How hard is it being Mayor? It’s a very challenging
job. My decisions make some people happy and some people mad.
It’s also very difficult to supervise 400 employees and take
care of 50,000 citizens.
Do you have guards at your house? Yes, I do. His name
is Auggie. He loves to be petted. If you pet him he will be your
friend for life. Oh, did I mention that Auggie is a miniature
Schnauzer? He has soft, salt and pepper fur and he loves
attention.
What is your favorite football team? I like them all,
but I suppose my favorite team is the Indianapolis Colts. I hope
they win the Super Bowl because I like Peyton Manning.
Is it fun being Mayor? Yes, it is my dream job. But
it is not easy!
How long have you been Mayor? I have been Mayor for 7
years.
Do you still have time to do fun things with your family?
Yes, but I have to keep a schedule and make sure my family
stuff is on it.
Do you like being Mayor? It is my dream job.
What’s the best part of being Mayor? It’s not the
power. It’s being able to make a positive difference in
someone’s life. It’s about helping people.
How many people visit you a day? It varies.
Sometimes, I have just an individual coming to see me, sometimes
it’s groups. Sometimes, I see 30-40 people a day.
What’s your favorite baseball team? My favorite
baseball team is the professional team, the Saint Louis
Cardinals. When I was young, I would always take my radio to
school and listen to the cardinals. One day, when I was 11 years
old my dad told me to take a note to my teacher that I wouldn’t
be in school the next day. I asked why? He said because we were
going to get out of school to go see the Cardinals play the
Detroit Tigers in game #7 of the World Series. They lost! When
my son was in school, I told him to take a note to his teacher
that he wouldn’t be in school the next day. When he asked why, I
told him that we were going to go see the cardinals play the
Boston Red Sox in game #4 of the World Series. They lost again!
But I still love the St. Louis Cardinals!
Do you live in a mansion? No, I don’t. I don’t even
have a butler or a limo. I live in a regular house just like
yours.
Do you have children? Yes, I have 3 boys. Their names
are Phillip, Bradley, and William. We are a family just like
your family.
Do you have pets? Yes, I do. I have two cats named
Cairo and Louise. They are the biggest thugs. They sleep all day
and prowl at night. My wife named the cat Cairo after Cairo,
Egypt – near where I was deployed in 2001-02. I didn’t want
another cat so she named it Cairo so I would have to keep it. It
worked, so now we have two cats.
How many people have you fired? I don’t like to fire
people but I have probably fired a dozen over seven years.
Who is your most memorable school experience? Oh,
that’s easy. That was Ms. Lefty the principal. We called her Ms.
Lefty because she was left-handed and she was pretty large. When
you got sent to the principal’s office because you misbehaved,
Ms. Lefty had a huge paddle with holes in it that she spanked
you with. And she would draw her left arm back, and all the fat
on her arm would hang down, and then she would swing that paddle
towards your rear end, and it would hurt! It made quite an
impression on me!
Have you ever been to war? Not really, although I
have been deployed in the wake of the War on Terrorism. I was
deployed to Egypt after 9/11. My unit was on the Sinai Peninsula
keeping peace between the Egyptians and Israelis.
Do you give speeches in other states? I have not
given speeches in other states yet, but I have given speeches in
other cities in Arkansas.
Interview with Mayor Steve Womack
