It isn't an easy choice to commit one's self to public service, but it is something that a society desperately needs people to do.
For Blytheville City Councilman L.C. Hartsfield, running for office was never something that he saw himself doing even when he began regularly attending meetings a few years before his decision to run. After encouragement from others, he decided to run for the position and ended up running unopposed. Four years later, Hartsfield will be exiting the city council; however, he will never exit the community.
"It started out kind of the way I expected it to…by that time I had formed my opinion on some people and I had to get to know those people to find out what they were really like. It turned out they were just fine, they had their own agendas and their own ideas…I found that the key for me was that I figured out early on that I had to pick the battles that I want," Hartsfield said.
The decision to run for the seat came from both encouragement from others and Hartsfield's own observations on things that needed to be addressed by the council.
He stated that while he did not have one particular goal while coming onto the council, he noticed that the city had not been moving forward in some time and believed he could help guide it in the right direction.
He believes that plenty of examples of that moving forward are readily noticeable, stating how the city has gotten rid of and replaced old equipment throughout its many departments.
"That is a big plus for us. I chair Public Works and that is a big plus that we are able to do things for the citizens that we say we are supposed to do. We've also worked diligently with ADEQ on trying to move things forward…we've really moved the city forward and not only have we moved it forward in a way that we can see it, but we've moved it forward in a way other people can see it also," Hartsfield said.
Since November's election results, Hartsfield stated that his attitude has not changed though there are some issues that he still wishes to see through before January comes calling and Councilman-elect Matt Perrin takes the seat at the council table.
Most notably, of those issues, Hartsfield wishes to see the 2019 budget passed before the new council takes over. He stated that he did not doubt that the new council members would be able to effectively analyze the budget, however, he believes that it is something that should already be taken care of and shouldn't have to be a concern to those just stepping into their seat.
Hartsfield stated that a big misconception that people have about the council is that one person alone can change things.
Hartsfield reiterated that the council is a group effort and as a councilperson, one cannot go in with the approach that he or she can work alone on the council.
One thing Hartsfield did say was that he planned to continue to attend council meetings when he can.
"I intend to be there. I will probably make at least four a month, but I'm not going to be there for all of them. I think it is important. We are in that place in Blytheville where we are moving forward and I don't want that to stop," Hartsfield said.
As far as what is next for Hartsfield, he intends to still be an activist for the Blytheville community. He is already heavily involved in the Blytheville Leadership Institute, serving on its committee.
Hartsfield has also previously held a position on the Main Street Blytheville board and served this past year as their interim director for a time.
He did state that he has recently found some new interests. Hartsfield said that he has formally requested to Blytheville Mayor James Sanders that he be considered for the Ritz Commission should it pass by the council.
Hartsfield also stated that after hearing from the Mississippi County Fair Board, he would like to reach out a hand to them to see if he can help in any way.
gwilliams@blythevillecourier.com