The filing period for candidates seeking city offices begins Wednesday and runs for one week. It might be a very interesting week, especially in Eureka Springs.

The politics of Eureka are fascinating, even as dysfunctional as they are. And the 2022 election could be even more interesting than usual.

As much as Mayor Butch Berry and some of his defenders on the city council insist there’s nothing to see here, the truth is that Berry’s administration has been a reign of error.

The city is facing multiple lawsuits, the longtime and much-respected fire marshal sped up his retirement to “disassociate” himself from the fire department, the police chief continues to insist than an investigation of a former city employee remains open and active after 17 months with no arrests and no charges, and city officials including Berry himself have been recorded gossiping and spreading rumors about other officials and city employees past and present.

Of course, Berry and his friends have done their best to keep most of the dysfunction hidden from public view.

The latest example came last week when city council member Autumn Slane wanted to discuss the most recent lawsuit filed against the city — by a former employee who alleges she was sexually harassed and that Berry and finance director Lonnie Clark didn’t step in and stop the behavior.

Berry and city attorney Forrest Jacobi shut Slane down quickly at last week’s city council meeting, saying they couldn’t discuss the lawsuit.

When Slane asked when the lawsuit would be discussed at the council table, she was told that it won’t. Nor was Slane able to get any cooperation in trying to get to the bottom of the issues with the fire department.

Council member Melissa Greene — one of the city officials caught on an audio recording spreading rumors about former city employees and bad-mouthing other public officials — was quick to downplay the lawsuit.

“Anybody can sue anybody,” Greene said.

I don’t know whether the allegations in Dannelle Tomarchio’s lawsuit are true. I know they are serious in nature and I feel pretty confident that Melissa Greene doesn’t know if they are true, either. To dismiss them out of hand sends the wrong message to city employees and more importantly to the people of Eureka Springs who elected Greene to represent them.

For the record, the city itself is named as a defendant in Tomarchio’s lawsuit. The fact that Berry and Jacobi want the city’s governing body kept in the dark about the facts of the case is telling.

If whispers around town are correct, Berry will have at least one very intriguing challenger on the November ballot. Should Greene and her fellow Berry enabler, Harry Meyer, seek re-election they’ll be challenged as well.

I can’t imagine the citizens of Eureka Springs are happy with the current condition of their city government, as much as Berry, Greene and Meyer continue to insist that everything is just fine.

Eureka Springs needs real leadership. Denying, minimizing and ignoring the problems can’t continue.

Fixing the problem won’t happen overnight, but voters could take a big step in the right direction on Nov. 8.

Scott Loftis is managing editor for Carroll County Newspapers. His email address is SLoftis@cherryroad.com.