit of time discussing the plan for our city parks. They seem to be in agreement with a five year plan that updates our city parks. They will study the plan for one more month and then adopt the plan in January.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2010
10:30 AM

I had a very good Thanksgiving. Pat and I went to Iuka. We got to visit with my family members over dinner. Everyone had a very good time.

Pat and I did a lot of cleaning at mother's home. We also carried two televisions to her home and I had direct tv installed on Saturday morning. I was able to watch Arkansas-LSU and Mississippi State- Ole Miss. Mississippi State and Arkansas both won. Way to go hogs and dogs.

The carpenters have started doing the repairs to the outside of mother's house. They made good progress so far.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2010
1:20 PM

Pat and I spent the weekend in Iuka. We did a lot of cleaning on mothers house and got to visit with all of our family in Iuka.

I went to the Mississippi State-Arkansas game on Saturday night. We got beat by Arkansas, but it took two overtimes for them to win. Congratulations to the hogs and hog fans.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2010

I went to Panama City last Thursday and came home on Sunday. I picked up Pat and oscar. I had a good visit in the city. Pat had a good time spending time with her sister. I am glad that she was able to have an extended visit with her.

We celebrated Thanksgiving early. We had Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. My niece and her family came Friday night and stayed until Sunday.

Pat is on her way to Iuka. I will be going later today. We plan to clean up mothers house and visit with family members. I will go to the Mississippi State-Arkansas game tomorrow and come back to Iuka after the game. Pat's brother may go to the game with me.

The city council met last week. I presented by budgets for 2011 to the council. They have a month to go over them and they will adopt them at the December meeting. The council also discussed the master plan for the city parks. I ask them to give me their input about the master plan before the next meeting. I hope that they can agree on an plan and adopt a master plan for the city parks.

The contractor is constructing the walking trail at the sports complex. I have hired an engineer and he is working on the documents to bid the stage at the complex. The hospital is working on the documents to bid the walking trail behind the hospital and connect with the John Hayden Smith park.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2010
11:05 PM

I won my race for mayor today. The final vote was Paul Nichols 1401 and Philip Bankston 771.

Thank you Wynne for the trust you have in my leadership for the city. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as mayor. I look forward to the next four years.

NOVEMBER 1, 2010
1:25 PM


I went to the Mississippi State and Kentucky football game on Saturday. It was a very good game and Mississippi State won 24 to 17.

After the game I went to Iuka and spent the night. Sunday morning I went to see mother and talked to David and my aunt on the phone. Mother is not doing very well. She talked about not feeling good and had some pain. It is unusual for mother to talk about not feeling well or pain.

I had the shock of the day when I walked into mother's room. My brother, Tommy, who I have not seen in 23 years was there. I visited with him for about thirty minutes and then stayed about another thirty with mother. We did not discuss the past. That is the past. We have to move forward.

Mississippi State only has one home game left. It will be on November the 30th against Arkansas. My friends in Wynne will probably remind me of this several time between now and then.

I have enjoyed going to the state games this year and the team is 7 wins and two loses.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23, 2010
6:51 PM

I spent most of the day on the road today. I went to Iuka to see mother. She seems to be doing OK under the conditions. She has to go to the meal table in a wheel chair. She had to go to the doctor this week for a shot for her back. She told me today that the pain was less but she is taking pain medicine. She seems in good spirits.
I also visited for a while with Aunt Ginny. She is doing well. I also talked to David on the phone. On the way to Iuka I stopped in Burnsville and went to a car show. There was a very good turnout of old cars and trucks. I did not count them but there were more than 100 I think. There was also a good turnout of people to work the car show and visitors viewing the cars.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2010
10:00 PM

Yesterday Theda and I completed the draft of the expenditure budgets for the city for 2011. We will work on the draft for the revenue budgets over the next few days. I hope to have the final copy ready by the end of next week. After that I plan to meet with the city council budget committee during the first week of November. I plan to present the final draft to the city council at the November meeting. They will have one month and then will vote on the budget at the December meeting. Next years budget is almost the same as this years budget. There are some minor adjustments and a raise for the city employees.

I have a meeting in Jonesboro in the morning. The director of the planning and development district is retiring at the end of the year. I am on the executive committee and we will choose the replacement. We have had one meeting about this opening and decided to hire professional search to help with the process. Tomorrow we will have to take a vote to hire the help and to spend the money for the professional help. The process will take four to six months of complete, but the board feels that we will select a better replacement using this process.

This afternoon I met with a family to choose cemetery plots for their parents. The father is near death and the mother is not in good health.

Pat is enjoying her vacation in Florida. I miss her and Oscar, but I am glad she is able to spend this time in Florida.

I am not going to the Mississippi State football game this weekend. I gave my tickets to my brother in law. He or his daughter and her husband plan to use the tickets. The game is important, but it is not an SEC conference game. I usually go to all conference games and most years I skip some of the non conference games.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 17, 2010
2:52 PM

I had a very busy week at work this week. I had a number of meetings and other items to take care of for the city.

Yesterday I spent about four hours racking leaves. There are already a number of leaves that have fallen since yesterday. It is a never ending job until all of the leaves fall from the trees. I try to stay up with the falling leaves, so it is easier to remove them from the yard.

I had to take care of a burial yesterday afternoon at Cogbill. After the funeral I conducted a wedding at the country club. The wedding was held outside and the reception was in the clubhouse. The wedding was well attended and was a beautiful wedding. I had attended the practice on Friday night. After the practice we were treated to a great meal. I wish that I had kept with the weddings that I have performed. I have not. I have done a large number.

I went to Sunday School and Church this morning. Everybody was proud for me about the Mississippi State win last night. They beat Florida ten to seven. It was a good game.

The election is on November 2nd. I will be glad when it is over. Early voting starts tomorrow.

Pat is still in Florida and having a good time. She will vote absentee. The ballot will be mailed to her in Florida.

It is still dry here. We did have 2/10 of an inch on Tuesday.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2010
9:30 AM

The Wynne City Council meet last night for the regular monthly meeting. Following is a report of actions:

1. Heard the year end report from the mosquito contractor

2. Accepted a proposal from Rivercity Hydraulics for the purchase of two new garbage trucks. The trucks will be delivered next year.

3. Dr. Mike Norris gave the council a report on the activities of the Wynne Friends of Animals.

4. Passed resolutions setting the property tax for the city

5. Discussed the master plan for the city parks---We plan to review the plan and sometime before the end of the year develop the plan the city will follow relating to the city park system.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 10., 2010
8:05 AM

I have been on vacation since Tuesday morning. Pat and I went to Panama City on Tuesday. We had a good time doing nothing. We did travel around the coast. The weather was very good, but we did have to have a light jacket much of the time. I returned to Wynne yesterday.

I made a stop in Iuka to visit with mother. She had to go to an assisted care home this past week. She fell twice this past week at her home. She seemed to accept the situation and she seemed happy to be in the home. She would prefer to be at home, but she understands the need for the aid that the assisted care home provides.

The weather has warmed up quite a bit over the last few days. Yesterday it was in the low 90's.

The city council meets on Tuesday night of this week. I will post a report after the meeting.

I talked with Amy three times yesterday. She had a call last night from one of the places that she works. She had to make a removal and embalm a body. She was glad to get the work.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
7:30 PM

I spent most of the morning in Birdeye. I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new veterans cemetery. The event was very well attended by local citizens. The main speaker was the governor of Arkansas.

Later I went to a lunch at the home of Martin Smith. He was involved in the design of the cemetery. The lunch was by invitation only.

I then attended a meeting with several people about Town Creek. There is still hope that this project will be funded and built. I have been working on this project during my entire term a mayor.

Our phone system at the city has not been repaired and upgraded yet. This process started in June. There was a technician from Little Rock who spent the day in Wynne working on the system. He left about four this afternoon and told us that the system should be fully operational tomorrow. We have heard this before from other phone company employees.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
6:30 PM

I went to Mississippi State on Saturday and attended the football game with Georgia. The game was very good and there was an excellent crowd. Mississippi State won the game 24 to 12.

After the game I went to Mothers house in Iuka. We had a good visit this morning and I also visited with my brother David and my Aunt Ginny. On the way home I stopped in Alcorn county and looked at the land the family owns. The land has some beans growing on it and there is also some timber on the property.

The weather has cooled down quite a bit. So far I like the cooler weather. The temperature is supposed to me much cooler for the next several days.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
9:30 PM

The city council held a special meeting tonight. The council voted to accept the settlement reached at the mediation hearing in federal court reached on Tuesday.

They also voted to accept a bid for the new walking trail at the sports complex. We were a little short of grant money to complete the project. The council voted to make up the difference and have the project completed this year.

I also presented master plan developed for the city parks by Martin Smith. The plan covers five years in detail and goals for the fifteen. The city earlier in the year employed Martin to develop this plan. The plan as presented is a draft copy. The city council will study the plans and then they will make changes to reflect the goals of the city. Once the final copy is completed the city will use this plan as we apply for grants to make improvements in the city.

I was very busy all day today. I did take a small break this afternoon and performed a wedding.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2010
6:35 PM

I spent the entire day in Little Rock yesterday. The city was involved in a lawsuit. The lawsuit has been going on for about two years. The city council and I went to a settlement conference at the federal courthouse in Little Rock yesterday. The conference was successful. The city and the other three parties agreed on a settlement. This resolution is much better and cheaper than going to a trial. I think all parties felt good about the settlement reached yesterday.

I was very busy today taking care of city business. I did not have any major decisions, but I was busy all day.

In June of this year the city purchased new phones for the city hall complex. We also purchased voice mail and caller ID for the phones. As of today we have no voicemail, no caller ID. We did get the new phones about six weeks after the order was placed. We purchased these items from AT&T. They have been working to get our other services operable but as of today they have not been successful.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
8:15 AM

The Wynne City Council met last night and took the following actions:

1. Heard a report from our mosquito contractor

2. Passed a resolution in support of two amendments to the Arkansas constitution

3. Passed an ordinance that abandoned a platted street in the city

4. Approved the appointment of Julius Hill to the housing authority board

5. Placed a cleanup lien on a piece of property on Airpark

6. Approved the appointment of Vance Lawson to the Wynne Water Utilities Commission

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
5:10 PM

I met a young man with an unusual job at the Mississippi State game on Thursday night. He work for the company that provides the sky cam for athletic events. His company has a contract with ESPN to provide the cameras for athletic events. He said that his job requires constant travel. He was at Mississippi State on Thursday night and early the next morning he was leaving to go to the northeast for his next job. He said that he enjoyed his job, but there was a lot of travel. He said that during the football season that he would be on the road for three straight months.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
10:00 PM

I went to the Mississippi State/Auburn football game at Mississippi State last night. I left Wynne about noon. The game was a very good game. State lost 17 to 14. There was a large crowd at the game. After the game I went to Iuka to mothers. I got to Iuka about 1:30 AM. I got up early this morning and took care of some business in Iuka. I also visited with mother for a while and visited David. I talked to Aunt Ginny but I did not see her. I got to Wynne this afternoon about three thirty.

The city council meets on Tuesday night. We have several items of business to take care of at the meeting. I will report here on the blog next week.

I have been called for jury duty for circuit court next week. I will have to call on Sunday night to see if I have to report on Monday. The notice said that I may have to serve for ten days. I have only been called for jury duty one other time. That time I never actually served on a jury, but I had to go to the court for several days and go through the selection process.

I do not think that I will have to do very much yard work tomorrow. I will probably watch some football games on TV. There are several good games tomorrow.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2010
12:57 PM

I went to the Mississippi State football game on Saturday. Mississippi State played the University of Memphis. State won the game 49 to 7. There was a huge crowd. There were over 56, 000. I enjoyed the game and I got to renew my friendship with the fans who have the seats next to mine.

After the game I went to spend the night with mother. I got to Iuka and in bed about 1:30 AM. We had a good visit Sunday morning. I also talked to David and my aunt while I was in Iuka. Everybody was doing fine.

This morning I did some yard work and spent some time working on my old truck. I plan to take it easy the rest of the day.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2010
9:20 PM

This has been a busy week for me at work. I am looking forward to a three day weekend. There were not any major decisions to be made this week, but I have been very busy taking care of mostly routine business.

I attended the Wynne High School football game tonight. I left after the half time was complete. I enjoyed watching the high school team compete. There was a very good crowd at the game. I enjoyed seeing a number of old friends from school and former students. The Wynne team played a very good first half. In fact they were leading. At the present time in the fourth quarter Wynne is still leading. Go Jackets...............

I have a busy day tomorrow. I will be going to Mississippi State for their game with the University of Memphis. After the game tomorrow night I will go to Mothers in Iuka and spend the night. I will visit with her and other family in Iuka and return to Wynne Sunday afternoon.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010
7:08 PM

I sent a good deal of time today dealing with the cemetery. I had some letters made and put on the new garbage cans at the cemetery. The cans look very good and the letters add a lot to the cans.

I had a wedding yesterday afternoon at K Tops in Colt. The couple work there and and met while working so they wanted to get married at the plant. This was my first wedding ceremony at a manufacturing plant.

I had another wedding this morning in my office. I think that one of the attraction to me to perform weddings is my fee. (I do not charge a fee) Most of the couples ask my fee and they usually are happy that I do not charge.

I made two residents of Wynne happy today. They each had a problem and contacted me. I was able to solve their problems and they were both very grateful. Situations like this is one of the good things about being mayor. There are some problems that I can be of no help and sometimes the citizens are not happy with me.

The solid waste board meets tomorrow and we have a couple of interesting items to take action on. There will be some unhappy members when we reach a decision, regardless of the decision.

MONDAY AUGUST 30, 2010
7:37 PM

The sanitation department had to deal with a break down this morning. The truck broke down about 5:30 this morning. When I went to the department about 7:30 this morning they had already determined the problem and had called the dealer. The dealer located the needed part and met Jerry in Searcy. The part repaired the truck and the truck make the normal Monday run after the repair.

The street crew started working on the Public Works Department parking lot this morning. Our crews will do the preparation work and we will hire a contractor to lay the asphalt.

The cemetery received two new garbage cans this morning. The cans look very good and they can be emptied using the residential garbage truck. They were ordered several months ago and we had a number of delays on delivery. If they work out I plan to purchase several more for the cemetery.

The cemetery looks very good. I had it sprayed several days ago. The grass has not turned colors, but he growth has been slowed. If I am pleased with the amount of time before the grass has to be cut again, next year I will have it sprayed several times. It is expensive, but it saves more than the cost of spraying on the number of times the cemetery has to be mowed.

I think that the county has finally taken care of the problem of drainage on Mohr Road. I think that they finally have it repaired in a manner that will allow the water to flow at an acceptable rate and not cause any flooding in the western part of the city. I sure hope that these latest repairs solve the problem.

I went to the men's luncheon at church today at noon. We had a very good meal and Brother Mark made a very interesting and informative presentation. We also had a good crowd. I enjoyed the meal, the presentation and the fellowship of men from Wynne. This is a monthly meeting. I had not been able to attend very many because of my responsibilities as mayor.

Pat has decided on her next trip to Florida. She will go the first week on October. I will take her to Panama City and stay a few days myself. She plans to stay several weeks.

Jerry is going to Fort Payne Alabama tomorrow to look at garbage trucks. It is time to place orders for replacement for our present fleet. We are going to have to change brands of trucks this time. The brand we now use has made some changes and the changes make it difficult for our drivers to operate. The solution seems to be change brand of trucks. He is going to the factory that makes the garbage containers. He will be able to check out several brands of trucks at the factory and will be able to make a good decision about what we will purchase. It takes about nine or ten months to get a new garbage truck from the time the order is placed.

I have a wedding scheduled for Wednesday morning in my office. The couple is an older couple who have both been married before. (When I say older, I mean that they are older that me)

SUNDAY AUGUST 29, 2010
1:30 PM

It was a quiet week in the city this past week. I did meet Friday with a group from the Army. The group will be in Wynne next June to provide free health services for the residents of the area. They will set up a clinic for two weeks and provide these services. This is an outreach for the Army and it is also part of their training. The group looked at several locations to provide these services and settled on the science department of Wynne High School. There were about twenty five members of the Army attending the meeting with me.

This is a big week for many people in the country. It is the beginning of the college football season. I look forward the the new season. As usual I have season tickets at Mississippi State. The first home game for Mississippi State is next Saturday. The next home game is on the following Thursday night. I really enjoy attending these games. I do not particular enjoy the long trip, but the game experience is worth the drive and time.

I have been called for jury duty for September. I have never served on a jury. I have been called on once before and that time I was not chosen to serve.

The weather has coolded down some this past week. The low ninetys seems lack a cold spell when it has been in the high ninetys.

Amy has recovered from her ear problems and she had several cases this past week.

SATURDAY AUGUST 21, 2010
5:15 PM

I went to Mountain Home on Thursday of this week. The Executive Committee of the Arkansas Municipal League met on Friday. I got to Mountain Home late Thursday afternoon. The group went to dinner at the local country club. There were some other groups meeting in Mountain Home during the same time. This is the planning meeting for the AML.

We had a very productive meeting. We discussed and made decisions about the league for the next year. I have been going to this meeting for several years. The last several years I have been a member of the Executive Committee. Several years before I was a member of the Executive Committee I held several positions with the league that required my attendance at this conference.

I got to see some old friends from around the state. I also made some new friends who are meeting with this group for the first time. The meeting yesterday lasted five hours. I got home to Wynne a little after six last night.

Thursday afternoon I called one of my old teacher friends who lives in the Mountain Home area. He retired in 1998 and I retired in January of 1999. I have had no contact with him since his retirement. We talked for quite a while Thursday afternoon. We go caught up on what we have been doing since our retirement. We had a very good visit. (He knew that I was the Mayor of Wynne)

SUNDAY AUGUST 15, 2010
4:00 PM

I have written several times about my old truck. Following are some pictures of my old truck made yesterday.

~~~~~

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 11, 2010
2:30 PM

The Wynne City Council met last night for their regular monthly meeting. Following are the actions taken:

1. Heard a report from the mosquito contractor

2. Voted to make an addition to the city sick leave policy. The addition approved states when sick leave can be taken.

3. Approved a public hearing for the closure of a portion of a city street

4. Approved the placing of liens on some property that has been cleaned up by the city

5. I informed them that the city has received a grant for $69,500.00 to construct a walking trail

6. The fire chief informed them that the city has purchased 2,100 smoke alarms with money from a grant they had received. They will place them in home in Wynne during fire prevention month later this year.

7. I informed them that the county has completed more work on the ditch along Mohr Road. I think that this work will aid in the flow of water out of the city.

8. I informed them that the new bridge on MLK was complete and had been paid for in full.

THURSDAY JULY 29, 2010
6:55 PM

I attended the annual meeting of the board of directors of the East Arkansas Planning and Development District today. We had a very good meeting and a super lunch. The meal was provided my Mel's of Harrisburg. We had a steak and the trimmings.

One of the items of business was the election of officers for the next year. I was elected as the 2nd vice president. I have served in all of the officers of this group. I was even president for two years. I will probably move up and in two years be president again. This is the way the system usually goes.

Amy has had trouble with her remote lock for her car. Both of them have failed and cannot be repaired. I stopped by Bull Motor Company today and ordered a replacement. I called her and told her the news. I told her that it could be an early birthday gift. (It was cheaper in Wynne than a dealer in Memphis, about $50.00.)

WEDNESDAY JULY 28, 2010

9:40 AM

The new bridge on Martin Luther King is now open. We opened it a few minutes before 7 AM.

MONDAY JULY 26, 2010
3:45 PM

The new bridge on MLK is complete. The contractor completed the work about 3:00 pm today. We plan to open the bridge to traffic on Wednesday of this week.

SATURDAY JULY 24, 2010
6:50 AM

Yesterday was wedding and funeral day. I had to take care of two burials at Cogbill and I performed two weddings. I had one wedding in my office yesterday afternoon and I performed one last evening. The one last evening was in front of the fountain at the courthouse. Several of the guest gave me a hard time for my Mississippi State polo. When I talked with the couple they though that there would probably not be any guest. They thought that there might me two guest. There were about twenty five guest.

I helped with the mission Wynne project this week for WBC. My Sunday school class was assigned the park on Cottonwood street. I worked on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. I had some city business to attend to on Monday night and last night I had the wedding. The three night I worked, we had more than thirty children each night. The program went well and we had plenty of workers from the Sunday school classes assigned to the park.

This week I received notification that the city has been awarded $69,500.00 to build a walking trail on the hospital property near John Hayden Smith park. Part of the trail is a bridge over the ditch south of the park. This will be a welcome addition to the walking trails in the city. This trail will be in a wooded area and should be used often when it is completed. The city worked with the staff of the hospital to develop this project. When I say worked, the hospital staff did most of the work. The application had to be submitted by the city. This trail will connect the hospital area and the John Hayden Smith Park. The hospital has had their property cleaned up in this area last year. They removed all of the small vegetation and left the trees. The city did the same type of work on the property that joins their property and the city park. This will allow much more use of this area of the city.

The bridge on MLK is almost complete. The only work to be completed is the paving of the approaches to the bridge on each side. The subcontractor will complete this work as soon as the material is available. They think that they will complete the work one day next week.

This is a much needed improvement to this street. There is a protected walk on the west side of the bridge. Citizens will be able to walk across the bridge and have a concrete wall between them and the traffic and a wall on the edge of the bridge. The walkway connects with a sidewalk on each side of the bridge.

FRIDAY JULY 16, 2010
10:05 AM


Last Sunday I made a quick trip by Wal-Mart to pick up a can of spray paint. I entered through the door at the tire and lube department. When I was walking through the waiting area I saw one of my former students. We exchanged greetings and then gave each other a big hug.

She then told me that she was glad that I had been a part of her life. She told me that when she was in high school and got pregnant. She told me that because of my advice to her she continued her high school education. She said that she had planned to quit school and that because of me she stayed in school and graduated.

She told me that she in now in the last year of college. She is in the RN program. She told me that her high school education and her attending college was a direct result of my advice for her. She said that she was very thankful that I was an important part of her life.

ONE OF THE MANY REASONS I ENJOYED BEING A TEACHER

WEDNESDAY JULY 14, 2010
5:45 PM

The city council had a very short meeting last night. The following items were discussed:

1. Mosquito contractor report. The bottom line is that with all of the rain the last few days there will be more. The month of June was not too bad, because of the dry weather.

2. Discussed the dog situation in Wynne. A citizen spoke about the problems he has encountered with dogs in his area of the city. There were no suggestions to improve the situation. It appeared to me that the council agrees that there is a problem.

3. Discussed an A and P tax for the city. After quite a bit of discussion there was no interest in having an A and P tax in Wynne.

The bridge contractor installed the rest of the riding surface for the new bridge on MLK today. There is still work to be completed on this project, but the big parts of the job are complete. It will take a few weeks to finish the job.

TUESDAY JULY 13, 2010
1:53 PM

We have had some much needed rain in Wynne the last two nights. In fact in my gage at home we received 3 and 8 tenths inches on Monday night and last night we received one and 7 tenths inches. It is very much appreciated and gave us a small break from the heat.

The bridge contractor plans to install the rest of the riding surface on the bridge on MLK tomorrow. The project is going very smooth. I look forward to the day it will be complete and the citizens are able to use the new bridge.

FRIDAY JULY 9, 2010
5:15 PM

Pat and I went to Memphis on Wednesday afternoon. We spent the night with Amy. On Thursday Pat had two test at Baptist Hospital. Both test were good. No problems found.

The bridge on MLK is getting closer to being open. Today the contractor installed half of the riding surface. The concrete riding surface was manufactured in Batesville Arkansas. The foreman on the job said that the company produced some of the best products he has installed.

The city council will meet on Tuesday night. We have a very short agenda. I will make a report on this blog after the meeting.

I have to work on Sunday for the city. We are having some upgrades to some of our equipment and I agreed to work while the technicians are doing the installations. We are making the changes on Sunday so our equipment will not be out of service during normal work times.

TUESDAY JULY 6, 2010
6:40 PM

I received a call late this afternoon from a young lady asking me to perform a wedding ceremony. I told her that I would be happy to perform the ceremony. She and her groom came over to the house a little after 5:oo PM and I married them in our living room. It was a very short wedding, but they are now married. This is my first ceremony at home. I have no idea of the number of weddings I have performed. I wish that I had keep a list of the weddings that I have performed.

I called Amy this afternoon and asked how her day went. She said fine, but it was hot. I wonder why when you consider that she operated the cremation business today.

MONDAY JULY 5, 2010
8:00 PM

Last week the new president of the Arkansas Municipal League appointed me to the Executive Committee for the league. I accepted the appointment.

I have served for the past several years on this committee. It take time, but I enjoy serving on this committee. I am able to participate first hand in the operation of the league.

MONDAY JULY 5, 2010
6:50 PM

It has been a quiet fourth of July weekend for me. Saturday I did my yard work and worked on my old truck for a short time.

Amy came over Saturday afternoon. She had planned to come earlier in the day, but she had a job at one of the funeral homes in Memphis. Pat cooked a meal of fresh garden vegetables. She went to the farmers market Saturday morning. Amy really enjoyed the meal.

Pat and I went to Church and Sunday School Sunday morning. When we got home about eleven I started the grill for hamburgers. About the time I got the fire going Amy got a call from a funeral home in Memphis. As soon as we ate Amy returned to Memphis to take care of the body for the funeral home. She has to work when she can. She made the comment that death takes no holiday.

She called this morning and she had two bodies to prepare. She later called and said that the funeral home had another body. She prepared three bodies today. Tomorrow and Wednesday she will operate the cremation business. The owner had a death in his family. She thinks that she will get to answer the phone for the funeral home the latter part of the week. Any job is money and she need every penny she can earn.

I spent most of the day working on my old truck. It was sure nice to have an air conditioner in the garage to keep me cool as I worked.

Pat and I are going to Memphis on Wednesday afternoon. She has some test scheduled for Thursday morning. We will return to Wynne on Thursday afternoon.

SATURDAY JUNE 26, 2010
6:30 PM

I have been very busy today. I started on the yard early this morning. I cut the grass and did the trimming early. I later did a little trimming on some of the bushes in the yard. I then put out fertilizer on the yard. I have had it several weeks, but I had not taken the time until today to put it on the yard.

Pat and I put some trim on the new doors for the pantry in the kitchen. I then put a coat of paint on one side of the doors. I have just checked on them and they are not dry. I painted them with oil base paint and it takes a long time for it to completely dry. I will paint the other side tomorrow.

This afternoon Pat and I went to a reception for some friends of ours. They were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We enjoyed visiting with the friends of the couple (Charles and Mary Frances Hamrick) who were at the reception.

After the reception Pat and I went to a wedding. In fact I performed the ceremony. I taught the young man who got married when I was at Wynne High School and I know several of his family members. They got married at a church and they had an impressive wedding. After the wedding we attended the reception and visited with the guest and the family members of the wedding party. (Jason and Crystal Andrews)

I wish that I had kept a list of the couples I have married, but that is water under the bridge. I have performed several over the past few years.

While I was at the anniversary reception I was approached by an individual was not happy with the condition of the cemetery. I have talked to this individual on several occasions and have tried to correct what she sees as a problem, but she is not happy with my efforts. In fact she and her husband went out to the cemetery and corrected the problem. A few minutes after I talked with this couple a lady from Wynne came up to me and told me that she was going to visit me and discuss some items that need attention. I encouraged her to come to my office and I would be happy to discuss the items with her. She then told me that she would like to thank me for the cemetery. She said that it was in very good shape and well taken care of. I thanked her and reminded her that that was one of the task I perform as Mayor. She was aware that I take care of the cemetery.

I tell you about the cemetery because these two people own lots at the cemetery that are about ten to twenty feet apart. Sometimes it is amazing how people look at the same thing and reach such different conclusions.

I guess that goes to show me that you cannot please everybody. Some are happy with your work and others think that it is not very good.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 23, 2010
7:30 PM

I stopped by the bridge this morning and met for a few minutes with the man in charge of the construction. He informed me that the construction was going well. He said if weather permits they should have the bridge construction completed in about four weeks.

Late Friday afternoon I had a conservation with a resident of the city. He told me of a small problem with the street he lives near. I told him that I would take care of the problem for him this week. I meant to inform Jerry of the problem and ask him to put in on a schedule to be repaired. I did not have a chance to inform Jerry of the problem on Monday. He had to drive the residential garbage truck. Tuesday morning he stopped by the office and I was not in the office. When I returned Theda told me that this individual has stopped by and had left me a message. His message was to thank me for taking care of the problem he had told me about. He told Theda that I would know what he was talking about. I did know what he was talking about.

Last night I was at Wal-Mart and a resident stopped me and informed me of a problem near his office. I told him that I would inform Jerry and the problem would be corrected.

This morning about 7:00 AM I drove by his office to check on the problem. When I arrived at the office, the problem had been corrected. I saw Jerry a few minutes later and told him about my findings and thank him for taking care of that problem and the one on the street before I had a chance to inform him of the problems.

It is great to have city employees who keep a check on problems in the city and take care of them without a request from me. I will get credit, if fact I have already gotten credit for one of the problems, when I actually had nothing to to with the problems being solved.

Great employees are a great asset to me and the citizens of Wynne.

PS---I sometimes get blame for things I had nothing to do with outcomes. I guess on average it all evens out.

MONDAY JUNE 21, 2010
6:40 PM

I stopped by the bridge construction site this morning and met the man in charge of the construction. He told me that everything was going well. He said that he thought that they would complete the pile driving by the end of work on Tuesday. After lunch I stopped by and watched the drive one of the supports. Once they had the metal in place the driving went very fast.

The contractor for the cemetery has started cutting the excess growth of trees around the cemetery and some trimming of trees and small bushes throughout the cemetery.

This afternoon I went to a meeting in West Memphis about the new flood maps. This process started several years ago and in the last few weeks there has been a lot of information about the new maps discussed. The head of FEMA was there and addressed the group and answered questions from the assembled group. This is a process that was mandated by congress. It appears to me that there are a lot of uninformed elected officials and citizens about this process. The head of FEMA did say that he would delay the process for ninety days. He said that he or an individual from his office would return after the delay. During this time he pledged to help inform the citizens and elected officials of the process and have complete information before the next meeting.

I was aware of the process and in fact I along with members of fire department met several months ago with representatives of FEMA. I left the meeting feeling that I fully understood the process and felt that I was knowledgeable of the process and the final outcomes of the new maps. In Wynne there will only be some minor changes to the present flood maps. I hate to say this, but after the meeting, I think that a lot of elected officials have not taken the time to be informed about this project.

If it were not for FEMA providing insurance for citizens who have structures in the flood plane, they could never borrow money on their property. Lending institutions will not loan money if the property is in a flood zone if it is not insured. It is not cheap, but it is necessary for citizens to sell or make improvements to their property.

SATURDAY JUNE 19, 2010
7:48 PM

I finished my yard work early this morning before it got so hot. My string trimmer bit the dust. I was able to get most of the trimming completed before it quit. I then took a shower and went to Jonesboro to buy a new one. I hate not to buy in Wynne, but the trimmer I like is not available in Wynne. So I went to Jonesboro and bought one that I like.

When I got back from Jonesboro I began the painting of a storage unit in the kitchen. I took it apart and did all of the work and painting in the garage. I am painting it with oil base paint. It will take probably three coats and each coat must dry 24 hours. I was glad to have a cool shop to do the work. I listened and watched the car race will I was working in the shop.

Amy and Pat got home about an hour ago. They are gone to a cafe to eat supper not. Amy said the she wanted to sit down and be waited on for the meal. Pat had a good visit in Iuka.

Tomorrow is Fathers Day. Happy Fathers Day to all of the dads.

Amy gave me my Fathers Day gift a few minutes ago. It is a key chain with a casket on the ring. She said that it was for my old truck that I call my cemetery truck. In fact the tag on the front of the truck has the following tag----------CEMETERY TRUCK. I call it my cemetery truck, because I have used money that I have made managing the cemetery to pay for the truck and parts and repairs that I completed on the truck.

FRIDAY JUNE 18, 2010
9:04 PM

I have spent the last three days in Hot Springs. I was attending and participating in the Arkansas Municipal League Summer Conference. I enjoyed the conference very much. I got to visit with a lot of old friends from around the state. I also gained some important information that will aid me as I work for the city and the citizens of Wynne.

After I got home I took care of some personal business and then I cut the yard. It was cooler about 8:oo pm when I cut the yard. I also spent some time in my shop working on my old truck. If I had not installed a new air conditioner last week, I would not have been able to work in the heat.

I talked to Amy this afternoon. She and Oscar are getting along fine. She also told me that Oscar and her new cat are getting along together fine.

Pat is in Iuka visiting some friends and family.

If I can I plan to do a little yard work early in the morning before the heat gets very high. If I do not finish, I will complete the work later when the temperature is lower. I will probably spend some time enjoying TV in the cool of the house.

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2010
5:55 PM

I have spent a good deal of time working on cemetery business. After the work we have all of the situations worked out.

The residential garbage truck had to be taken to Little Rock today. There was a minor problem with the truck, but it had to go to the dealer to be repaired. The truck in back in Wynne now and is completing its normal Monday route.

The bridge contractor has equipment problems and could not start the removal work today. They have called a dealer and if they can not repair on site they will have another piece of equipment delivered to begin the removal of the dirt and culverts in the street.

I worked on a grant today. If fact I have the final draft completed. Theda and I will check it again and we find no mistakes we will submit the grant. If we find mistakes we will correct them and then submit the grant. This grant is money to complete a stage at the Wynne Sports Complex.

SATURDAY JUNE 12, 2010
4:00 PM

I have been busy today at home. My air conditioner in my shop quit Thursday night. I had to take one of the street employees to Little Rock yesterday, so I stopped in North Little Rock to shop for an air conditioner. I found a good buy on one at Home Depot, so I bought me a new air conditioner.

I spent several hours today removing the old one and installing the new one. Pat had to help me with some of the work. I am glad that my shop is air conditioned again. I also mowed the yard.

It is very hot in Wynne today. This is Farmfest week end in Wynne. Amy is here this week end and we went to Farmfest for a few minutes. With the heat we had a rapid walk through the activities.

I am now cooking steaks on the grill. I am looking forward to a good steak and all of the trimmings. Pat and Amy are also ready for a good steak.

The bridge contractor has started work on the bridge on MLK. This project is a much need improvement for this street. The community around this street have been positive in their comments about this project.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 9, 2010
6:00 AM

The Wynne City Council met last night for their regular monthly meeting. We had a very short agenda and the meeting lasted only 15 minutes. The council heard a report from VDCI. and agreed to hire an architect to work on a plan for our park system. The architect will work with me in preparing a grant for equipment for our city parks. The architect they hired is Martin Smith from Wynne. I look forward to working with Martin.

FRIDAY JUNE 4, 2010
4:47 PM

This was a short week at work, only four days, but I am ready for the week end. The contractor started erecting our new storage building at the public works department today.

Entergy plans to move the electric lines on Monday on MLK. The bridge contractor has already moved some of his supplies and equipment to the job site. He plans to start work on Tuesday.

I took Pat to a doctor in Memphis yesterday afternoon. A few minutes after we got to the office my aunt and sister in law came in. My aunt was there to see the same doctor as Pat. In fact their appointments were back to back. My sister in law and I had a good visit while Pat and my aunt were seeing the doctor.

After the doctors office Pat and I went to Corky's for lunch. We called Amy and she joined us for a visit. She did not eat. She had already had lunch when we called, but we had a good visit.

About the time we got home it started raining. It rained very hard for several minutes. In fact after it stopped I checked my rain gage and it had rained two inches.

The city council meets on Tuesday night. We have a very short agenda to take care of the city business. I have scheduled a public hearing at 6:oo PM for input about the needs for our city parks. This is one of the activities that I must do in order to apply for a grant. I am anxious to hear the results of this public hearing. I will report on the city council meeting next week here on my blog.

TUESDAY JUNE 1, 2010
7:56 PM

Pat and I went to Amy's on Sunday. She had to work Sunday morning, but we spent the afternoon with her and one of her friends. She has a gas grill and we cooked hamburgers on the grill. They were very good. After eating she had to go to work for about an hour. Her friend and I went to work with her. I took my truck to her work place. She had stored some treasure in one of the buildings and she needed to take it home. We loaded the treasure and took it home. It is an unusual item. She plans to do something with the item. I do not know what, but she is very talented.

She had a job interview this morning. She has some competition for the job. The interviewer said that he would make up his mind and notify her on Thursday. He said that he would contact her if she is offered a job or not. I sure hope that she is successful. She needs a full time job.

I had a very busy day at work today. I did not have any major decisions, but I stayed busy dealing with a number of questions from the staff and citizens of Wynne.

The power company did not relocate the electric line this past weekend. We had been told that they would have it moved by Saturday, but the line has not been moved. They now indicate that the line should be moved within the next week. I hope so. The contractor is ready to begin construction on the bridge, but can not work until the line is moved.

FRIDAY MAY 28, 2010
10:22 AM

I have been working for several weeks on a grant for playground equipment for some of the city parks. I was working on a self imposed deadline of the middle of June to complete the grant application. Earlier this week I was making the final pages of some of the grant. I encountered a question that I did not have an answer for the question. I contacted the state agency that has responsibility. When I talked with the representative I learned that I did not have all of the information to complete the grant process.

I will have to have a professional provide some information to complete the grant. I talked with a local architect and he offered his services. I plan to put the grant on hold for this year and present an application next year. I might make the deadline this year with the help of the architect, but it would be close. I plan to ask the city council for permission to employ this architect and have him provide the information I need for next year. He thinks that this would be the best plan and we will have the information on hand that can be used in future years to apply for grants if the necessary city funds are available.

I hate to wait a year, but if we wait I think that we will be successful in securing this grant. The money that the city has for this project will still be available next year.

I met last night with a group of citizens and received their input about improvements they would like to see included in this plan. I will meet with at least two more groups and also conduct a public hearing for all citizens about this issue. These meetings are a requirement for the grant application. Because I have decided to delay the application I will have more time to seek input from the citizens about the park improvements.

Monday is a holiday for the city. Pat and I plan to go to Memphis and spend some time with Amy during this time. She has to work on Saturday, but as of now she will be off on Sunday and might be off on Monday. She has a new grill and she wants to have a cookout with the new grill.

Entergy plans to move the electric lines on MLK tomorrow. I think that if they complete the moving, the bridge contractor will begin the bridge construction next week.

Jerry and I went to Memphis on Wednesday for a meeting and lunch. We shared the table at lunch with the mayor of Memphis and one of his staff. The mayor remembered me for contacts we had had over the years he was mayor of Shelby county. Jerry and I both enjoyed visiting with these two gentleman. I think that we both agreed that we were glad that we worked for a city the size of Wynne and not Memphis.

I met with the Farmfest committee yesterday for lunch. This was our last meeting before Farmfest. I think that we have everything in place with proper planning to have a successful Farmfest in June. I am pleased every time I meet with groups like this. They are all hardworking individuals who give of their time and talent to improve the city of Wynne.

FRIDAY MAY 21, 2010
2:50 PM

I went to Fort Smith yesterday to attend a meeting of the league Executive Committee. We had a very good meeting and discussed a variety of issues. We spent most of the time on proposals for the legislature session next year. There are not any major issues at this time. Most of the items are cleaning up some language in the laws.

I enjoyed visiting with my friends from around the state that are on the committee. The meeting including lunch lasted about four hours. I spend about nine hours of travel time yesterday. I had no trouble going to sleep last night.

The street crews are working on the new picnic tables today. They are adding more concrete toe the base. They probably put enough the first time, just to be sure they are adding concrete today.

Pat is on another vacation. She is visiting one of her friends in Mississippi. It is just me and Oscar at home. He has not adjusted to Pat being gone.

One of Pat's friends stopped by with some fresh country eggs. They were laid today. She had read on Pat's blog that she would like to have some fresh eggs, so she brought two dozen by my office a few minutes ago.

MONDAY MAY 17, 2010
3:55 PM

Pat and I voted early today. The actual election is tomorrow, but we decided to go and vote early today. I look forward to having the results tomorrow night. We have some very interesting local races as well as some district and state races.

The city street crews started installing the picnic tables in the city parks today. I hope that the visitors use the tables and take care of them. If they do they will last a long time.

I have spent much of the day working on a grant to purchase playground equipment for our city parks. Carol has helped very much in getting information for me to complete the grant. Theda has been typing some of the information that I have gotten so far. We plan to spend $100,000.00 on equipment. If I am successful we can double that amount with the grant. I hope we are successful. The playground equipment has been neglected for several years in our parks.

SUNDAY MAY 16, 2010
3:53 PM

The city hired a contractor to do some work on John Hayden Smith Park this past week. Our crews also did some work on the park. These crews cleaned up the ditch on the south side of the park and cleaned up the area between the ditch and the field on the south of the park. These improvements make the area look a lot better. We have had some problems in the park area. We think that opening up this area will solve some of these problems. At least we can see the people in the area. I do not understand people doing damage to the park equipment.

Next Thursday I have an executive committee meeting in Fort Smith. It will be a long day. I plan to leave early and then return after the meeting. I do not like this, but I do not want to spend the night in Fort Smith. I look forward to the meeting and visiting with my friends from around the state. I also enjoy working on the problems of the cities of the state.

THURSDAY MAY 13, 2010
3:30 PM

The city took delivery of a new wood chipper this morning. I applied for a grant last year and was successful. We ordered the chipper about two months ago. They do not make these chippers until they are sold. This will replace a chipper that we have had for a number of years. We plan to sell our old chipper.

The city crews poured the floor for our new storage building yesterday. We are now waiting on the building to be delivered and the crew to put it up. I think that this will improve our storage at the public works department.

WEDNESDAY MAY 12, 2010
2:21 PM

The Wynne City Council met last night for their regular monthly meeting. We had a very short meeting. There was only two items on the agenda. We heard a report from our mosquito contractor and passed a resolution supporting my application for a walking trail grant. The mosquito contractor said that they were in place and ready to go to work. He also said that he though that this would be a bad year for mosquito's.

The street crew poured the floor for our new storage building at the public works area. The building has been completed and will be delivered in a few days.

SUNDAY MAY 9, 2010
3:20 PM

Happy Mothers day to all mothers.

The street crew spent most of last week working on the forms for the floor of the new storage building for the department. They discovered Friday that they had made a mistake in the measurements for the floor. They have talked with some knowledgeable people and they think that they can overcome the mistake. I hope so. They worked had getting the forms in place. If they have to make the adjustments, I am glad that the mistake was discovered before the concrete was poured.

The city council meets Tuesday night for the regular monthly meeting. The agenda only has two items for action. They will hear a report from our mosquito contractor and I have prepared a resolution for action. The resolution is support for a grant. I am writing a grant to complete the walking trail at the sports complex. I wrote one last year and we were successful and we are now in the process of building that trail. This grant will allow us to complete the trail. Last years grant covered about 2000 feet of trail. This grant is for about 2600 feet of trail and will complete the original plan.

Kirk Owens is going to speak at church tonight. He is going to talk about his experience working in East Asia for the past two years. I a looking forward to seeing Kirk and hearing his presentation.

Yesterday I did some yard work including planting some items that Pat purchased in Memphis this past week. I also prepared a raised garden for Pat last week. I also did a little work on my old truck yesterday. The truck is great mechanically, but I have several small projects related to the truck that I plan to complete over the next several months.

On Friday morning I appeared on KWYN Yawn Patrol with a new member of the chamber. The chamber has a program on Yawn Patrol the first Friday of each month with new members of the chamber. I have done this several time and I always enjoy representing the chamber on KWYN.

SUNDAY MAY 2, 2010
5:05 PM

Yesterday I went to Iuka for the wedding of my niece, Morgan. The wedding was very nice. I left yesterday morning and stopped in Memphis to pick up Amy. We left her house about eleven in the morning. We stopped for lunch and then went to the wedding. We had to drive through a very heavy rain shower. We had to drive through the heavy rain for about 45 miles. I do not think that I have ever driven through rain that hard for that length of time. We arrived at the church about two minutes before the ceremony began.

Pat was already at the church. She and her sister had driven to Iuka from Panama City on Friday. Pat made the pictures of the wedding. After the reception Amy, Pat, and I visited with mother for a few minutes and then drove to Memphis. The weather was fine on the trip home. We stopped in Memphis and all went out for dinner. We went to a Mexican place and we all were full and enjoyed the food and the time together. While we were in the cafe we noticed on the TV that there was flooding in Millington and other parts of Shelby county. Amy work part time in Millington. She called one of her co workers and found out the the flooding was very bad. The funeral home where she works had no damage, but two funeral homes were flooded out.

Pat and I slept in this morning. We went to bed late and there was bad weather in the Cross County area as well as the Memphis area. We watched TV until the threat had passed Amy's home and the Wynne area. There was some damage in the western part of the county, but no one was hurt, just some property damage.

I worked on my old truck a little this afternoon. I also had to mark a grave for a funeral tomorrow morning at Cogbill. I got a call a little after two and had to go mark the grave. After some more information from the funeral home I was able to locate the grave plot and mark the grave.

The benches and picnic tables that I wrote a grant for last year will be here tomorrow. The street crew will install them over the next several days. They did some work last week getting ready for the new benches and tables. I think that the citizens and visitors will enjoy these new additions to our parks.

MONDAY APRIL 26, 2010
1:22 PM

I signed a contract this morning to build the bridge on MLK. The work should begin in a few days.

SUNDAY APRIL 25, 2010
5:40 PM

I went to church and Sunday school this morning. Brother Matt has a very good sermon. The lesson in Sunday school was very interesting as usual.

This afternoon I went to Memphis and had lunch with Amy. On my way to Memphis she called and said that she was on her way to embalm a body. I told her that I would drive slow and I need to stop at a store in Memphis. I told her to call me when she finished her work. I had just gone in the store when she called and told me that she was finished with the body. We agreed about where to eat and decided that we would meet at the cafe. We both arrived at the parking lot at the same time. When we got inside she told me that another funeral home had called and wanted her to embalm a body for them. When we finished lunch, I came home and she headed for her job. We had a very good lunch and enjoyed our visit. In fact we could not eat all of our lunch and she got a box to take home with her. She said that there was enough food for her supper.

After I got home I called and got a report from Pat. She is doing fine and having a good time with Sher. Just after I hung up mother called to check on me. I had planned to call her, but she beat me to the call. She was doing fine and just wanted to check on me.

FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2010
6:00 PM

I got my old truck back from the shop this afternoon. The mechanic did a lot of work on the truck and now it should be road ready. The mechanic has had the truck for several days, but he knew that I was not in a rush and he had a few problems finding parts to make the repairs. I drove it a little bit this afternoon and it really works well. I look forward to driving it more over the next few days. I will not drive it very much. It has no power, no air conditioner and it is a 1972 model.

Pat is in Panama City visiting with her sister. She seems to be having a good time.

TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2010
3:30 PM

It has been quiet in the city the last two days. I did spend a good deal of time yesterday dealing with cemetery issues.

The city residential truck broke down yesterday morning. The crew started to Jonesboro with it, but had to be towed the last 25 miles. The dealer got the truck in very quick and made the necessary repairs. The crew got back to Wynne about 6:30 pm. The driver came in early this morning and completed yesterday's route and then picked up the normal Tuesday route.

We hired a contractor to make some repairs on a drainage ditch over the last several days. They completed their work yesterday and the ditch looks good.

FRIDAY APRIL 16, 2010
3:45 PM

Today has been bike day in Wynne. This morning I signed a proclamation for motorcycle week safety.

This afternoon I went to Village Creek State Park to welcome a group of bicycle riders. This group is on a bike ride through eastern Arkansas. They will spend the night at VCSP and then end their trip tomorrow in Helena. There were about twenty bikes participation in the ride that has covered several miles. They told me that they usually ride about 60 miles per day. They were a very interesting group. Most of the riders were older than me. I could not ride a bike for 60 miles in one day. They have done this for several days in a row. I think that the trip covered ten states.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 14, 2010
1:05 PM

The Wynne City Council met for their regular monthly meeting last night. Following is the business that was conducted:

1. Accepted bid to replace a bridge on MLK. The work should be completed in 6o days after the contract is signed.

2. Heard a request from a Wynne couple for a variance to place a mobile home on a lot zoned R-2. They denied their request.

3. Accepted bids for tables and benches for some of the mini parks in Wynne. I wrote a grant last year to pay for these items. We plan to spend $23,990.52 for these items.

4. Accepted our proposal to build a storage building for our public works department. Our crews will pour the concrete floor and hire a contractor to erect the building. This will be a metal building that is 30 feet by 30 feet with one roll up door and one walk through door. The total cost is a little over $10,000.00.

5. Heard a report from the committee that has been looking a abolishing the Wynne Water Utilities Commission. After discussion the council voted 9 to 1 to keep the commission.

SUNDAY APRIL 11, 2010
2:30 PM

The Wynne City Council will meet for the regular monthly meeting on Tuesday night. The most interesting item to me will be the action they take on taking over the Wynne Water Utilities. A committee has had the task of making a recommendation since October of last year. I have no idea of the direction they will choose on this item. One of the alderman told me that he was going to call for a vote on this issue. He told me that it was time to make a decision one way or another. I agree it is time to make a decision.

I will make a report on the bid opening for a new bridge on MLK. The bids came in higher that we had budgeted for this bridge. I think that we have the money to take to low bid, but I do not know if the council will choose to spend the extra money over the budgeted amount.

I am also going to ask the council to allow the street department to build a building for storage at the city shop. We can build the building for about $12,000.00. I did not put this item in the budget that was passed in December. I was not aware that our present storage building were in as bad a shape as they are.

The resident that was turned down last month for placement of a mobile home in R-2 will be back asking the council to change their decision. After hearing the discussion at the March meeting, I do not think that they will change their mind.

I have a very busy week scheduled next week. I have several meeting to attend in addition to the normal activities of serving a Mayor.

We have been making some changes in our break room for the past several months. Last week all of the work was completed. I am very pleased with the way the room turned out. We also replaced the carpet in three police department offices with tile. That work was also completed last week.

I talked with Amy yesterday. She has had a very busy week doing work for three funeral homes in Memphis. I wish she could get a full time position, but I am pleased that she has been able to stay pretty busy working part time.

MONDAY APRIL 5, 2010
6:15 PM

I had a very busy day at the office today. I spent a lot of time dealing with cemetery business. I made about six trips to the cemetery to handle all of the request.

I had a meeting with an engineering firm from Little Rock. They were making a call to inform me of the services that they offer for cities. I had met with one of their employees some time back, but today one of the owners came to meet me. I am aware of this firm and they have a good reputation, but at the present time the city does not have work for an engineering firm.

I also had a meeting with representative of Senator Lincoln's office. He was here with a group from Forrest City that I have been working with for over eleven years on Town Creek. The representative thinks that we might get some funds to work on this project. I sure hope so.

FRIDAY APRIL 2, 2010
6:40 AM

The city was notified yesterday that we have been awarded two grants. We received a grant of $31,000.00 for the Wynne Fire Department. The money will be used to promote fire prevention. The money will be used to purchase 2000 smoke alarms that will be installed in citizens homes in Wynne by the fire department. They will also purchase pencils and fire hat to be given to students in school as part of the departments effort to promote fire prevention.

The city also received a grant of $70,000.00 for the use by the city parks. We will use this money to build a stage at the sports complex. This stage will offer an opportunity to use the facilities at the complex by a different group of citizens that do not usually use these city facilities. We will also purchase and install picnic tables and park benches at all of the mini parks in the city.

I am going to Wynne High School this morning to speak to the resource students. I will make presentations to a number of groups of these students from 8:30 AM till 11:00 AM. I will have about 2o minutes with each group.

A representative of a crack sealing company visited with Jerry yesterday and they toured the city looking at the streets. The company will return in a few weeks and demonstrate for the city the process that they use to seal cracks. The city will make a decision about this process after the demonstration. This is one way to improve streets. It is not a permanent fix, but is does extend the life of our streets for a smaller cost than overlaying with hot mix.

TUESDAY MARCH 30, 2010
6:20 AM

Jerry and I went to Benton yesterday to pickup a truck that the city had bought from a dealer in Benton. I liked the pickup except for none thing. The seat was very hard. The city purchased the truck from the state bid.

On the way we stopped in Sherwood to check on a recall for one of our garbage trucks. We had a good visit with the owner of the company that supplied the truck body. It turns out that our truck will have to have the repairs made. The company will contact the city when they receive the parts to repair the body.

On Friday of this week I will be going to Wynne High School to speak to some resource classes. The instructor told me that I would speak to a different group every twenty minutes from 8:30 to 11:00. It is always interesting to answer questions from young people about city government. I look forward to meeting with the students. (Remember I spent 30 and 1/2 years with high school students.)

THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2010
9:10 AM

It has been quiet with the city for the past several day. There have not been any major problems or situations to deal with.

I did talk with Alderman Baldwin this week and he plans to meet one hour before the council meeting with the city council members and discuss the Wynne Water Utilities. I also talked with
Alderman Hirons and he plans to ask for a vote on this issue at the April city council meeting. He said, and I agree, it is time to make a decision on this matter.

Pat is going to the heart doctor in Memphis today. I hope that they can get her heart regulated. Amy plans to go with her to the doctor and Pat is going to spend the night with her and return to Wynne tomorrow.

MONDAY MARCH 15, 2010
1:00 PM

I spent the weekend in Memphis with Amy and Pat. I spent most of Saturday watching basketball games. I saw some very good games. It was too cold to be outside much.

Sunday Pat, Amy, and I went to Iuka to visit family. We visited with mother for a while and Amy and Pat went to a shower for our niece. They said the shower was very good and they had a good time visiting with friends and family. I did not go to the shower. I stayed with mother. David came out and we got caught up on what we have been doing. He has been busy since the first of the year with his practice. He said that he has had a very good tax business so far this year.

I watched Mississippi State on Friday night and Saturday night. They won both days but came up one point short in overtime for the conference championship. I had to listen to that game, because mother does not have a TV. They did not make the NCAA tournament, but will play in the NIT. They had a good year, but they did not have very many wins over good teams.

TUESDAY MARCH 9, 2010
7:30 PM

I am at home after attending the monthly meeting of the Wynne City Council. The meeting only lasted 15 minutes. There were only two items on the agenda. Item one: The council accepted a bid from Henerd Equipment for a new chipper for the street department. I applied for a grant last year and was awarded $30,000.00 to purchase a chipper. The bid for the chipper was $29,842.00. Item two: A citizen requested permission to place mobile home on a lot that was not zoned for mobile homes. The Wynne Planning Commission had turned down his request and tonight the council voted to follow the planning commission and not allow the variance.

This short meeting will make up for some of the long meetings we have held in the past.

MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010
2:30 PM

I have an opponent in the election this year. Philip Bankston has filed as an independent candidate for mayor. That means that the election for mayor will be in November.

MONDAY MARCH 8, 2010
6:18 AM

The Wynne City Council will meet tomorrow night for the regular monthly meeting. The agenda is very short. There are only two items to be discussed. Last year I applied for a grant to purchase a new wood chipper. We were awarded the grant and we will accept bids today and award the bid tomorrow night. We also have a request to place a mobile home on a lot in ward 2. The meeting should be short.

SUNDAY MARCH 7, 2010
8:05 AM

I am at Amy's in Memphis. I came over to celebrate Pat's birthday. We celebrated by helping Amy rake her leaves. It took quite a while, but we all enjoyed the warm weather and working together. Her yard really looks good with all of the leaves gone.

After our work we all went to supper and celebrate Pat's birthday. We had a real good time. After supper we went to Memorial Park Cemetery. The cemetery is quite large and is very impressive. Amy said that she had conducted several burials there during her time working in the funeral business.

FRIDAY MARCH 5, 2010
10:50 AM

I filed this morning to run for mayor for another term. I have enjoyed my service to the citizens of Wynne over the past few years. I hope that they will give me the opportunity to serve another term.

THURSDAY MARCH 4, 2010
5:40 PM

I have just returned from a memorial service for Mrs. Dallas. She was a very sweet lady. She has been in bad health for the past 12 to 15 years. Her son and Mr. McCallum conducted the service, both did a very good job of remembering Mrs. Dallas.

The East Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Board met this morning in Wynne. None of the officers were present, so I volunteered to conduct the meeting. This board has struggled with flow control for my 12 years as mayor. After a lot of meeting and discussions over the past year the board changed our rules and adopted regulations that require all class one trash to go to the district controlled landfills. The City of Weiner met with the board this morning and asked for a wavier from this regulation. The board listened and had a good discussion about their situation. The board agreed to study the problem and try to come up with a solution that both sides can agree on and not cause problems for other cities and counties in the district. If we do come up with a solution, it will take at least 60 days to get the regulations changed. Government can be slow.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 3, 2010
7:00 PM

I wrote earlier tonight about my trip to North Little Rock. I drove my Camaro as I usually do when I go out of town. This morning I was removing the cover for the Camaro as the kids from the Village were waiting to catch the school bus. One of the little girls asked me if the Camaro belonged to my daughter. I told her no, the Camaro was mine. She then asked about my old truck. I told her that it was in the garage. One of the little boys wanted to see my truck. When he looked at it he said that it was a nice OLD truck. I agreed with him.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 3, 2010
6:00 PM

I spent most of the day in North Little Rock attending a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Arkansas Municipal League. We had a very good meeting and held some important discussion about problems and solutions for those problems. I have enjoyed my service on this committee. I have gained important information about the problems that affect city government in Arkansas. I have been able to have input in the discussions and have had to make some difficult votes on several issues over the years. I have also enjoyed the friends I have made from around the state that I have served with on this committee.

A few weeks ago I wrote about on of my mayor friends who had lost a son. The man responsible for that death was charged with murder. Today I talked with my friend and ask him if he knew the motive for the killing of his son. He told me that the person charged in his sons death planned to kill three people on the night his son was killed. He also killed a woman on the night of my friends son death. He did not kill three, he was stopped before he had another opportunity to kill again. My friend said that his son just happened to be in the path of this killer. No connection with the killer.

TUESDAY MARCH 2, 2010
10:15 AM

Jerry and I met with the city council street committee last night. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the direction the street department should go in the maintenance of our streets.
The amount for this work in the street department has not been increased in about twenty something years. During most of those years the street department contracted the overlay of street using about 3500 tons of asphalt. The cost of asphalt has more than tripled during my term as mayor. Two years ago this committee recommended that we use chip and seal rather than the small amount of asphalt we could afford.

There have been a number of comments from alderman and citizens about this process. There have been positive and negative comments. There is another option, using the same amount of money, that we could use. This process is filling and sealing only the cracks in the streets. The committee had a good discussion on the options. They agreed to look at all three options and meet again in April and make a recommendation about how to proceed this year.

MONDAY MARCH 1, 2010
3:15 PM

I talked about a problem that I had to deal with this morning on my blog that I wrote early this morning. I said in my blog that I only had one side and that I would get the other side and then make a decision on how to solve the problem.

I have now gotten the other side and made a decision on how to deal with the problem. I am glad that this problem in on its way to being taken care of.

Mr. Dallas' former wife passed away this morning in Texas. Please remember this family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time. (Mr. Dallas is a City of Wynne Alderman)

MONDAY MARCH 1, 2010
4:30 AM

Friday was a difficult day at work. I have an unusual problem that I have to deal with. I have started the process and will continue over the next several days to take care of this problem. At the present time I only have one side of the problem. I am going to get the other side of the problem this morning. I will then make a decision on how to properly solve this issue.

Today starts a big day in the life of many citizens of the state. The filling period for elective office starts today at noon and ends next Monday at noon. It will be interesting to see who decides who will decide to seek office in the state, and who will seek office in Wynne and Cross County.

Pat has been in Wynne this weekend. It was good to have her home for a few days. She has enjoyed visiting with Amy in Memphis the past few weeks. Amy seems to be doing very well.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2010
6:50 PM

I received some potential good news this morning from Congressman Berry's office. I talked with a member of his staff this morning. His aide asked me to submit a proposal for funding of Town Creek. Congressman Berry has been working on this project for the city for several years. If fact I sometimes say that the congressman may think that my name is Town Creek, because I have talked with him and his staff so much about this project.

Congressman Berry's aide told me that the congressman plans to make one more push to get this project funded. (Congressman Berry has announced that he plans to retire from congress at the end of this year)

I will submit the necessary forms to his office. Hopefully the congressman will be successful this final time.

I had to purchase a new set of tires for my avalanche today. I bought the same brand that came on the truck when it was new. I have been pleased with the tires that came on the truck, so that was the reason I bought the same brand. They cost $841.19. I remember when I was going to Mississippi State buying a new set of tires for my car for $40.00.

It has been routine at the city hall this week. I have been busy but no major decisions or problems this week.

I did perform a wedding today. That is the first one in several days.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2010
6:20 PM

I made a quick trip to Memphis this afternoon. I had to take some material relating to Pat's retirement for her to sign and return to our financial advisor.

I had a good short visit with Pat and Amy. I also meet a new friend of Amy's. He seemed like a nice guy.

While I was there they ate supper. Pat had made homemade soup and cornbread. It really smelled good. I did not eat with them, because at the time I was not hungry. I also knew if I ate that early I would get hungry again before bedtime and I did not need to eat that much food.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20, 1020
2:54 PM

I spent most of the morning working on my old truck. I am in no rush and I enjoy spending time in the garage.

The street department has our track hoe and back hoe back fully repaired. The back hoe had an electrical problem and the dealer corrected it very fast. The welder completed the work on our track hoe mop out bucket. I was impressed with his work.

I talked with Pat and Amy almost everyday this week. They seem to be doing fine. I miss them, but I think that they both have enjoyed spending time together. I hope that Amy gets a full time job soon. She thinks that she will find out soon about her prospects.

I took some time to take care of some cemetery business this morning. I had to mark the grave of Mrs. Doryce Wiltshire this morning. I have know Mrs. Wiltshire since I moved to Wynne in 1968. She was a wonderful lady.

Mrs. Wistshire was the secretary for Cogbill Cemetery for more than 50 years. I am so grateful that she took care of the cemetery for all of those years. I appreciate her even more now that I have to take care of the cemetery. It is an unusual job, but I have enjoyed taking care of the cemetery and have learned a lot about cemetery business. It is an not like most jobs. Theda has helped me and I am very thankful that she has been willing to help me manage the cemetery.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2010
7:45 PM

I have not been very busy this week. I have been dealing mostly with routine items relating to city government.

Today we had to take one of our backhoes to Memphis for repair work. Our employees have been working on it for a few days, but could not seem to get the problem solved. We carried it to the dealer we bought it. They called about 4:00 PM and said that they had it repaired.

We took delivery of our new track hoe last week. We did not buy a new mop out bucket. We decided to keep the bucket from our old machine. We had to purchase some parts and have them attached to our old bucket. This option saved us several dollars. Our employees did not feel comfortable completing this task. We took the bucket and track hoe to a local welder to have this work completed. He should have it completed tomorrow.

The city has been awarded a grant to purchase a new wood chipper. We will take bids and should take delivery of the new chipper some time next month. We decided to not trade our old chipper and sell it once we take delivery of our new chipper. Our old chipper has a little repair work completed before we sell the machine. The dealer in Searcy picked up our old machine and will make the necessary repairs.

Yesterday the local vet clinic called and informed me that they will no longer put down animals for the city. I thanked them for their service to the city over the years.

This afternoon the Wynne Friends of Animals called and told me that they had picked up a dog that had been in a fight and needed to be put down. They had carried the animal to the local clinic and were told that they no longer performed that service for the city. (This is my fault because I forgot to call the shelter and inform them of this new policy) We discussed this situation and we agreed that the animal would be taken to Forrest City to a vet and be put down. The dog had to be put down because it would not have been able to make it and this was the only solution to properly take care of this injured dog.

I attended the meeting of the Community Relations Board for the Federal Prison today. I have been a member of this board since I became mayor. We had a very informative meeting and as always had an excellent meal provided by the staff. It was also good to visit with other members of the board before the meeting and while eating lunch.

This week on of my fellow mayors son was murdered. He was only 30 years old. I read in today's paper that an arrest had been made in the murder. The suspect is only 23 years old. This mayor and I both have been mayor for 11 plus years and we both have been very active in the Arkansas Municipal League activities. We both now serve on the Executive Committee and every time we meet we are seated next to each other. It is hard to think of dealing with the loss of a child.

I talked with Amy and Pat today. Pat had Amy's Internet repaired today. I think that she felt lost without access to the Internet. Amy had unusual job today. She said that she did fine and the employer was pleased with her work.

Amy should hear soon about going to work full time. She thought that she would know last week, but the weather prevented some of the management from traveling and a decision was not able to be made. I hope that she is able to work full time very soon.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2010
9:00 PM

I have just returned from Memphis. I took Amy and Pat out to eat rather than a card or flowers for valentines day. We went to a steak house and the food was excellent. I think that they enjoyed the meal more than cards, candy or flowers. We also had a good visit.

I had thought that I would spend the night but there was a threat of bad weather so I decided to come back to Wynne. It started snowing very very hard on me about five miles from Amy's home. It was really snowing hard and I was glad that I had decided to come back to Wynne. The snow stopped about five miles from Marion and the road was dry. I am still glad that I came home.

The weather forecast had been for bad weather east of the Mississippi river, but the Memphis TV stations were showing a warning for all of Cross County. That was the main reason I chose to come back tonight. I did not want to be stuck in Memphis.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2010
5:30 PM

I have spent the day working on my old truck, shoveling snow and ice, watching part of the Nationwide race, and I even took a short nap.

My driveway is completely snow and ice. The sun was out part of the day and quite a bit of it had melted before I moved it off the driveway.

I did not do any major things to the truck. I just cleaned up some to the truck. I still have plenty to do. I need to work on the heater, it does not work. I also need to work on the radio, it does not work.

I had to move all of the cars and trucks to get the old truck in the garage. I got the old truck stuck on the ice and it took me about one hour to get it in the garage. But speed was not important. If I finished all of the work, I could not spend time in the garage. It is very good therapy for me to get our in the garage and spend time working on the truck.

The temperature got to about 50 degrees today. It was nice outside even though I spent most of the day in the house or garage.

When I left the office yesterday afternoon Theda told me that she would be in Wynne all weekend in case I needed her for some cemetery help. It seems every holiday I have to take care of cemetery business. I never had any intention of managing a cemetery, but because of circumstances I have been taking care of one for several years. I have learned a lot about death and the business of funerals and cemetery business because of my work at the cemetery and Amy's chosen profession.