District Judge William Storey administers the oath of office to newly elected Alderwoman Sarah Bunch (second from right, standing), along with returning City Council members (from left, standing) Sarah Marsh, Matthew Petty and Alan Long.
Photos: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
One new alderman and five re-elected officials were sworn in Tuesday night during a brief ceremony held before the start of the first City Council meeting of the year.
Newcomer Sarah Bunch joined three incumbent aldermen – Sarah Marsh, Matthew Petty and Alan Long – in reciting the oath of office pledges read by District Judge William Storey.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan and City Clerk Treasurer Sondra Smith also took the oath of office Tuesday.
Bunch was part of a three-person race for the Ward 3, Position 2 seat in the Nov. 8 general election. A runoff was set after she and Tracy Hoskins emerged as the top contenders. During the runoff, Bunch received 63 percent of the votes.
Marsh defeated Paul Phaneuf with 66 percent of the votes in Ward 1. It will be Marsh’s second four-year term.
Petty won a third term in Ward 2 after gathering 60 percent of the votes. Petty’s challenger, Justice of the Peace Gary McHenry, received 21 percent, and over 1,100 people cast ballots for Adam Fire Cat, who dropped out of the race before the election.
Long won re-election in Ward 4, defeating Nathan Allen with 56 percent of the votes. It will be Long’s second term.
Jordan’s third consecutive four-year term was solidified after taking nearly 70 percent of the votes in the mayoral race. He defeated developer Tom Terminella and resident Ron Baucom.
Smith begins her fourth four-year term. She was the only candidate to file for the City Clerk Treasurer position.
Oath of Office – example
I (state your name) do solemnly swear and affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of mayor, City of Fayetteville, upon which I am now about to enter.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan / Staff photo
City Clerk Treasurer Sondra Smith / Staff photo
