Jonesboro Councilmember vacates seat

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Bobby Long is no longer representing Ward 6 on the Jonesboro City Council.

According to the mayor’s office Long did not resign -- but notified the mayor he was leaving town at the end of July.

The city said the mayor agreed to pay Long through August 1st so he could keep his insurance through the end of August.

The mayor’s office added that because it’s so close to an election the seat will not be filled immediately.

They will instead allow for whoever wins in November to take office.

According to candidate filings for the Ward 6, Position 1 race, Derrick P. Coleman, Larry Hagar, and Dr. Anthony D. Coleman are running for the seat.

It is unclear where Long has gone and a call to him went to a now disconnected number.

On Friday, Aug. 19, Region 8 News received a statement from Long regarding the move:

Hello,

I heard there was some confusion as to my whereabouts. I believe back in the summer, I informed K8 that I had taken a position with Harney District Hospital in Burns Oregon as their Executive Director of Human Resources and would be moving at the end of July.

I did inform the mayor at that time and what he stated was true and accurate. I will be officially resigning at the end of August. At first, I was not going to officially resign until after the November election so whoever won my seat could finish my term then move into their own term. Both the mayor and I did agree that it would be best for the winner of the November election to take the seat.

I didn’t want to be a burden on the taxpayer and continue to be paid until November, so I agreed with the Mayor that the best way to handle this would be to resign at the end of August with the understanding that no one would be appointed to that seat until November.

Let’s be clear, I am not a hard person to contact. If your efforts to contact me only consist of reaching me through my cell which I needed to get a new number, then your efforts are at best, lacking. My Facebook page is open, and a message would have done the trick.

I made it very clear on the radio interview I did before I left that Jonesboro is a great place to live, work, and play. Both my sons still live in Jonesboro and have a bright future there. My wife and I have always wanted to see the West and this was a golden opportunity to do so.

Since we have been in Burns, we have made a multitude of new friends and I will probably be getting involved in the economic and political conversations relatively soon. I hope Jonesboro votes for the most conservative, vocal, and resolute candidate to take my position. The people of Jonesboro deserve nothing less.

Sincerely,

Bobby Long

Back in June, we reported Long announced he would not be running for re-election and would be in Jonesboro until Friday, July 29 then leave to be the executive director of human resources at a Burns, Oregon hospital.

On Thursday, Aug. 18, Region 8 News reported it was unclear if Long had officially left the city for the position after speaking with the city of Jonesboro spokesperson Bill Campbell. However, at that same time, we did report that Long had accepted the job in Oregon as originally reported back in June.

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