Helena-West Helena City Council · Ward 1
Robert Cheek
for City Council, Ward 1
Competent, honest, transparent city government — and a council member who does the work between meetings, not just at the dais.
Helena-West Helena City Council · Ward 1
for City Council, Ward 1
Competent, honest, transparent city government — and a council member who does the work between meetings, not just at the dais.
Why I'm running
Fifteen years managing data and budgets at scale for our schools. Four years on the A&P Commission. And the last several years fighting — in public and on paper — for fair, accountable water rates.
My family and I own and operate the Edwardian Inn. I'm running for Ward 1 to support the mayor's office the right way: not by rubber-stamping, but by doing the homework, asking the hard questions, and being accountable to the people I'd represent.
The record
I read the rate study, ran the comparisons, and drafted full alternative water and sewer ordinances — plus a draft ordinance to establish an independent water commission. And the increase we're now locked into keeps climbing on its own: an average monthly water and sewer bill rises from about $43 toward $60 by 2033. Not opinions. Legislation.
The council agreed on the record that the first increase would take effect January 1, 2025 — then the new rate landed on December bills, including one dated 12/30/2024. I caught it, put the citywide impact at roughly $180,000, and raised it publicly and with City Hall. Reading the fine print and holding officials to what they said is the job.
On the Advertising & Promotion Commission, I helped run the search for a new director and onboarded our new leadership — the unglamorous work of keeping a public body functioning well.
What I'll fight for
Ordinance language, budgets, and spending public and understandable before votes — not after. Public hearings for rate changes. Leadership measured on results.
Support the execution of the water funding already secured, demand accountability on every dollar and deadline, and finish the fight for an independent water commission.
From the historic core to West Helena — a council member you can actually find, at your door and at the meeting, already having read the fine print.
Rooted in Helena
I've lived in Helena since 2014 and have owned and operated the Edwardian Inn since 2019 — a 120-year-old building in the heart of downtown Ward 1. Meeting payroll, taxes, and regulations every day teaches you how government decisions actually land on the people who live with them.
I didn't leave. I invested. And I want the same for the rest of our ward.
Get involved
Sign the nominating petition, put up a yard sign, or just tell a neighbor. A small ward is won one conversation at a time — and every one counts.