Video: Lioneld Jordan and Dan Coody face off in first 2012 mayoral debate

Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan (left) and former mayor Dan Coody participate in a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Washington County at Fayetteville City Hall on Wednesday night.

Photos: Todd Gill

About 60 people attended the first official mayoral candidate debate of the 2012 election season held Wednesday night inside Fayetteville City Hall.

Incumbent Mayor Lioneld Jordan and former Fayetteville mayor Dan Coody answered questions and delivered prepared statements during the 30-minute forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Washington County.

League president Mary Alice Serafini said neither candidate had any knowledge of the six questions going into Wednesday’s debate. A coin toss decided which order candidates would deliver their opening and closing statements. Jordan won both tosses and chose to speak last each time.

Included below are short videos of both candidate’s statements and their roughly two-minute answers to each question. The event was also recorded by the Fayetteville Government Channel and is available – with higher quality video and audio – at accessfayetteville.org.

Note: For more from Jordan and Coody, see our interview questions posted earlier this week.

Opening statements

1. Greatest accomplishment? Biggest regret?

2. Lessons learned on the job as mayor?

3. How do you define, envision and approach sustainability?

4. How will you address the future of parking in the downtown/entertainment district?

5. How should Fayetteville position itself to recruit businesses, industry and talent?

6. What question do you wish we’d asked?

Closing remarks

Next mayoral debate

Date: Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Fayetteville City Hall, room 219 – 113 W. Mountain Street
Hosted by: Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods
Moderator: Fiona Davidson, Associate Professor & Director of European Studies in the Geosciences Department at the University of Arkansas