City Hall

Polls open for special City Council election in Fayetteville

By Todd Gill ·

Sequoyah United Methodist Church / Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer

FAYETTEVILLE — Polling locations will be open until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for the special City Council election.

The election will fill the Ward 2 vacancy left by Matthew Petty, who resigned in October.

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The candidates include Leslie Belden, a local business owner, pastor and member of the Fayetteville Planning Commission; Kristen Scott, a lifelong educator and 35-year resident of Fayetteville; and Mike Wiederkehr, who has 32 years of municipal government experience and is also a Planning Commissioner.

Meet the Candidates


The following candidates are running for the open Ward 2 seat in the Feb. 8 special election.

If necessary, a runoff election will be held Tuesday, March 8.

In Arkansas, if a single candidate does not win a majority of the votes when more than two candidates are up for election, the two people with the most votes head to a runoff unless the leading candidate receives more than 40% of the votes and is ahead of the runner-up by 20%.

Ward 2, which is typically associated with the downtown and Dickson Street areas, includes portions of the University of Arkansas campus and stretches west past Garland Avenue to Asbell Elementary School, and north to the Washington County Fairgrounds. The ward also includes the businesses along College Avenue in midtown, and many historic districts including Wilson Park.

Election Day voting centers

Registered voters who live in Ward 2 can vote at any of the following voting centers from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8.

  • Central United Methodist Church – 6 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville
  • Sang Avenue Baptist Church – 1425 N. Sang Ave. in Fayetteville
  • Sequoyah Methodist Church – 1910 Old Wire Road in Fayetteville
  • Trinity Methodist Church – 1021 W. Sycamore St. in Fayetteville
  • The Awakening Church – 5763 E. Mission Blvd. in Fayetteville
  • Elkins Community Center – 162 Doolin Drive in Elkins
  • Elmdale Baptist Church – 1700 W. Huntsville Road in Springdale
  • First Church of the Nazarene – 2300 S. 40th St. in Springdale
  • Sonora Baptist Church – 17330 U.S. 412 in Springdale