A servant's heart is special. It is one that consistently puts the needs of others over its own needs. Elaine Carr has such a heart and displayed this during her time as a board of trustee and mayor of West Siloam Springs.
Carr served as Ward Four Trustee from 1998 to 2021 and as mayor since 2003 to 2021. During her years of service Carr served the town of West Siloam Springs by bringing in critical infrastructure needs like water and businesses like Dollar General, Godfather's Pizza and Love's Country Store.
She also worked with the Cherokee Nation to help fund the town's ambulance service and to obtain a new fire truck. Under Carr's watch, the Cherokee Nation also funded a new water tower for the town.
Growing up
Carr was born in 1960 in Ventura, Calif. Her family moved to Stilwell, Okla., when she was still a baby. Carr believes it was because of work or to follow her grandparents, who moved to Stilwell before her parents did, but cannot remember. She described Stilwell as Small Town USA.
Carr would help her parents pick up strawberries in the summer. As a child, Carr enjoyed camping and playing outside.
"We spent a lot of time on Lake Tenkiller," Carr said. "My dad loved to go fishing."
Carr said she doesn't get to go camping like she used to, but she does like to go fishing. While she was in high school, Carr worked at Stilwell Foods for two years, she said.
Shortly after graduating from high school in 1979, Carr went to work for Walmart in Stilwell. She started as a cashier then worked in the back doing receiving and finally as a department manager for housewares and school supplies.
Carr never won any awards at Walmart, but she did have the distinction of meeting Sam Walton once. Carr described Walton as being down to earth. Walton talked to Carr about his dog and pick-up truck, she said.
Around 1987, Carr met her future husband Rodney Carr and married him a year later before moving up to West Siloam Springs. At the time, she moved up to West Siloam Springs, Carr said the town had two convenience stores and a restaurant called Hickory House on the state line between Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Carr worked at her husband's night club bartending and collecting cover charges if they had a concert, Carr said.
Entering politics
Carr said entering politics was easy because in high school her class would take a section of the newspaper and talk about it. She credits her husband for encouraging her to enter politics, Carr said. When she ran for office, Carr was hoping to bring some growth to the community she called home.
Under her watch, Carr helped to bring businesses to West Siloam Springs and got grants from the Cherokee Nation, she said. During her time as a trustee, she worked on grants, she said. Carr said she reached out to Grand Gateway, an economic development association in Big Cabin, Okla.
Through this entity she worked to acquire grants to help further the town, Carr said. For Carr, politics is not about power and position but serving the people she represented.
"You have to ask the Good Lord to help you," Carr said. "You have to do it for the town not for you."
Serving as mayor
Carr said being chosen as mayor was an honor.
"I was kind of shocked, but I was on the board for a little bit so I had some insight," Carr said.
As mayor, Carr got out and greeted people and worked with federal and state entities to ensure the success of the town.
Kris Kirk, CPA, who serves as the accountant for West Siloam Springs said he does not think he has met anyone so committed to her town and local government.
"I think she was really an asset for the town and anyone that has anything to do with city government really misses her," Kirk said.
Carr accomplished a lot as mayor. She moved the town park from Pine Street to the lot adjacent to town hall, brought natural gas to West Siloam Springs and worked with the South Delaware County Regional Water Authority (SDCRWA) to ensure the town had its own water service, she said.
One of Carr's major accomplishments was to ensure no police officer worked a shift alone, according to West Siloam Springs Police Chief Larry Barnett. Carr increased the police department budget so two officers would be on patrol per shift, Barnett said.
Carr also worked to increase sales tax for medical marijuana and online shopping as well as fighting to make sure the town did not lose its state grocery tax, she said.
Cherokee Nation Businesses CEO Chuck Garrett said it was an honor to work with Carr on several projects during her tenure of service.
"Since Carr first took office in 2003, she worked diligently beside many great community partners, including the Cherokee Nation and our businesses, to create new jobs, expand water, sewer and emergency services, improve roadways and to increase economic development in West Siloam Springs," Garrett said.
Over the years, Carr became involved with the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML), Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG) and the Council of Mayors. In 2009, Carr was elected as Mayor of the Year for Population Under 5,000 and in 2017 she was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for city administrators, she said.
"She is a very hard worker very sweet and kind person," said Kay Hunt, director of Communications for OML.
Hunt said Carr always recognized OML staff and was a great representative for West Siloam Springs and the state of Oklahoma.
Carr said the most valuable lesson she learned as mayor was to listen to the people.
"That's who gets you elected on the board and you have to listen to your town people," Carr said.
Working with the state
When Carr was elected Mayor of the Year she did not know what OML did so she went to every class and educated herself on the organization. The time spent helped Carr deal with state issues, she said. Carr learned to work both sides of the aisle and met a lot of interesting people along the way.
During her time as mayor, Carr had the opportunity to meet former Vice President Mike Pence and former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who recently announced she is running for governor of Arkansas.
Jamie Smith, the member services representative and legislative specialist for OML has known Carr for 15 years and became a close friend, Smith said.
"She was a big advocate for West Siloam Springs and Northeast Oklahoma," Smith said.
Carr began working with the Oklahoma Council of Mayors around 2010 representing District One. During her time on the council she attended conferences and worked to better her town and region, Carr said.
Retirement
While she may have retired from city government, Carr is not sitting idly by. She still works for the post office as mail carrier in Siloam Springs and she serves as a liaison between West Siloam Springs and the state of Oklahoma. The position is unofficial and is a way for Carr to help her town.
The state legislature is currently out of session, but Carr said she routinely receives emails from U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). Carr said marijuana and teacher pay will be two ongoing issues at the state level and with the recent Supreme Court case McGirt v Oklahoma in July of last year, new federal tribal laws have gone into effect. Carr did not elaborate on what those were.
One project Carr is still working on is creating a four lane highway between West Siloam Springs and Sallisaw, Okla.
Carr said since her retirement she has gotten to enjoy some leisure time. Along with working at the post office, Carr helps her husband with the mini golf course and the two took a train ride from Springdale to Van Buren.
Civic Organizations
While Carr does not serve in any local organizations she is still serving on the Oklahoma Hall of Fame for towns and cities. Carr plans to attend a session on marijuana on Sept. 8-9 and will attend the OML conference where awards will be given out for last year's winners.
"We meet twice a year," Carr said. "We talk about funding. We go over nominees in July. there are qualifications that you have to meet. It's a short meeting."
Final thoughts
Carr encourages people to go to their city council meetings and see what's happening in their town. She also encourages everyone to run for public office at least once.
"I wish we had more women like Elaine Carr in this world," Smith said. "It would be a better world."
