John S. La Tour
Courtesy
A conservative tax attorney and 35-year Fayetteville resident is one of seven six candidates running for City Council in Ward 4.
John La Tour, 58, said he believes in limited government with less regulations.
“There are many people in Fayetteville who believe what I believe,” said La Tour. “I want those people to be adequately represented on the council.”
If elected, La Tour said he’ll fight to overturn Fayetteville’s controversial anti-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits landlords and business owners from unjustly evicting or firing someone because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic background, marital status or veteran status.
La Tour is one of four City Council candidates, along with Joshua Crawford, Michael Collins and Paul Phaneuf, who spoke against the ordinance during a 10-hour City Council meeting last week.
He said the ordinance is overreaching could lead to frivolous complaints from employees who want to retaliate after being fired for a good reason.
“As a businessman, for making a wise business decision, I could be criminally prosecuted because I fired the wrong person,” said La Tour. “That shouldn’t be. We should not make it criminal for a businessman to make an everyday routine decision.”
La Tour said Fayetteville has “a bad reputation” when it comes to attracting businesses because of its strict planning regulations.
He pointed to a 1998 decision by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant to build a location in Springdale instead of Fayetteville after city planners enforced several design regulations, including Fayetteville’s sign ordinance which prohibited the Tennessee-based company from building a 100-foot-tall freestanding pole sign near Futrall Drive.
La Tour will face Ray Boudreaux, Michael Collins*, Craig Honchell, D’Andre Jones, Phillip McKnight and Robert Williams for the Ward 4, Position 1 seat.
Current Position 1 Alderwoman Rhonda Adams plans to serve out her term before moving to Tampa, Fla. with her husband, Charles, who recently accepted a position as dean of the Honors College at the University of South Florida.
Voter registration for the Nov. 4 general election runs through Oct. 6. Early voting begins Oct. 20.
* Michael Collins withdrew from the race on Aug. 26.
Profile: John La Tour
Position sought: Ward 4, Position 1
Age: 58
Residency: Fayetteville resident since 1979; Ward 4 resident for 29 years
Employment: CPA and attorney – Owner, John S. La Tour CPA; president, La Tour Law Firm, PLLC
Education: Juris doctorate in law, Oak Brook College; master of business administration, University of Arkansas; bachelor of science in management and accounting, Louisiana State University
Political Experience: None
3 Questions for John
We send each candidate three questions after receiving their announcement. We post their answers here once they respond.
What made you decide to seek election to the council? Is it something you’ve been considering for a while?
There is a strong section of people in Fayetteville who believe in limited government, responsive government and strong families but are currently under-represented on the City Council. I want to increase that representation.
Is there anything in particular that drove you to reside in Ward 4? How would you describe that part of town?
I chose Ward 4 because it was close to downtown and is a beautiful part of Fayetteville. In addition to the physical attractiveness of this side of town, Ward 4 is full of wonderful people who enjoy life. And they deserve to do so without a paternalistic local government dictating their choices.
Are there any recent citywide or Ward 4 council decisions you agree or disagree with?
I don’t agree with the Chapter 119 Civil Rights Administration Ordinance. I believe in equal rights for everyone. In its current form, I cannot support this ordinance and will fight to change it because it overreaches, granting rights to some at the expense of others. That is not equal rights.
News Release: John S. La Tour
LA TOUR SEEKING TO FILL WARD 4 POSITION 1 VACANCY FAYETTEVILLE, AR – John S. La Tour of Fayetteville announces his candidacy for the Ward 4, Position 1 on the Fayetteville City Council.
La Tour believes in limited government, responsive government and strong families. He recognizes that a strong section of people in Fayetteville agree with these views but are under represented on the current council.
La Tour was born and raised in Ville Platte, Louisiana, the son of a land surveyor and public school teacher. Upon completion of a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Accounting, he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1979.
Graduating with a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in 1981, he has practiced accounting as a CPA since 1981 in the same office building in downtown Fayetteville.
In 2007 he earned a Juris Doctorate in 2007 from Oak Brook College and established his law practice in 2010. Mr. La Tour has participated in various entrepreneurial ventures in northwest Arkansas. He and his wife of 22 years, Elizabeth, have nine children.
For continued updates on Mr. La Tour’s platform and campaign, please visit www.votelatour.com.
