Discuss the Candidates: Round 1
Well, last week marked the last of the first round of Mayoral candidate interviews and we are excited about the fact that we were able to hear from all five candidates running in the November Fayetteville Mayoral election.
Our objective for the first round of questions was to get to know the candidates in a really informal kind of way and find out a little about the personalities of them more than anything else.
Next, we’d like to get a little more in-depth. The second round of questions will be based more on what we think the central issues are facing Fayetteville going forward, and each candidate’s stance on these issues. We’d like to make these interviews a little more uniform so that we get everyone’s ideas on each issue, and as always, we want to keep our interviews short and sweet.
Since the comments were turned off, we’d like to provide a space here to talk about the first round of interviews, and then get an idea of the kinds of issues you would like us to address on the next round.
If you need a reference, you will be able to find all the candidate interviews on the Flyer home page, located for your convenience in the “Mayoral Candidate Zone.”
So, let’s hear it Fayetteville. Which candidate was most impressive? Who surprised you? Who is full of baloney? Who Springdale’d it up? Here’s your chance to talk about it.
Comments
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Greg
August 11, 2008
Thanks again for bringing attention to the mayoral race, guys.
JP
August 11, 2008
I wish Dan Coody could have answered the question instead of talking about how great he was as mayor. Some questions he didn’t even get to the topic. All I got out of his piece was that he is full of himself.
WM
August 11, 2008
The mayor’s good at avoiding questions by talking about himself.
Totalbastard
August 11, 2008
Eeesh, I friended Coody on facebook, but I had to give him up.
His political connections are Che Guevara friendly.
What a Marxist dick.
fact checker
August 11, 2008
which question didn’t he answer? I read them all and he gave maybe too much info but I thought he answered them all.
WM
August 12, 2008
@fact checker
He didn’t answer the question about whether he’d seen Dark Knight. Instead he rambled a bit about the new movie theater, trying to make it sound as if he was responsible for it being built. Like JP says above, he’s full of himself. Read the last parapgrah and you’ll know pretty much everything you need to about the Mayor, himself, and him.
George
August 13, 2008
Mayor Coody’s not that bad. I don’t see eye to eye with him on everything, but you have to admit the city has made strides under his leadership. Can he take full credit for that? Hell no…but he’ll try of course. He’s a politician.
TB – You say “Che Guevara friendly” like it’s a bad thing. He was a revolutionary of the people. Errrr…until he started taking pleasure in death and torture. But that **** can happen to anyone.
Totalbastard
August 13, 2008
Haha. Che.
Yeah, he was a neato guy.
Until he murdered all those people who disagreed with La Revolucion.
I was shocked at how Left-leaning Coody’s purported politicians he “supports” on Facebook were.
Gavin Newsom, Dennis Kucinich, Al Franken, etc.
I am not a republican, but Kucinich and Newsom are damned communists.
All that aside, I dig the trails.
Idk, I probly won’t vote.
Why does it always take Pinkos to get parks and trees and trails?
fact checker
August 13, 2008
Kucinich is the only one with enough ball to do what needs to be done, impeach Bush. Go Dennis!
EL Dookie
August 13, 2008
“Kucinich is the only one with enough ball to do what needs to be done …”
He and Lance Armstrong. That guy has a lot of ball too.
Gerry
August 13, 2008
“Kucinich is the only one with enough ball to do what needs to be done”
He’s been wildly successful in nabbing a hot wife and ingratiating him with the most radical left 2% of the country, I’ll give you that.
For those of us who prefer a more balanced approach, not so much.
These people are running for Mayor, not for Czar. Ideology for national politics matters extremely little as far as how well they would execute the office of Mayor.
I spend some time talking with the three of the candidates at the Farmer’s Market this past weekend. By far the one that impressed me the most was Walt. I encourage others to read his website and, if he is out there at the Market again one of these coming weekends, to spend some time talking to him. Don’t take my word for it beyond the suggestion that you hear him out.
Gerry
August 13, 2008
“Why does it always take Pinkos to get parks and trees and trails?”
Bring back the Whigs! They were the party that was pro-business, pro-infrastructure and spending on public development (including parks and such), and social moderation (neither overly conservative nor radical).
Too bad they tried to straddle the slavery issue rather than opposing it (which would have left the Democrats as the pro-slavery party), and thereby fell apart when the issue came to the forefront.
Totalbastard
August 13, 2008
Gerry:
Thanks for the tip on Walt. I am liking it.
New slogan:
Coody = Busted and Old
Eilers = New Hotness
scryberwitch
August 14, 2008
Coody a leftist? Don’t make me laugh. A real leftist administration would have done something to help the working-class people, like provide affordable housing and a decent minimum wage. The only “leftists” who support him are the ones who own big houses in the historical district and downtown.
How about asking Steve Clark if he supports re-enfranchising all felons in the state (meaning, let felons continue to vote)? After all, after he committed a felony when he was the state’s attorney general, his political life should have been over. Only because he had well-connected friends did he get a pardon and his record expunged. Other felons don’t get so lucky.
fact checker
August 14, 2008
Walt’s an even bigger phony, all one has to do is look at what he says compared to what he actually does. I can at least look at what Coody has accomplished and know I will get more of the same like trails and parks and trees and sustainablity. The other guys are totally untested except for Lioneld and he just caves to whoever is in the crowd. No leadership skills at all. There all just telling you what they think you want to hear.
Totalbastard
August 14, 2008
Adam Fire Cat is immune to controversy.
If only he had 18 kids….
halfdeserted
August 14, 2008
I don’t know Walt personally, but I heard a pretty ****ty story about him. A friend of mine is a (quite successful) local real estate agent, and she brokered the sale of a house down the street from where Walt lives. The new owners rented the home out to some college kids, and Walt called her, irate that she had helped to introduce some noisy college kids to his neighborhood. Of course, anyone with half a brain knows that real estate agents have to abide by fair housing laws, meaning that anyone with the means to buy the property has the right to do so. So Walt tells the real estate agent that he plans to tell everyone he knows not to use her services ever again, and that he will basically talk trash about her all around town. That’s a real douchebag move right there.
Two weeks later, he called her and asked her to be on his campaign committee. Needless to say, she declined.
The moral of this story is that Walt Eilers seems to be an **** who has little regard for fair housing laws and stoops to malicious-gossip-spreading lows when he has a problem with someone.
halfdeserted
August 14, 2008
Oh, third moral– he also appears to have a slight problem remembering things, like instances where he acted like a douchebag.
Gerry
August 14, 2008
“I don’t know Walt personally, but I heard a pretty ****ty story about him…. stoops to malicious-gossip-spreading lows when he has a problem with someone.”
The irony police would like to speak to you.
/Anonymous second-or-third hand accounts that no one can verify fall into the category of gossip-spreading.
halfdeserted
August 14, 2008
It happened to my friend. I don’t have any personal problem with Walt, but I don’t respect the way he behaved with my friend.
fact checker
August 14, 2008
The irony is, Walt went to a ward 4 meeting to complain about his noisy neighbors and now he’s down on Dickson Street trolling for vote by promising people he’s going to raise the decibel limit for outdoor music. I wonder what those neighbors are going to think when they find out.
WM
August 14, 2008
Seems to me there are places where a little noise is acceptable, “fact checker,” and Dickson seems like it would be one of them.
Mervin
August 14, 2008
Fact checker doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Walt’s complaint
wasn’t with noise, but with the violation of a neighbourhood covenant
and ordinance violation. Five unrelated people were living in the
home; city code only allows for three unrelated people.
As for the noise ordinance, Benjamin Del Shreve and another group were
each fined $500 two weeks ago for playing too loudly on a Friday
night. Dickson is an entertainment area and should be treated as
such, so relaxing the ordinance on the weekends only makes sense.
Gerry
August 14, 2008
Thanks for that, Mervin.
However, it makes me think there was meat to halfdeserted’s accusation. While Walt may have been right to be upset over the living arrangements in the rental, taking it out on a realtor doesn’t seem wise nor appropriate, unless he somehow knew without any chance of being wrong that she rented it to them knowing they were planning on having more people living there than code allowed.
halfdeserted
August 14, 2008
She wasn’t actually involved in renting it at all– she just represented the seller who sold it to someone who then rented it out to some noisy folks.
Mervin
August 14, 2008
Dear halfdeserted,
the complaint was about the five cars parked on the street + the cars of significant others. That makes between 5-10 cars on a narrow street.
Gerry
August 14, 2008
I very much think that Coody has not earned re-election. He’s been uninspired in office, and seems to think the very things that are in place to ensure discipline in spending and accountability are annoyances.
Jordan is way out there in left field. These guys are running for Mayor, not for the opportunity to prove that the Soviets could have made it work on the local level if they did it right.
Fire Cat, well…
And now I hear Walt has been a bit of a jerk to a realtor.
And Clark is completely a waste.
This is now depressing.
Mervin
August 14, 2008
Gerry,
Maybe you should ask Walt about this at farmers market when you see him this Saturday.
halfdeserted
August 15, 2008
Mervin– Thanks for the info about the complaint to the city. My disappointment was with his behavior in regard to my friend, the real estate agent, who obviously didn’t do anything wrong in selling a house to a qualified buyer.
fact checker
August 15, 2008
Mervin needs to check his facts about tickets on Dickson st. I happen to live around the corner and have complained when it goes too late and is too loud. They don’t give tickets to bands, it goes to the establishment. so whoever this Benjamin is, I’m sure he didn’t get a ticket.
Greg Leding
August 15, 2008
Actually, fact checker, it depends on the establishment. If a venue takes the fine out of the door, the band or performer often loses that cut. So while you’re correct that often it isn’t the performer who’s ticketed, the performer does often pay the price.
A lot of us live near Dickson. I’m surprised you don’t know the artist to whom Mervin referred, ma’am, since you “live around the corner.”
Anthony
August 15, 2008
The Walton Arts Center blues guy gets noise tickets all the time too.
Mervin
August 15, 2008
Dear factchecker,
A wise man once told me that you can’t choose to live by the airport and then complain about the noise from the planes. Similarly, if you choose to live by Dickson St, like I do, then please enjoy some of Fayetteville’s arts.
Gerry
August 15, 2008
Factchecker sounds like the kind of person who thinks that taxes on corporations come out of the pockets of rich people, rather than the pockets of the poor and middle class customers of the final products and services.
Totalbastard
August 15, 2008
The Walton Arts Center Blues guitar guy is my fave.
I can’t believe I just typed “fave”.
doubleK
August 15, 2008
The Walton Arts Center blues guy has a name: Kyle Lee.
Greg Leding
August 15, 2008
Walt Arts Center Blues Guitar Guy IS pretty freaking cool.
halfdeserted
August 15, 2008
I went to high school with him. Definitely an interesting guy.
fact checker
August 15, 2008
I don’t care if the bands play within their allowed limits, I don’t like it when they ignore the law. there has to be accommodation for everyone in downtown, not just live music.
fact checker
August 15, 2008
How can one guy violate the noise ordinance?
Greg Leding
August 15, 2008
Perhaps, ma’am, the legal decibel level is a tad low.
halfdeserted
August 16, 2008
Greg– Out of curiosity, how do you know Fact Checker is female?
consider the source
August 16, 2008
Sorry Mr. Leding, but I don’t think “Walt” Arts Center will catch on-nor will it help your guy get elected.
Gerry
August 16, 2008
Sockpuppet alert!
fact checker
August 16, 2008
This is all getting a little off track anyway. I do happen to be female, lucky guess and I happen to live downtown because I don’t have to drive everywhere. I don’t have to buy expensive gas because I’m near a grocery store, my bank, the library, post office and lots of retaurants. Why should I be forced to give that up because a few people don’t want to obey the law. I have a right to live where it is affordable for me.
Greg Leding
August 17, 2008
My apologies, “consider”; the “Walt Arts Center” was an accident. And I didn’t know “fact checker” was a female; she’s right that it was a guess, but it wasn’t so much luck as putting pieces together. We know who she is.
And yeah, Mervin and I both work for Walt’s campaign. We’ve made no attempt to hide that; it’s why we use our real names rather than false, anonymous identities. We’re here to make sure discussion stays focused on real issues, and to immediately and clearly stop any rumors related to any candidate, not just Walt. The story above, as told by “half deserted,” is inaccurate. The home in question was sold to an LLC, not a person, and the arrangement violated that neighborhood’s covenant.
I think the Fayetteville Flyer intended for us to discuss the candidates’ profiles and issues, not hurl vague, anonymous accusations at them.
You’ll never hear vague, anonymous accusations from Walt, his campaign, or his supporters.
consider the source
August 17, 2008
Greg, I believe you mean well. But your candidate did complain at the Ward 4 meetings,where he tried unsuccessfully to recruit people to police their own neighborhoods and join his crusade against college students who had the occasional party or entertained their significant others, that the house in question was sold to a man from Bentonville. He named him. At least twice. Said he moved his son and some of the son’s friends into your candidate’s neighborhood. Remarked-two months in a row-that he and his wife did not expect that, having paid over $300K for their house, they would have to deal with such annoyances. His comments were not well received there. He came across as pompous and elitist and a droning uninspirational speaker. Also left me to wonder if he remembered ever being young himself.
Greg Leding
August 17, 2008
So we’ve learned Walt challenged what he and his neighbors counted as a violation of their neighborhood’s covenant–as all concerned citizens have the right to do in similar situations, whether they’re concerned about the possibility of a water tower going up next door, three speed tables going up on their street, or campaign signs violating city code. Everything else you’ve presented is opinion–and you’ve given no one the ability to judge your opinion since you continue to write anonymously.
There are real issues facing our community. Why don’t we talk about the candidates’ plans since that was the original intent of this thread? Why don’t we talk about the airport dying, the giant hole on the Square, the question as to whether it’s fiscally responsible to tap reserves, or our under manned police force? Why don’t we talk about the coming closing of another music venue, or the noise ordinance, or the closing or cutting back of local independent businesses like Enigma? What about the cost overruns and delays associated with the waste treatment facility? What are we going to do to keep the Walton Arts Center? How can the UA and Fayetteville come together to benefit both? Why do we have traffic calming medians in intersections around which our fire and sanitation personnel can’t navigate? Why aren’t we sticking to the 2025 plan more closely? Why did we commit ourselves to depending so heavily on sales tax? How are we going to reconcile the opinions of developers with those who favor impact fees in a way that best meets the needs and goals of our community? How are we going to attract the attention of companies like HP?
We want to talk about serious issues and the future of our community. You want to call people names because you can do so safely when you don’t have to identify yourself. You’re part of the reason so many people are so cynical politics, because it’s people like you that cheapen the process.
If anybody here is interested in an open discussion about something real, then Mervin, I, and others would be happy to talk. We can’t promise we’ll agree with you, but we promise we’ll debate without resorting to name-calling.
halfdeserted
August 17, 2008
Well, I for one am hoping that interviews with and articles about the candidates, both here on the FF and in local newspapers, will break down the candidates’ stances, issue by issue, so that I can make an informed decision. I don’t feel like I know all that much about the candidates at this point, though certainly I’m aware of many of the decisions that Coody has made in the last few years. I look forward to learning more about them before November rolls around.
consider the source
August 18, 2008
Where has Walt been while all of these decisions were being made, Greg? The first I heard of him was when he was whining about college students living off campus, particularly living near him. Nary one public peep about even ONE of the more substantive issues you have raised. Funny, though, that when he announced he had nothing but effusive praise for Mayor Coody and his policies and stated he was running to continue them. Word on the street is that the Mayor was the one who encouraged Walt to run until he decided to run again himself. They seemed to be joined at the hip for some time there. What enlightened him on all of these issues? Being pushed aside so the mayor could further bloat his ego?
By all means, all voters should read subsequent interviews and attend or at least watch all debates.
Greg Leding
August 18, 2008
Walt’s been involved in the community since he moved here, Consider (or whoever you are; why do I feel like Mervin and I are the only two without masks around here?) He was a founding member of the FHNA and helped raise the money needed to save the 67-some acres of Mt. Sequoyah; he’s still on the board. He served on the board of Seven Hills; he’s on the board of the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks. He chaired the Race for the Cure in 2005. And he’s done all of this while running two consulting companies, one of which provides consultation to businesses while the other does the same for nonprofits like Ozark Natural Science Center and the Yvonne Richardson Community Center. (And we might also remember that he worked on the Save Old Main campaign back in the late eighties.) So he’s been involved in the community in his own way.
And you’re right, Consider: When Mayor Coody learned friends were encouraging Walt to run last fall, Dan encouraged Walt to do so and pledged his support. His wife, Deborah, even worked directly for our campaign for a few months. Then Dan shifted his allegiance to Steve Clark, and Deborah worked to help Steve. Then he decided to run himself, and Deborah’s seen the playbooks of two of his opponents.
What made Walt decide to run was that he saw Fayetteville in a financial crunch, and he saw a Mayor whose frequent battles with the City Council have created a hostile atmosphere not conducive to cooperation. Walt believes his experience teaching, heading a teachers association, leading a telecommunications firm through an IPO, and running two consulting firms give him the broadest range of experiences of any of the candidates. Again, he’s no politician; he’s just a guy who was encouraged to run by his friends and colleagues.
I still find it funny that you use “consider the source” as your name, and yet you don’t tell us who you are.
I agree with you on one count, whoever you are: it’s important for all voters to pay close attention.
George
August 18, 2008
Does anyone else get the feeling that this has spiraled into something totally unproductive? I feel dumber just from reading this bs. If the goal of “Greg” and “consider” is to bore the pants off us until we no longer care if there’s a point buried in here somewhere…then I say well done. Sounds to me like they both work for (or strongly support) one of the candidates and are just slinging poop.
And this is a blog. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to remain anonymous. I mean, my real name is Sgt Salt Peter McLovin…but I go by “George” for obvious political reasons.
Mervin J
August 18, 2008
Dear George,
I would interject to say that neither Greg nor I have engaged in the “slinging of poop”. We have repeatedly made pleas to discuss real issues.
George
August 18, 2008
Haha. Fair enough Mervin. I’m still trying to make up my mind on our mayoral candidates. I’ll continue to research.
P.S. Thanks for spelling out “poop”. I like bringing you guys down to my level. ;)
fact checker – While I appreciate your right to a geographically strategic domicile, you do understand the Dickson St area is an entertainment district. Right? Sure, if the establishments are violating the noise laws…maybe they should get a ticket. I think what many people would argue (me included) is that we need to update the noise ordinance to promote tourism and the option of rowdy, yet legal, late-night revelry.
consider the source
August 18, 2008
Mervin wrote:”We have repeatedly made pleas to discuss real issues.” That’s precisely why I was asking where Walt has been when these debates were ongoing, when decisions were being made. Greg is a good spinner and an admirable supporter of Walt’s. But Walt did launch his campaign by promising he would be the new Coody. Lots of us would rather have almost anything BUT a new or an old Coody to stomach for the next four years.
Fayetteville is known for and proud to be a great community for debating issues and the Council meetings provide an open forum for anyone with an opinion on any issue to voice their viewpoints. Granted Coody does his best to discourage some of that. Where was Walt? Why was he so willing to kiss up to Coody and base his campaign on that? It’s all too easy to second guess and Monday morning quarterback when you have not taken the time or shown the courage to show up and weigh in when it counted.
Irony Police
August 18, 2008
Stop right there. We have a serious irony violation, section C, subparagraph IIa.1– Anonymously posting on a message board, so no one can consider the source, using the name “consider the source.”
Kind of like ‘fact checker’ throwing out accusations without any verifiable details so that people could check the facts.
Greg Leding
August 18, 2008
Thanks, Irony Police.
And Walt never promised to be “the next Coody.” He’s his own man, and he recognizes the good things city leadership has done–as well as the areas where there’s room for improvement. As I stated above, Walt’s no politician; he’s been an active member of the community in his own way. That doesn’t seem to be enough for Consider.
And yeah, George, this spiraled into something unproductive–but I think if you look back you’ll see who’s responsible. We can talk about the forty-nine speed tables in town and how they’ve extended the fire department’s average response time by sixty seconds and how they’re adding to the maintenance cost of the fire department’s trucks. We can ask why neither the police nor the fire department have a voice when it comes to street planning and traffic calming. I’m just thinking out loud here. If you’ve got something specific you’d like to talk about George, I’m all ears.
Gerry
August 18, 2008
The speed tables are an absolutely horrible idea. Just plain horrible. This is not a town that I have experienced any sort of speeding problem– and I have two kids, three cats and a dog (who don’t normally roam but do occasionally, to my chagrin, get out). The places that might get speeders are Township between the lights, Mission, and Joyce– places that don’t have the tables.
It is as if someone decided, we can fight global warming by making drivers in our little town drive 3 miles an hour less. Go green! The fact of the matter is we want to make our town more liveable, which means making it cleaner, more beautiful, more well policed, better protected by firemen, more hospitable to the college students who are our lifeblood, and not have it be a place for building projects that are badly thought-out and pseudo-green socio-experimentation.
The speed tables are an example of good intentions that anyone with a smidgeon of sense would have realized were a bad idea in practice. The only reason that exists for keeping them is the cost of ripping them out.
Total bastard
August 18, 2008
I think I am drifing back to the Cood-meister.
I guess I am ok with socialism on a local level.
Gerry
August 18, 2008
“We can talk about the forty-nine speed tables in town and how they’ve extended the fire department’s average response time by sixty seconds and how they’re adding to the maintenance cost of the fire department’s trucks.”
Let’s be real– the added minute response time is mostly nothing much. Only in the rarest of situations will the one minute make a big difference.
Sucks to be you in those rare times, but they are still rare.
The added maintenance costs are definite. Added maintenance costs are also definite for everyone’s autos. But this is about curtailing those autos, anyway, right?
Greg Leding
August 18, 2008
Gerry, you’re right, sixty seconds isn’t much–unless it’s you trapped in a burning home. “Sucks to be you in those rare times” isn’t much consolation in those times, and I think if you ask each firefighter working in Fayetteville if they’d like to make it to a fire sixty seconds sooner, they’d each one say yes.
Maintenance costs are definite, you’re right; particularly when the city’s financial resources are pinched.
Gerry
August 18, 2008
That is a good point, Greg, when you say “if you ask each firefighter working in Fayetteville if they’d like to make it to a fire sixty seconds sooner, they’d each one say yes.”
My father was a fireman, (chief, actually) when I was growing up in a place far, far away from here. Yes, that makes me a foreigner here.
I was being sarcastic in my point.
The minute’s reaction time isn’t just bad luck for the people in the house or business that is burning. Rare is the time (but important) where a minute will make a difference for them.
A minute always means, however, that the fire is a minute further into its progression, which means more times than not more danger for the firemen.
Rather than putting in those annoyances, I would rather the money go to the police department and let them spend it on traffic control. Have those being reckless pay via tickets. Give a cop a job. Make things easier on the fire department, and easier on all of us.
Or have speed bumps because someone decided it is greener. As if a house burning longer (and needing more construction/repairs will somehow be less carbon-producing than the extra little speed people drive), so be it.
Which candidates think the speed bumps were a good idea and want them kept? I would like to know.
Gerry
August 18, 2008
I apologize for the tail-off in the quality of grammar at that last comment. I was distracted and lost track of where I was in the parenthesis. :-)
fact checker
August 19, 2008
My computer crashed and I have missed a lot. We are on the speed bumps now? I thought those where part of the street bond issue we all voted for. Isn’t that what Wilson Park and Washington Willow asked for and the council approved to go to a vote? Am I misinformed. How they make it into other neighborhoods I don’t know. I’m guessing this will come up in the debates.
Is Greg L. trying to scare me from posting here? What’s this we know who you are B.S.? Who cares who I am, I certainly don’t care who he is.
Greg Leding
August 19, 2008
Wow, fact checker, suddenly rather defensive. I think I’ve made it clear to everybody who I am since I use my name–and you know who I am. And I’m certainly not trying to scare you away. I’d love to hear more from you.
The conversation did move to something substantive, something, you know…fact-based.
FF sent out the second round of candidate questions late last night, so we’ll get to hear what the candidates have to say soon.
How about we talk about hospitality–how Fayetteville’s somewhat crippled by the lack of a large hotel since the Big Dig’s kaput and the Cosmopolitan only has about a hundred rooms available due to its renovation efforts.
We could talk about whether it’s fiscally responsible to tap city reserves–or whether it’s better to live within our means during tough times.
We could go back to the noise ordinance since “fact checker” has rejoined the conversation.
Total Bastard
August 19, 2008
I predict the hippies and tree huggers will all cancel each other out, voting for various candidates, while Steve Clark takes the big business money vote and wins it all.
We’re so ****ed.
Oh, I mean YOU’RE so ****ed.
We fat walleted Republicans are going to be laughing all the way to the non-LEED certified ****in BANK!!
AH-hahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…… *sob*
Corey
August 19, 2008
….I like Fire. I’ve been consistently impressed with his attitude and approach to the mayoral race.
If anything, he provides a breath of fresh air in a race between a lot of less-than-stellar bickering old men.
baggage checker
August 19, 2008
I’m with you, Corey. Fire Cat is my second choice. Less baggage. Coody, Eilers, and Clark tied for last……for obvious reasons.
Sardon
August 21, 2008
I’ve heard people call Lioneld The Hick and question his education. How about some FF questioning of the other candidates’ transcripts? Lioneld is a college dropout with a lot of continuing ed credentials. Does Coody have a degree in Construction Management from some school in Texas?
jokester
August 21, 2008
I heard Coody had a BS degree. He has demonstarted his expertise many times.
Hogwild1
August 21, 2008
So does anyone have real idea who they want to vote as Mayor? This is an extremely important time for the history of Fayetteville. Benton County seems to be making great decisions for business, while Fayetteville looks the other way on HP building a technology center that would have brought high paying jobs to the area. Combine that with a sewer plant fiasco and underachievements in the parks and streets and I think Coody needs to go away. Lioneld is a nice guy, but Steve Clark has the experience, knowledge and commitment needed to lead Fayetteville on a global scale. Its time for Fayetteville to have real leadership for everything that makes it special.
Christine
August 23, 2008
What I like best about FF are the total bastard comments (nice MIB quote up there on the 13th) but I’m chiming in about personal experience actually on topic. My family has been trying to get some stop signs in our neighborhood for years, working with the neighborhood assoc. and with the city. Dan=brush-off and rudeness & Lioneld=encouragement and action. And the latter was before he was running for mayor. People say he’s a hick? I heard him speak at the ground-breaking for Temple Shalom–he was totally inspiring and articulate. Lioneld would be a great mayor. I like how he sucked up to the FF interviewer in his interview, too.
hungry for more
August 26, 2008
When are those Round 2 interview answers expected to arrive? Looking forward to reading them. Any chance we could get a sneak peak at the questions? Good job on this. Thank you.
fact checker
August 26, 2008
Has Christine gotten her stop signs yet? By my calculations she has been working on it for 8 years if she talked to Coody before he was mayor. how has it worked out?
the Steve
August 26, 2008
@hungry for more- we are waiting on one candidate to respond before we start posting the second round interviews. Hopefully soon.
Total Bastard
August 26, 2008
The perfect storm is brewing for Steve Clark for Mayor.
Drive around Wilson Park neighborhood, or Washington Willow, and you see a slight edge for Coody as far as yard signs go, but Jordan and Eilers both are very well represented.
IMO, Eilers and Jordan both present a kind of watered down (or fortified, depending on you personal views ) version of Coody Lite.
I really think they are all three going to cancel each other out, and the richies from the East Side/Country Club and those who want a more business-friendly atmosphere in town are going to be unified behind Clark.
Oh dear me.
fact checker
August 26, 2008
I see Jordan as the most different than Coody although Clark does seem to be more in step with Bobby Ferrall’s way of thinking. Maybe he will appeal to the more buisness at all cost crowd. I think they are a shrinking constituency though.
Christine
August 26, 2008
fact checker:
former=first on the list, latter=second on the list. Latter in this case refers to Lioneld.
Stop signs, are you kidding? Dan said, “People don’t like stop signs.” We got speed bumps.
fact checker
August 27, 2008
That’s interesting because it is the street committee that makes those kinds of decisions and not the mayor. Lioneld has been on the street committee for over 7 years and the chairman for the last 4. He should have been able to get you what ever you wanted in his position. Why no stop sign again? People could be so much more effective if they just understood how the system works. The street committee approves everything from where a speed bump goes to which street gets paved. Then it goes to the full council to adopt if a contract is involved. If it has already been approved in the budget, ie., so much money for certain departments,it just goes to the administration for implementing. Surely you don’t think the mayor is saying who get stop signs and who gets speed bumps. I would be pissed if he was wasting his time on something like that. Why bother having a street committee?
hungry for more
August 27, 2008
Thanks, the Steve. I do appreciate your efforts on this. It is a true community service. Are you now planning to add Sami Sutton on this round? Sounds like from reading the Times that she has some broad ideas, can’t wait to read the specifics. This should be an exciting election cycle.
baggage checker
August 27, 2008
FC-or is it DC?-the mayor wastes his time on far less important details instead. He actually spends salaried time doing crucial things like using the city’s computer and server to try to deduce the true identity of a local blogger who dares to challenge his omnipotence. Major governmental relevance in that pursuit, I’m sure you’ll agree. You should be really pissed. A lot of us are.
Total Bastard
August 27, 2008
This fact checker person intrigues me.
Total Bastard
August 27, 2008
Jeff Long for Mayor.
Strokitecture
August 27, 2008
fact checker: your information is always helpful, thanks for chiming in on the posts. but as we all know the channels of protocol for things that do in fact become approved, built, or instated are influenced by people with ideas and motives. someone has to shake the tree, so common sense says that yes, while Dan Coody may not absolutely directly make the final decisions on things, he does influence them. Let’s hope this is the case for elected politicians, otherwise they would be useless (whoa).
fact checker
August 27, 2008
No arguement there Strokitecture, I’m sure he has an influence on many decisions, I just hope they have been more big picture than who gets a stop sign in their neighborhood.
Speaking of facts, I don’t know where to begin with AFCs answers. So much, so wrong, don’t have the time to comment.
Christine
August 27, 2008
fact checker, I am reporting the experience my family has had in the community, I’m not interested in debating the city bureaucracy with you. Lioneld took the action he could, which included meetings with Perry, and Dan did not. He was distinctly unhelpful, although, interestingly, he recently returned a phone call on the topic. Hmmm.
fact checker
August 27, 2008
how recently?
Christine
August 28, 2008
Check my phone records, ya nosy bugger.
Sardon
August 28, 2008
The Awesome 6th St. Chik-Fil-A for Mayor. Write in. As Kinky Friedman asked, “why the hell not?”
WM
August 28, 2008
I wouldn’t be surprised if “fact checker” is none other than “deborah coody”
Total Bastard
August 28, 2008
Ron Paul!
Ron Paul!
Ron Paul!
baggage checker
August 28, 2008
That’s what I meant by DC, WM. (11:11) It is certainly some knee jerk Coody apologist, spinner, and attack dog.
Ronnie
August 28, 2008
I have had the displeasure of dealing with “Honest” Dan Coody for the last 8 years. I’m not going to go into the how’s and why’s because the man is vindictive. I have seen and dealt with that personality trait personally. Shades of Stalin, yes.
The single biggest question everyone should be asking about Coody is why the west side waste water treatment plant was so far over budget ($66 million) and so far behind schedule(3 years).
Go to this link for a complete time line and videos of Dan contradicting himself. http://nw-ar.com/ef/
We can go on and on about speed tables. First the fact about fire department response times and speed tables. For every speed table between you and the fire company responding to your emergency add 30 seconds. Now that might not sound like at lot to you but take into consideration the FFD has a target response time of 4 to 6 minutes to 90% of the city. OK still doesn’t sound like a lot to you? Pretend your husband is having a heart attack or your 3 year old got into your neighbor’s poor and isn’t breathing. Still think and extra minute doesn’t matter? Fire’s aren’t the biggest concern in response times, medical emergencies are. Coody claims he is responsible for 3 new fire stations since he came into office. Technically he is right. 3 new stations were built in the last 8 years. 2 of them were replacements and relocations for aging and out of date stations. One (Station 7) was an actual expansion for the department. That station went way over budget, was way behind schedule, and from what the men say is not practical. Coody had his hands all over that project and is on record making a quote that “he wants a building he will see on the cover of a magazine.”
I could go on and on but it’s late and I’m tired. Maybe next time I’ll get into the shenanigans that have pulled with city employee’s pay.
fact checker
August 29, 2008
Not DC but PT. Why so interested in who I am? Can’t stand someone who uses actual facts?
Total Bastard
August 29, 2008
Crazy Bob fer Mayor, easy as pie…
spin cycler
August 29, 2008
Very funny, “PT”. You only regurgitate the mayor’s version of “the facts”, not actual unvarnished truth. You are fooling nobody.
fact checker
August 31, 2008
Was George’s the first outdoor music venue? It’s the only one I can remember from the early 90’s? It just isn’t the same without the big tree. If not, what were the others before or after that?
Johnathan
September 8, 2008
WTG on the interview, Sami. Just a hint for future ones, pick all local restaurants and businesses. Oh, and don’t hate on the Hogs. Politic’n is more about being diplomatic than alienating your constituents.
In younger words, ‘You gotta represent, yo.”
SNORLAX
September 8, 2008
Oh man I’m starving I could totally go for some cheese dip and tea right now. Perfect dinner.
GO LIONELD
October 14, 2008
Lioneld has the endorsements of… The Sierra Club, The Firefighters, and The Fraternal Order of Police! This man is unstoppable and he obviously has the backing to prove it!
VOTE LIONELD JORDAN FOR MAYOR!