CLOSED: Poll: Who will you vote for in the 2012 Fayetteville mayoral election?
Mayor Lioneld Jordan (left) announced his plans to run for a second term on the downtown square in March. Former mayor Dan Coody (right) kicked off his campaign near his Mount Sequoyah home in May.
Staff photos
NOTE: We just received a second incident of ballot stuffing abuse so we’ve closed the poll. Someone voted 68 times for one candidate. We removed 67 of those votes and deactivated the voting. The results are embedded below.
With the debates over, and early voting set to begin in a matter of days, it’s nearly time for Fayetteville residents to make a choice on who they want to lead the city for the next four years.
Current Mayor Lioneld Jordan is set to face former mayor Dan Coody in a race that will be decided on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Early voting begins on Oct. 22.
For those who are still undecided, we interviewed both candidates back in September, and you could also watch either the League of Women Voters debate or the Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods debate that we filmed.
We also attended the AAUW forum which included a short mayoral debate.
For those who have already made up their mind, please vote in our poll.
Who will you vote for in the 2012 Fayetteville mayoral election?
Flyer: Is this one of those polls that a person can vote in as fast as they can clear their browser history? If so, the results will be incredibly inaccurate, and actually misleading to the public.
“hippiehollow”, eh? Are you from Austin, Texas?
Yep, it is. LOL. I just voted twice.
Staff note: We’re aware of the issue and have reset the counter after making some software changes to the voting system. -Todd
Unfortunately, yes. In fact, people are stuffing the ballots by emptying their browser data and voting over and over again. In the past, this has not been a problem in our polls. Our only option now is to reset the counter and only allow one vote per IP address going forward. This will create a situation where some people won’t be able to vote since they share the same IP address. Our apologies to those folks.
If the abuse continues, we’ll remove the poll completely.
Pretty obvious which camp has the CHEATERS!!!!! They are probably responsible for the vandalizing of campaign signs too…..!!!!!!
I never saw a Dan Coody sign on the old main lawn, I’ll go with that guy
You never saw a Lioneld Jordan sign on the lawn of Old Main, either, unless you were there at the very time that campaign photo was taken. Of course, it could have been Photoshopped….
i see more dog crap on old main lawn that anything else, if we are being honest here.
Arkansas isn’t Harvard, kids trample all over the lawn and so do dogs regardless of what the signs say.
I wish people would act like adults.
Was there a debate last night or am I just missing the article here in the Flyer?
@curiosity – There was a mayoral forum last night at the Chamber of Commerce. We did not attend that event, but did provide coverage of the first three debates. You can find those in our Vote 2012 section.
Was kind of curious of what they said last night.
We have the first 30 minutes but the chamber has the whole thing. Maybe the Flyer could get a copy from them. They said they would get us a copy by Monday.
I would be surprised if either one of them had anything new to say.
Wow a couple of hours ago it was like 200 to 21 in favor of Jordan. I’m relived its a little closer now. (until you wacky Jordanites figure out another way to cheat the poll)
Mr. Jordan’s supporters must be cheating, because clearly it would be impossible for him to have that much legitimate support.
Yep– must be cheating.
Mayor Jordan has lots of support. Besides private citizens the police. fire, sherriff groups, the city counsel, etc. are behind the Mayor.
Apparently the Fireman at Hollywood street think it’s OK to campaign while in uniform and maybe even on duty. Saw one out at the corner of Hollywood and MLK this morning during rush hour waving one of those Union signs. Public Employee Unions are much worse than the super pacs… actually they are a super pac.
Here it is Todd a copy from the paper-
Staff note: Looks like you found what you were looking for. For copyright reasons, however, we can’t allow someone to post an entire story from another publication in our comments section. Here’s a link to the referenced story. -Dustin
Can’t read that link and I hear news reports constantly saying “as reported by…”
Hey curiosity. Fair use is one thing, but re-publishing someone’s copyrighted work in its entirety is illegal.
You’re probably right but I just find it odd that with a name like the “Fayetteville Flyer” we have no reporting on the last debate between the candidates for the position of Mayor of Fayetteville.
Staff note: Yeah. We do our best, but we don’t make it to everything. Almost, though. -Dustin
So if I voted before the ballot was reset, was my vote erased?
Call it ‘funny’, or ironic, or what-you-will—I find it hilarious that Dan Coody and his ilk have been so vocal about how Mayor Jordan does not have the class or sophistication to be Mayor, yet in the photos of them at their respective announcements for candidacy Mr. Coody is in rolled-up shirt sleeves, wearing frumpy clothes, dirty shoes that are dubiously tied, and is standing on a tree stump in the back yard. The one they keep calling un-classy and unsophisticated is wearing a coat and tie, is sharply dressed, and is on the Square.
But the real tell is how each is running their campaign. The Coody campaign came out of the gate with personal attacks on Mayor Jordan, and have followed up with attacks on his friends, and now his family. NOT classy. And not cool.
jmo
When did Coody or his campaign make personal attacks against Jordan or his family? Please elaborate.
If you’re talking about posters on here, Jordan supporters have been uglier, going as far as to accuse Dan of criminal activity.
I think Jordan sounds like a goof and has zero ideas, but I’m not a part of anybody’s campaign.
RE “When did Coody or his campaign make personal attacks against Jordan or his family?”
Monroe Jesuser said “Dan Coody and his ilk”. Repeatedly saying that Mr. Jordan talks like a hick and the like is a personal attack, not an attack on his policies or his ability to serve as mayor. Mr. Jordan was born in the area and has lived here his whole life, and he talks like many people who live around here. I find it ironic that you would even make that post.
A comment casting aspersions on one of Mr. Jordan’s daughters was removed from one of the Flyer thread a few days ago.
RE “Jordan supporters have been uglier, going as far as to accuse Dan of criminal activity.”
There has been no such accusation here. A commenter asked how much money Mr. Coody made up front on the Mountain Inn deal. I suspect the answer is “none at all”, but Mr. Coody has not answered the question. It’s a simple question, easily answered. But it is not an accusation. And it certainly is no uglier than casting aspersions on one of Mr. Jordan’s daughters. Any other examples?
RE “I think Jordan sounds like a goof”
That would be another personal attack. Since Mr. Jordan’s supporters would not make that personal attack, I take it you are of Mr. Coody’s ilk.
I do not recall anyone accusing Cood of criminal activity. I do recall questions that were never answered or left as ironic. Dan, Deb, Art, Moeshe or witch ever you are. definitely not Fecesfree.
IV: Asking “I wonder how much Dan Coody made on the front end of that deal?” is the same thing as making the accusation of kickbacks. You posted that a few times and you know it. You can say you were asking a question if you think it covers you, but it doesn’t.
There have been several accusations against Coody concerning “kickbacks” and unfair crony deals. Be truthful people, there are only a handful of vocal regulars here and we’re all reading the same comments every day.
‘Like’; +1; FTW’ whatever the newest abbrev. for saying I really like what you said and agree with it—Sorry, I don’t think I can keep up with the ubercool regarding the internet slang, but I’m laughing out loud (oops, LOL) at the truth of this post by vandelay. It’s still fun, though, and I’m sure we’ll keep it up.
(No, seriously, I really am laughing out loud!)
jmo
Ha! If I had gotten kickbacks I would be driving a Tesla Roadster!
Dan is right, and no one has presented any evidence that he took kickbacks while in office. Kickbacks would be taking cash for personal use, like buying a Tesla Roadster. Taking campaign contributions from developers you have helped or getting free trips from organizations like ICLEI is not the same as taking kickbacks. It is perfectly legal.
Further, Jordan supporters (like yourself) aren’t at all averse to lies on here (like your post) and dirty tricks to win internet polls.
I find it ironic that you would even make that post.
RE “Further, Jordan supporters (like yourself) aren’t at all averse to lies on here (like your post) and dirty tricks to win internet polls.”
What lies? Please elaborate. What dirty tricks to win internet polls? That sounds like an accusation. Please elaborate.
I find it ironic that you would even make that post.
The internet poll had to be re-set by the owners of the site, and Jordan was up by a factor of 20 to 1 because of false-voting. Most everybody here saw it. You can do your little late 90s internet forum “breakdown” of every point you want to argue about in a post, but you aren’t fooling anybody anymore.
Its not surprising that there is so much hateful stuff directed at Dan, because I suspect some of the regulars on here are literally fighting to save their jobs.
[I've asked the Flyer admin to remove my intervening post.]
RE “The internet poll had to be re-set by the owners of the site, and Jordan was up by a factor of 20 to 1 because of false-voting.”
We actually don’t know how many of the votes were false, or whether all of them were for Mr. Jordan, because that information has not been released. Regardless, since you don’t know that Mr. Jordan’s supporters who cast the multiple votes (it could have been underage pranksters), and since there are now two-thirds as many votes for Mr. Jordan now as there were before the software was adjusted (and perhaps the other third aren’t aware that their votes have been canceled), I don’t see that there is any proof that Mr. Jordan’s supporters pulled a dirty trick. But by all means, go for the conspiracy theory– it’s what makes these threads so entertaining.
RE “You can do your little late 90s internet forum ‘breakdown’ of every point you want to argue about in a post”
I do it for clarity, which is timeless.
RE “but you aren’t fooling anybody anymore.”
As far as I know, I’m not fooling anybody– nor have I ever set out to do so. However, if I have fooled you in the past, then I’m probably not surprised, given the head start.
RE “Its not surprising that there is so much hateful stuff directed at Dan”
Of course “I think Jordan sounds like a goof” isn’t the least bit hateful. Way to transcend.
RE “I suspect some of the regulars on here are literally fighting to save their jobs.”
How so?
Still leaning towards Coody at this point. I would still hate for him to put in parking meters on Dickson, but the way he describes the future plan of beautifying College Ave with wider sidewalks, room for bikes, trees and getting rid of the power lines. I don’t care if it takes 20 years. I don’t care how much it costs. That’s pretty much the only issue that affects my life. I could not care less about debating balanced budgets and who the firemen like and who’s unpleasant to work with. All I want is a nicer looking city.
Redevelopment of the North College Avenue corridor as Mr. Coody describes was called for in City Plan 2025, which was developed in part with citizen input offered in early 2006. (By the way– this wasn’t the first city plan. Other administrations developed city plans before Mr. Coody did.) Given that all of the ideas Mr. Coody espouses regarding that redevelopment came about while he was mayor, that this redevelopment was apparently very important to citizens at the time, and given the long-term nature of any such transition he (actually the citizenry) has envisioned, perhaps Mr. Coody can give us a quick summary of the results of his efforts to communicate with the Arkansas Highway Commission, SWEPCO and other overhead utility owners, and the hundreds of property owners along the corridor regarding how best to go about getting started on this mammoth project.
What has the Highway Commission said about the addition of medians? What have SWEPCO and the other utilities said about burying all of those overhead lines? What have adjacent property owners said about reconfiguring the right-of-way to include sidewalks? What has the Water and Sewer Department said about reconfiguring all of that open storm drainage?
As Mr. Coody is a man of action as well as of ideas, he must have begun to look into this during his last two years as mayor.
A few years ago SWEPCO investigated burying lines between Dickson & Maple (an area of approx. 3 blocks) to be in the neighborhood of 1.3 million. I wonder what the cost would be for then entirety of College Avenue?
http://www.apscservices.info/pdf/06/06-172-u_30_1.pdf
Those are 161 kV lines, the largest lines in NWA. There are no lines that size on College Ave. I’m not talking about burying lines as much as moving them off the streets and back to mid block easements. 8 kV lines, fiber optic and cable are easy to bury and that is required for all new subdivisions.
Thanks for the info there from Swepco, but I couldn’t care less how expensive it would be. It would be a much better use of money than gradually widening all of our roads or building a seemingly pointless roundabout or a parking deck. Beautify the streets, expand bike trails and sidewalks, increase public transit. And property owners on College would have to be complete idiots to not support revitalizing the street to increase foot traffic.
There is a big difference between the kind of lines across Dickson versus regular standard power lines. The former are rarely buried unless there are really, really good reasons to. The latter are buried with regularity everywhere.
I think one of the issues is that those larger lines create more heat and so require more extensive maintenance and more complex protection when they are buried.
I want to say that burying standard lines costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million per 1.3 miles. Not sure where I remember hearing that and it obviously would depend on a lot different factors but a quick google search could probably yield some good info.
I don’t think burying powerlines is as important as just getting them off the street front so that sidewalks and trees can be put in.
I support all those things for College Ave. that Ryan describes. College has the most economic potential of any street in town, and we should be eager to unleash it.
Are the adjacent property owners and tenants willing? Is the Arkansas Highway Commission willing? Are the utilities willing? Are our knuckle-dragging Teabagger chuckleheads in Congress willing to work to get funding?
@Ryan – as someone who actually has to navigate that Futrall/Millsap/north Hills intersection every day, I would beg to differ as to the roundabout being pointless. I’m positively thrilled to have that log-jam being corrected.
@Barb I’ve never in my life thought to myself that something needed to be done about that intersection. It honestly never even crossed my mind when I drive through. But whether other people thought a roundabout there was for some reason necessary isn’t really the point. My point is that if we have to worry about a budget there are several projects I would consider less important than fixing College Ave. In fact I consider any and all projects less important.
@glutenfree:
You said: “Its not surprising that there is so much hateful stuff directed at Dan, because I suspect some of the regulars on here are literally fighting to save their jobs.”
I think it really sad that Mr. Coody would threaten people’s jobs. Aside from some of the upper administration, for whom it is understandable that they would/could no longer be part of a new administration, no one who is doing a good job, who has had good evaluations, should be afraid they will be out of work just because a new mayor is elected. The unfortunate truth, however, is that *will* be the case, if Mr. Coody is elected.
You say you are not part of Mr. Coody’s campaign, yet you seem to speak in a voice that represents him. To make statements such as this indicate you are either privy to, or are part of developing, Mr. Coody’s policies and positions. If you are not, I’m surprised Mr. Coody’s campaign is in such a state of uncontrolled chaos as to allow someone such as yourself to speak for him. You may deny any involvement, and Mr. Coody will deny any ability to control anyone. However, neither he, nor any from his campaign, have done anything to distance themselves from you, or made any statements that you do not represent them. This, in itself, tells a lot about how Mr. Coody may perform should he be re-elected.
jmo
I am not a part of Dan Coody’s campaign at all. I am actually just a resident of Fayetteville who looks at the balance of what Dan Coody’s leadership meant to this city and it blows my frickin mind that we replaced him with Lioneld Jordan.
I am informed. I do pay attention to local happenings.
I am not a meeting-goer, or a part of anybody’s “inner cirlce”. I do not nor have I ever worked for the city. I’ve met Dan Coody before but he doesn’t know who I am. We have met. We are not friends nor even acquaintances. I don’t have any real interest in anything except seeing Fayetteville be the best it can be—because I live here.
You know who doesn’t live here? Several of the members of the FOP who are the most outspoken against Dan Coody. That’s right. A lot of those guys don’t even live in our city. They don’t send their kids to our schools. They only drive to Fayetteville to work.
Thanks, Glutenfree! One of these days I want to meet you and buy you lunch. I am now catching on to the latest false rumor that I am “threatening people’s jobs.” I first heard this from Dominic Swanfeld but thought he would be talking about the Chief of Staff position. Now I see this as some weird conspiracy theory to drive fear into the equation. To those brave enough to anonymously advance this rumor, what jobs have I threatened? Be specific. Here’s the irony. With a couple of obvious exceptions, the people who are up there now, I either hired or worked with for years. Who did I fire the last two times I got elected?…..(insert timing tune from Jeopardy HERE)…..Sorry, times up! The answer is NOBODY! Certainly you can come up with a more plausible rumor than that. Anyway, Lioneld is the only mayor to walk in and fire someone on the spot in at least the last 25 years Quit projecting. It’s unbecoming.
I haven’t yet decided how to vote in the mayoral race. Coody has a lot of progressive ideas that I like. I’d have no problem voting for him were it not for his bizarre self-aggrandizement and flippant remarks here on the Flyer. His behavior here gives me little confidence in his ability as a leader.
As it is, I’m leaning Jordan, and counting on Matthew Petty to carry the progressive mantle the next 4+ years.
I agree with you re: Coody’s behavior on the Flyer. Just like Ozark Natural Foods’ marketing person and Maggie Moo’s ownership, commenting on the Flyer for a specific self-interest has proven disastrous, PR-wise. I can’t imagine when it’s ever a good idea to push your agenda in this way. I find that Matthew Petty’s comments seek to clarify and inform without stumping. I sure wish he were running for mayor.
Matthew Petty is more mature than Dan Coody.
Flyer guys, thanks for being everywhere you are. You obviously work very hard to keep us informed, and I appreciate that.
Thanks for the kind words, LGB.
Thanks Fayetteville Flyer for the local reporting and place for community discussion.
That said, it’s shameful that several of the regular commenters on here are BULLIES. The poll-stuffing fraud is just another example. Some of the rants written in the comments are equally abusive.
The bullying should be stopped. Look above in this thread (and the other mayoral threads this election season). Notice the several people who have posted multiple times on this page.
It’s like they are trying to enforce their views or shove it down everyone’s throat by repeating ad naseum, responding with long blocks of text, and having an answer to everything.
Once you come across as a bully, it removes all credibility from whatever otherwise reasonable statements you might make. Hopefully the people posting so many repetitive comments on FF, trying to tamp out other views, will see this comment and recognize yourself as the bully you have become. Stop the bullying commenting style.
RE “That said, it’s shameful that several of the regular commenters on here are BULLIES.”
Oh, waaah.
RE “Notice the several people who have posted multiple times on this page.”
One of the characteristics of a conversation is that the participants make multiple comments.
RE ” Hopefully the people posting so many repetitive comments on FF, trying to tamp out other views”
Aren’t you trying to “tamp out” the views of people whom you consider to be “bullies”?
RE “Once you come across as a bully, it removes all credibility from whatever otherwise reasonable statements you might make.”
And once you characterize somebody as a bully, apparently nothing else matters.
With the exception of the perpetrators of the “poll-stuffing fraud”– who probably weren’t regular commenters here (Flyer?), we are all adults. You’re welcome to put on your adult pants and participate. (See how I’m not trying to “tamp out” your view?)
Do you think he’s ever heard of the bully pulpit, Dave?
Good question. I wonder if treehugger has ever heard of a thesaurus.
Comment removed. See our policy.
I voted for Jordan once on the internet poll and will vote for him once in real life. Jordan doesn’t seem like the type of Mayor who would run for Mayor again in the future on the platform of changing an idea he started. That, to me, seems shady.
I’m not a regular commenter at the Flyer, just occasional. Like Mike, I too find it kind of weird that one of the mayoral candidates would enter a forum like this—it doesn’t seem professional and certainly not very distinguished. In the past, I voted for Mr. Coody. He was a good change from the administration that came before him. I have to say, though, the style of campaign he has run against Mayor Jordan leaves me totally cold. I’ve noticed exaggerations and some subtle disinformation on the parking issue. Plus, there’s a lot of negativity, rhetoric aimed at trying to make people feel as if Fayetteville is dragging and stagnating, when it isn’t. I don’t appreciate that. He’s low on specifics and extremely divisive, latching onto any and all seams within the community and driving wedges into those seams, creating fractures. The best kind of leadership tries to heal a community along the seams, not tear at them. In short, Mayor Jordan has my vote.
I’d also like to thank the Flyer staff. Criticism from somebody above was not warranted. I guess most of us recognize you guys are not a “cast of thousands,” and I’m grateful for your work on local news, especially since I cancelled the Dem-Gaz.
Why do my comments keep getting deleted? This website is a sham
Only one comment was removed. A quick perusal of the Flyer’s comment policy might clue you in as to why.
I would be in full support of which ever of the candidates does not want United Nations Agenda 21 to be part of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
RE “I would be in full support of which ever of the candidates does not want United Nations Agenda 21 to be part of Fayetteville, Arkansas.”
Why? Because of the black helicopters?
Fayetteville is a member of ICLEI USA http://www.icleiusa.org/ which tailors its efforts toward sustainability to the needs and interests of the United States specifically. Fayetteville joins such bastions of liberalism as
Huntsville, Alabama
Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson, Arizona
South Bend and Muncie, Indiana
Berea, Frankfort and Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky
Creve Coeur, Missouri
Bozeman, Helena and Missoula, Montana
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Norman and Tulsa, Oklahoma
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Chattanooga, Cookeville, Franklin, Knoxville, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Shelby County, Tennessee
Park City, Summit County and Salt Lake City, Utah
Alexandria and Arlington County, Virginia
Fairmont, Fayetteville and Glenville, West Virginia.
By Sustainability you really mean Socialism…The aim of this economic sabotage is to force people off of the land, and into closely packed urban neighborhoods near public transportation hubs. The purpose this allegedly serves is to harmonize the population with the environment for “sustainable development.” The reason for community leaders doing this on the sly is that people are too stupid and selfish to know it’s in their own best interest.
It’s a false justification, and the purpose too is ill served by the scheme. The only people served are those people, often unelected bureaucrats, and super-rich funders of the environmental movement, who are in the know about the details.
People are not too stupid to cooperate in their own best environmental interest.
RE “By Sustainability you really mean Socialism…”
Explain how sustainability equals socialism. Then explain, since you are so averse to socialism-with-a-capital-s, how you manage to not depend on the interstate highway, state road, and city and county street and road systems, water and sewer systems, or police, fire and military protection.
RE “People are not too stupid to cooperate in their own best environmental interest.”
After reading your post, I’m less convinced than ever.
In response to Gluten Free :
Many city employees do not live in the city – this is not a requirement. Some choose to live outside of the city for many reasons. The FOPs endorsement was sought by Coody in 2008 and unfortunately they went with Jordan. They did again this campaign season. That is the facts. The organization is made up of all ranks. They protect this city daily and have a right to express their support.
These employees keep this city safe and do in fact do business in Fayetteville and some do in fact send their children to our schools.
You are grasping at straws and in short you can return to your cave for 4 more years.
What is your response to the City Council overwhelmingly publicly supporting Mr. Jordan?
In closing, I support the city council, staff and citizens of Fayetteville and look forward to Moody actually getting involved in the business of the city when there isn’t a campaign running.
Roll Jordan!
My point is that who a bunch of policemen (many of whom don’t even live in this city) collectively would prefer to work for is far down the list of meaningful issues to me.
I’m sure every candidate wants as many public endorsements as he/she can get.
I could not agree with this more. A union throwing their weight to choose who their boss is actually makes me want to vote for Coody more.
I don’t think support includes being in uniform and within site of the workplace, and maybe on the clock at the same time, while waving one of those little yellow signs. That’s what I witnessed this morning at Hollywood and MLK.
The FOP people supporting Jordan the “loudest” online have been very heavy-handed and don’t represent my values. I’m sure they have personal reasons for their choice, but I saw where one of them took a photo from newsprint, and underlined Dan’s comments about how College Avenue could be more than “used car lots” and “tattoo shops” with proper planning. He characterized that comment as “Dan Coody Attacks Small Businesses! Used car lots are good for the economy!” etc, etc. They certainly seem determined to have “their guy” control city hall.
Oh, now– if they had wanted to be heavy-handed, they would have said that Mr. Coody talks like a Texan.
Nah, I think alleging that Coody “attacks small business” in that context qualifies as plenty heavy-handed.
I’m just pointing out that Jordan supporters are anti-improving College Avenue and pro-sprawl (Outer-Loop). I figured you already knew that, though. I realize you don’t care about silly things like that. If you did, you would acknowledge that Jordan’s policies neither address College Avenue, and his outer-loop boulevard plan would only induce more sprawl.
I thought you considered yourself to be a rational person. Or do you agree in the leap of logic I pointed out above from one of the FOP’s finest?
I realize the election is personal for you, and makes it impossible for you to be objective. I just wish you’d stop pretending that you are.
RE “I’m just pointing out that Jordan supporters are anti-improving College Avenue”
The incident you cite is no indication that Mr. Jordan or his supporters supporters are against improving College Avenue. In fact, you will not be able to cite any evidence for this assertion. Claiming that Mr. Coody attacks small business simply shows that they are against Mr. Coody– which makes perfect sense, as they support Mr. Jordan.
RE “his outer-loop boulevard plan would only induce more sprawl.”
Actually, as it is located in the midst of sprawl created under Mr. Coody’s benevolent reign, it would address some of the traffic problems that will be created by the sprawl that Mr. Coody encouraged by opposing road impact fees and other controls on sprawl. Of course, much of the 700 acres of park land that came to the city during his terms are due to that sprawl. (And of course Mr. Coody is not responsible for the Parkland Dedication Ordinance; he just happened to be the mayor during an unsustainable real estate boom.)
RE “I thought you considered yourself to be a rational person.”
I do. So do all of my friends, and most of my enemies.
RE “Or do you agree in the leap of logic I pointed out above from one of the FOP’s finest?”
That was your leap of logic, and I don’t agree with it.
RE “I realize the election is personal for you”
No, it isn’t, and you have no evidence to support that claim.
RE “and makes it impossible for you to be objective.”
Show where I have not been objective.
RE ” I just wish you’d stop pretending that you are.”
I just wish you’d stop pretending that I’m not.
Lioneld Jordan has no plan for re-investing in College Avenue. If he does, he hasn’t stated it. That is all the citation I need.
Lioneld Jordan wants an “outer loop” for Fayetteville. “Outer Loop” is sprawl-inducing in every instance that it has ever been tried. Google is your friend.
Lioneld Jordan is the sprawl vote.
Jordan supporters have panned City Plan and Dover Kohl as unnecessary and “wasteful”. It is because of the City Plan and Dan Coody’s leadership that we now have a framework for prioritizing infill.
Construction of an “outer loop” would only extend sprawl for five miles in every direction from that loop.
Jordan’s primary platform plank is “create a box” (with an outer loop) and fill it. The problem is, you can’t only develop “inside” of that outer loop. Sprawl will only continue further into the countryside.
Jordan is the sprawl vote, like it or not.
RE “Lioneld Jordan has no plan for re-investing in College Avenue. If he does, he hasn’t stated it. That is all the citation I need.”
That does not indicate that Mr. Jordan is against improving College Avenue. Mr. Jordan also doesn’t have a plan to prevent a smallpox epidemic, but that doesn’t mean he’s against preventing a smallpox epidemic. You should have better standards for proof.
RE “Lioneld Jordan wants an ‘outer loop’ for Fayetteville. “Outer Loop” is sprawl-inducing in every instance that it has ever been tried.”
Apples and oranges. The “outer loop” you refer to is typically a controlled-access expressway that leapfrogs past current development and opens undeveloped areas to development. Houston, Texas, for example, has several of them– because, as you point out, they don’t work.
Instead, this route would include Rupple Road on the west, Howard Nickell, Van Asche and Zion Road on the north and Crossover on the east– all of which pass through already-developed (though in some cases, currently underpopulated) areas, and creating linkages among discontinuous existing streets to facilitate the collection and dispersion of traffic within developed parts of Fayetteville. This “box” will not be an expressway; the proposal is for four-lane boulevards with bike lanes, green strips and sidewalks.
Years ago when it was first proposed (before the Coody administration– the city began to acquire right-of-way in the early 1990s), this route would have been, pretty much, an outer loop. Given the current sprawl in Fayetteville, it is certainly not outer, and isn’t really much of a loop. The newspapers and Mr. Coody should stop referring to it as such, because it clearly confuses people.
You might be interested to know that this “outer loop” was included in City Plan 2025.
RE “Google is your friend.”
Only if you know what you’re looking for.
RE “Construction of an ‘outer loop’ would only extend sprawl for five miles in every direction from that loop.”
Again, the proposed route is within the sprawl already created, in part under Mr. Coody. As it will not have the capacity of an expressway, its influence on development will not be nearly as great; it will simply make travel within existing sprawl (and the infill it needs) more efficient.
RE “The problem is, you can’t only develop ‘inside’ of that outer loop.”
As the route is almost entirely within the city limits and is already largely developed, that is not an issue. Improved accessibility around Fayetteville will, however, make it more attractive to finish out existing developments within and around the route.
RE “Sprawl will only continue further into the countryside.”
Already done, thanks to Mr. Coody’s boom time. But perhaps we could get some impact fees in place for new sprawl, so as to encourage infill.
I hope you’re not basing your vote on lack of information about this “outer loop”.
@DF:
City Plan 2025 is one of the achievements of the Coody Administration. Its primary stated goal is to promote infill.
Fayetteville did grow probably “too quickly” for most people’s taste during Dan Coody’s term. The entire metro was booming all throughout that time.
The tone of development improved under Coody, as far as better standards, better tree preservation and replacement standards; eventually the move towards form-based codes and an emphasis on in-fill all came under his direction.
Dan championed all of those things. Its as if people believe he was vocally opposed to infill or more scrutiny of development. The opposite is true. Dan Coody is the biggest champion of in-fill and form-based codes this city has ever had, before or since.
The bottom line is that development at the end of Dan’s term was better and scrutinized more completely and thoroughly than it was prior to his leadership. We got a comprehensive city plan, with guidelines to enact a complete neighborhood plan every two years. These are accomplishments in Fayetteville, under Dan Coody’s leadership.
I am well aware of how an “outer loop” has been discussed in Fayetteville for years. It has also been the subject of much controversy. The use of the term “outer loop” depends on your perspective. If you have spent any time in Dallas, you are aware of “Northwest Highway” which in other areas of town is simply “Loop 12″. It is not a freeway. It is an early form suburban “loop” around the city. The overall effect of creating a new “outer loop” boulevard is to create more sprawl.
Fayetteville would likely benefit from some kind of “outer loop” 15-20 or 30 years into the future. I disagree that it should be a priority right now, like Lioneld Jordan says. Our focus should be infill and creating complete neighborhoods. Either way, I don’t think Lioneld Jordan’s own words about an “outer loop” (“make a box, fill it”) demonstrate an understanding of the reality of what an “outer loop” would mean to Fayetteville at this point of the city’s development.
David Franks: How can you express a distaste for “sprawl” and then defend policies and actions that are being discussed right now by city leadership that would create more sprawl? Is Fayetteville too far gone in your opinion?
All of the tenets of “good” development: prioritizing infill, creating denser, more “urban” neighborhoods with walkable environments, encouraging form-based codes which allow a city to have more of a say in how developments “look” and how they tie in with other ones….these are all things that Dan Coody has spoken at length about, and has taken steps when he was in a leadership position, to enact in Fayetteville. In fact, the vocabulary for this kind of discussion didn’t really exist at large in Fayetteville prior to the Dover Kohl plan. The charettes and publicity around them, as well as the framework that the plan provided, served to educate Fayetteville citizens about new urbanism. The plan also created momentum for the redevelopment of older neighborhoods, the fruits of which we are already seeing in the Walker Park neighborhood.
You may disagree with the method of using a consulting team, or how it came about, and argue that we should have hired new city employees, etc to draft that plan. There are others who vocally criticize that very effort as a “Coody-era” mistake, because they’d rather force some kind of moratorium on development in Fayetteville, rather than look at ways the city can harness its growth into better overall development patterns.
There is no doubt that many development mistakes were made over the years in Fayetteville.
There is also no doubt in my mind that Dan Coody spearheaded new policies, guidelines, and comprehensive planning to help Fayetteville avoid those kinds of mistakes in the future.
Dan believes 100% in infill, new urbanism, and creating a walkable city. He also has the intelligence and ability to move us forward toward those goals.
Glute has Dallas knowledge! Bonus points. You should have mentioned Belt Line Road.
Also, I lived very near several places with addresses on “East Northwest Highway.” Always wanted to go south.
Ha!
Belt Line is another good example. Richardson/Plano are places Dan Coody stated we should not seek to emulate, many years back.
Although to be fair, Plano has actually done a decent job with open space and new urbanism in the western edge of the city in recent years.
The point is there are many sprawl mistakes a person can point to where these outer-loops just become suburban wastelands. You can’t “fill the box” when you create an outer loop. You just push the edges of development further out into what was once the countryside.
RE “City Plan 2025 is one of the achievements of the Coody Administration. Its primary stated goal is to promote infill.”
Here is the Master Street Plan from City Plan 2025:
http://www.accessfayetteville.org/government/strategic_planning/documents/general_documents/Master_Street_Plan_Map.pdf
See that blue line in the northwest quadrant? That is the parkway route that Mr. Jordan is talking about, along with Zion Road and Crossover. Except for the far northwest corner, this route is well within the developed areas of Fayetteville’s city limits; indeed, much of it is already built, and is already fully developed. It seems to be, as Mr. Jordan sees it, a place to “draw the line” on development, concentrating on infill within its boundaries.
Given the need for a west-side north-south route (and its inclusion in Mr. Coody’s masterpiece) and the gamut of development possibilities within this “box”, it is a good boundary. Opportunities for infill on the downtown area are limited and land costs are high; the “box” contains a variety of neighborhoods and commercial areas of different ages that provide, in terms of type, expense, and scope of work, a wealth of diverse opportunities for infill, rehab, and reuse. This variety will make these actions more attractive and accessible to a greater number of people, and so increase participation in these activities. West Fayetteville’s newer developments of the 1990s and 2000s need to be filled up so property tax revenue can accrue and the investment already made in infrastructure can be repaid.
That northwest quadrant of the route, which is no longer “outer” in any meaningful sense, was envisioned and requested by residents of Ward 4. It is the most prominent new feature of the Master Street Plan in City Plan 2025. See that signature in the upper right corner? Mr. Coody was for this route until– now that it would serve to link together the existing sprawl out west and he has taken up revisionist history as a hobby– he apparently is against it.
There is another Flyer thread about redeveloping Wedington Drive and addressing the bottleneck at Wedington and 540. The western portion of the “box” will allow traffic to take routes other than 540 or Wedington itself to get into town, and ease some of the traffic problems at that interchange. (The Wedington Drive connection to Fayetteville is an issue I should probably address at some point.)
RE “David Franks: How can you express a distaste for ‘sprawl’ and then defend policies and actions that are being discussed right now by city leadership that would create more sprawl?”
I’m not. I know what I am talking about. The “box” will not create sprawl– it will address some of the problems caused by existing sprawl.
RE “All of the tenets of ‘good’ development …. these are all things that Dan Coody has spoken at length about”
He’s spoken a lot about a lot of things, himself being primary among them. But he watered down some of the very efforts you mention to improve development.
RE “There is also no doubt in my mind that Dan Coody spearheaded new policies, guidelines, and comprehensive planning to help Fayetteville avoid those kinds of mistakes in the future.”
Do you go to doctors who have killed numerous patients because they have a better idea of what they’re doing? Mr. Coody has an excellent case of 20/20 hindsight. It’s a shame he didn’t do more to avoid these mistakes in the first place. Finishing out Mr. Jordan’s “box” would be a good way to address these mistakes.
RE “You may disagree with the method of using a consulting team, or how it came about, and argue that we should have hired new city employees, etc to draft that plan.”
I’ve expressed no opinion on that matter; you must me thinking of somebody else. However, part of the objection to hiring Dover, Kohl was that their fees were unusually high (Mr. Coody seemed to hire a lot of expensive consultants; Eva Klein and Associates also comes to mind), and Mr. Coody passed on the opportunity to hire an Arkansas-based consultant.
Well it is clear we fundamentally disagree about Dan and Lioneld
I guess you are someone who sees the big growth of the 2000s as being a result of Dan Coody’s leadership.
The fact is that Dan pulled Fayetteville (sometimes kicking and screaming and breaking down sobbing at the podium in city meetings) towards better development policies. That is undeniable. That requires leadership and the ability to see the bigger picture.
That kind of leadership doesn’t generally pander to police unions, et al. On the other hand, police unions don’t generally care about quality of life improvements, or understand progressive development policies.
As for limited growth, the fact is that Fayetteville is not Portland. There are not Urban Growth Boundaries in place to prevent sprawl. The only thing we can do is encourage infill.
You dismiss attempts at encouraging infill because “downtown land is limited” etc, etc, yada yada. I disagree.
And again, you choose to back Jordan’s “build a box, fill it” outer loop approach which is just terribly unrealistic and WILL induce more sprawl. There are no mechansms in place to prevent it.
Perhaps the bloggers who wish to end any and all development in Fayetteville, including those who think Wilson Springs was some horrible thing, attribute the recent slowdown in growth in Fayetteville to Lioneld Jordan and so believe he is doing something for them. They are mistaken.
I’m also glad you brought up the Master Street plan. Jordan likes to wail and moan about how the city was “$144 million in debt” when he took over. He is being very misleading every time he makes this claim. The overwhelming majority of that “debt” is bond issues that the citizens of Fayetteville voted for. The Tranportation Improvement Plan which includes Joyce and Garland being rebuilt, is part of that “debt” that he likes to trot out. Fayetteville also voted to fund the Sewer project. In this manner, its easy to portray “doing nothing” to improve infrastructure as “paying off debt”. Its misleading at best. I contend that it is deliberately deceptive.
Finally, I can appreciate your side of all of these questions. You won’t find a bigger booster of Fayetteville than me. I really just believe strongly that Dan Coody is the man, and that he has been unfairly characterized as a reckless guy who hurt Fayetteville. The truth is that he implemented progressive policies, plans, and initiatives that will improve Fayetteville for generations.
I believe the balance of his leadership is GOOD, and that we are missing out by not having his progressive and intelligent ideas heard.
Rebuilt College Ave and reinvestment in the core of the city.
Emphasis on Infill and Neighborhood Building.
Tech Jobs for the South Side.
Those are the things I want to see. I believe Fayetteville can do all of the above, but I don’t think we will see any of them with Lioneld Jordan running city hall.
While I disagree with your assessment of the avenue by which it might best happen, I would never question your desire to make Fayetteville a better city.
The ant worked hard all summer collecting food and preparing his home for winter. The grasshopper played all summer not doing any work.
When winter came the grasshopper had no food. No worries, the grasshopper elected a socialist leader that took away 40 percent of the ants food and gave it to the grasshopper.
The next year the ant decided that the new government would take care of him the same way so he played all summer too, as did all the other hard working producing ants.
When winter came, there was no food and they all starved to death.
At least you know a little something about Aesop, even if you can’t answer my questions.
I’ve missed a lot over the past 15 minutes. Coody has gained 1/3 the amount of votes over the past 15 minutes than what he has over the past 24 hours. Hmm…
We just received a second incident of ballot stuffing abuse so we’ve closed the poll. Someone voted 68 times for one candidate. We removed 67 of those and deactivated the voting. The results are embedded above.
Those dirty-trick-playing Jordan supporters– casting multiple votes for Mr. Coody.
Sorry– I just had to post that before glutenfree did.
Oh my God. I really think you should seek help.
Why? Because I pointed out that you have a tendency to repeat yourself?
No, because you post like you need it.
How so?
By projecting all your stuff on me. Were you the one who got caught running up the vote tally yesterday for Jordan? Is that why you’re so sensitive about the poll? You don’t have to answer that.
RE “By projecting all your stuff on me.”
What stuff would that be? Most of my replies to you are in the form of questions, are posed directly to points you have made (that’s why I quote them) and so don’t project anything.
RE “Were you the one who got caught running up the vote tally yesterday for Jordan? Is that why you’re so sensitive about the poll? You don’t have to answer that.”
The Flyer admin is welcome to check my IP address and see if it matches any of the votes cast, and publish the result of their investigation. (They will find that I didn’t vote at all.)
As for sensitivity, I simply responded to your accusation that Jordan supporters had run up the tally by pointing out that you had no evidence to support that claim. And of course your accusation was subsequently rendered even more meaningless by the multiple votes cast for Mr. Coody.
I believe you are the one who is overly sensitive, and you are projecting that stuff onto me.
Anything else?
You so cray.
Mr. Coody did a much better job of turning out his supporters than did Mr. Jordan. As of this afternoon, Mr. Coody has 639 fans on his campaign Facebook page, and he received 157 votes on the Fayetteville Flyer poll of readers (24.6% turnout). Jordan has 1,433 fans on his campaign Facebook page, and only 192 of them bothered to vote on the poll (13% turnout). I’m just saying.
If Mayor Jordan would have put out a blast on his personal and campaign facebook pages begging people to come vote for him on this flyer poll like Mr. Coody did, then I’m sure there would have been a lot more votes for Mayor Jordan. I’m just saying.
What’s sad is Mayor Jordan didn’t even campaign for this poll like Mr. Coody did and Mayor Jordan still beat him by 9%!!! I’m just saying.
I wish I had the time, or even the inclination, to do that. Usually one must be on a Koch brothers payroll to have that sort of persistence.
Wow, only 366 people read this blog.
@curiosity – Nope. Only 366 people voted in the poll before we closed it. The Flyer had 4,974 visitors yesterday. Total pageviews for the day were 9,828. Not everyone reads every story and not everyone votes in the polls.
How many repeat or do you know?
I guess not. 366 @ an average of 10-15 ea.(conservatively) views = 3660 -5490 hits. I can see maybe 500 people reading this blog on a daily basis.
@curiosity The Flyer currently has anywhere from 3,000-6,000 people who read each day. Yesterday was 4,974.
Impressive numbers, Todd. Congratulations, and keep up the good work.
Comment removed. See our policy.
Those numbers don’t surprise me one bit. I’m sure they’re legit. Everyone-EVERYONE- I know reads the Flyer. That’s the reason we advertise here.
I’ve grown to love Fayetteville and I really don’t think a change in the mayor is going to seriously damage anything this wonderful city has grown into. I seriously have never lived in a town where mayors or even former mayors are actually in constant communication with the public (Jordan on FB, Coody on FF). You don’t have to wait for a presser to find out something, these 2 guys sound like they will be in the public eye and open to communication with anybody at anytime and I respect that.
Good luck to both men in this election!
I’m curious….if you’re reading this Matt Petty, who are you endorsing? Or is that something you will discuss? (this is a sincere question, not smart-assy. Sometimes a girl has to clarify these things)
WWMPD?
Skalmt:
I’m sure he’ll see this and answer, but in case he doesn’t: Petty has stated he will not publicly endorse either candidate because he wants to be able to work productively with whoever wins the election.
Hi Skalmt – I get asked this question a lot. I’ve chosen not to endorse either candidate or to attend either candidate’s events. I want to make sure that my agenda isn’t compromised no matter who is elected. I think both candidates have their strengths and both have policies and attitudes that I think make them less effective. And if you talk with people, you realize I’m not the only one that has this view. There are still a lot of undecided voters out there who aren’t satisfied with either candidate. What’s interesting to me is that those voters are unsatisfied for different reasons depending on which candidate they are asked about.
No matter who gets elected, after the race we need to remember that we all live here together. We shouldn’t let our choices for Mayor define our personal identities and create rifts in our community. I know you didn’t ask me about that, but I think it needs to be said.
This city needs a change. I’m disturbed at the leadership
And the council. Our council and leadership does NOT listen. They do as they please…doesn’t matter how many people show up. Then the council wonders why no one respects them. I don’t care for Mathew Petty’s judgements he is arrogant in my opinion. I really wish we had a new mayor and completely new council. But we all know that ain’t gonna happen. As for the mayor’s remarks about regional growth….well that just veils our lack of growth and means growth and revenue have gone elsewhere. Great spin. We’re gonna wake up with nothing but students in every neighborhood and no property value left. Stop bickering and wake up!
Kathy Short for Mayor!
I commend Mr. Coody for putting himself out there on the comments. It shows his willingness to be involved and also how much information he possess for the progress of our city. Keep up the good work Dan!
Whoever put that M.Petty should be mayor, should keep that to themselves. He would need at least 12 more years on the city council to have a clear understanding on how to manage our city, remember he was the voice in Jordan’s ear to skim in the parking debacle on the citizenry, and wanted to name an alley after something from Harry Potter(you’ve got to be kidding me).and it was only a few years back when he was cutting people’s bikes chain from the rack on campus.
RE “I commend Mr. Coody for putting himself out there on the comments.”
I would find Mr. Coody’s participation more commendable if he would answer the several questions that have been asked numerous times.
RE “It shows his willingness to be involved and also how much information he possess for the progress of our city.”
But it doesn’t explain his resounding absence from public affairs for the three-plus years between the public repudiation of his policies (or personality or whatever it was) and his reemergence as a candidate for mayor. Apparently his willingness to be involved is more about control than citizenship. He might be able to change that perception by answering that question, which has been asked several times; however, he might not.
RE “…[Mr. Petty] was the voice in Jordan’s ear to skim in the parking debacle on the citizenry…”
You’re saying that the paid parking system– the crown jewel among the little-understood issues separating the mayoral candidates– is actually Mr. Petty’s fault rather than Mr. Jordan’s?
RE “[Mr. Petty] wanted to name an alley after something from Harry Potter”
A lot of his constituents– and a lot of people outside his ward– wanted the same thing. Refer to the comment above yours regarding unresponsive government, and Mr. Petty in particular.
RE “(you’ve got to be kidding me)”
Damn Fayetteville and the weird, funky people who live there.
RE “[Mr. Petty] was cutting people’s bikes chain from the rack on campus.”
Mr. Petty removed one apparently-abandoned adult tricycle, so your claim is an exaggeration and inaccurate. Since Mr. Petty has owned up to his transgression and there were no charges filed, what is the issue?
Streets are uneven when you’re down.
Get off the weed Petty. Man up and pick someone mr. Council member.
Vote for Pedro!
Your wildest dreams will come true if you vote for him.
In the runoff last time that gave us Lioneld as mayor, fewer than 5,800 people voted.
I hope those who love Dan come out and support him. He isn’t perfect, but he’s pretty great.
That’s what Mr. Coody says, anyway.
What that only 5700 something voted in the run off? It’s true, though. I read an old article arlier. peace.
I am aware of the voter figures. I was pointing out that Mr. Coody claims to be pretty great.
(For those of you who seem to find it so objectionable, this is why I usually refer to specific parts of posts.)
Help me understand. Do you think he has a big ego? I read a lot his posts on his Facebook and never get that impression. He did initiate a lot of great stuff for Fayetteville and his personal lifelong comittment to the environment is impressive. Do you find that “uppity”? I don’t think anybody who reads here buys that you are neutral. You never seem to turn your microscope on the Jordan administration for some reason. Like I said, nobody claims Dan is perfect, but his intelligence and comittment to improveing Fayetteville are self-evident.
Mr. Coody is prone to take credit where credit is not due. His reply to the Sierra Club is a good place to start reading with a more critical eye.
My family will be voting for Dan.
The Aristocrats!
Dan is the Man with The Plan, let’s vote him back in! He’s a win for the whole town!
Having just moved to Fayetteville this past March, I’m playing catch up with regards to local politics especially the Mayoral race.
There’s a couple of things that I still haven’t figured out though. Regarding the parking meters in the Dickson Street/Walton Arts Center, what is the problem with the current meters? I like it that there are not unsightly meters at every parking space and that I can pay with either cash/credit card. So what is it that makes the current paid parking undesirable (other than it’s not free parking)? If the current meters are removed, what is going to replace them and why would the new system be better? If someone could please exlain this to me, I’d appreciate it.
Also, what are the party affiliations (Democratic, Republicans, Libertarian, Green, etc.) of Mr. Jordan and Mr. Coody? I haven’t seen their party affiliations mentioned anywhere. Thanks, folks!
I would like to hear someone’s answer to the first question, too. I’ve often wondered this myself.
I agree with you that the individual meters would look unsightly. I like so much else about Coody’s vision for things but wish the individual meters weren’t part of it.
The complaints you hear from people are grounded simply in the fact they haven’t had to pay in the past and resent the change. They’ll adapt.
Both candidates are democrats. Honestly, I think we’re blessed with two decent, capable candidates. But my vote goes to Coody.
New Fayetteville Resident. I believe that many in Fayetteville object to the current pay system because it is complicated. I guess some find it harder to walk to a central location and pay by referencing a parking spot by number rather than feeding a meter next to their car. When I travel I see a system similar to our current system in most cities, and the residents seem to be fine with it.
Others complain that there are different rules for private and public parking lots in the Dickson area. It would be better if it were uniform but the city doesn’t have authority over the private lots.
You have to read carefully. Not everyone wants to do that.
One reason the paid parking system is complicated is that when it was introduced, it had a straightforward time and fee structure, but so many people complained about the cost that the city responded. Unfortunately, making parking cost less during the day also made it more complicated.
When the paid parking system was being developed, the city tried to persuade private lot owners to charge rates similar to the city’s rates, to no avail. The city did improve towing, getting rid of one predatory towing company entirely, creating a single impound lot and lowering the towing fee. Seeing a another better revenue stream, private lot owners elected to start booting cars rather than towing them. The city did what it could by posting signs at private lots to inform people that they are entering private lots.
In case anybody is interested, Greg House owns the private lot at Dickson and West (the depot, Arsaga’s and other destinations). It is not his most gracious contribution to the Dickson Street milieu.
Just watched the Coody/Jordan chamber debate. Coody is passionate, articulate, informed on the issues and focused on the future. Mayor Jordan is reading a script (probably prepared by his staff as he is stumbling all over it) to try and defend the past. No mention of the future.
A clear choice for me to move Fayetteville “back to the future.” Mr. Coody.
Of course Mr. Coody doesn’t have a real job, so he has plenty of time to bone up.
Here’s one measure of Mr. Coody’s passion: after absenting himself from public participation for some three-and-a-half years between being voted out of office and running for office again. After steadfastly refusing to answer repeated questions about why that was, he had this to say:
“….Here’s the beauty of our system: you can choose which kind of local government you want. I just want the town to be as progressive and livable as possible. I do not think we are headed there, so I am in the race. If we win, we will do cool stuff for the city. If we lose, I will do cool stuff for my wife and myself. Either way, I am a very happy camper! Cheers!”
Mr. Coody is passionate about Fayetteville, as long as he is the mayor.
BONUS– An interesting blast from the past, just in time for the twentieth anniversary of its publication:
http://www.uark.edu/~kshurlds/LAW/facade.html
must not have seen the same debate I did….