Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022

  • Sponsors
    • Sponsor News
    • Become a sponsor
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Fayetteville Flyer

  • Home
  • Local News
    • City Hall
    • City Council Recaps
    • Public Calendar
    • Trail News
  • State, Nation & World
    • State News
    • Nation & World
  • Arts & Events
    • Weekly Calendar
  • Food & Drink
  • Columns & Features
    • Music Reviews
    • Theatre Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trail Tours
    • Giveaways
    • Recipes
  • Sports
  • Sections
    • Local News
    • State, Nation & World
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Events
    • Columns & Features
    • Sports
  • Calendar
  • Newsletter
  • Real Estate
    • Fayetteville Homes
    • All NWA Homes
    • Find an Agent
  • Photos
  • Shop
  • Movie Listings
    • AMC Fiesta Square
    • Malco Razorback Cinema
    • 112 Drive-In
  • Sponsors
    • Sponsor News
  • COVID Info

Three mayoral candidates speak at chamber forum

  • By Todd Gill · Friday, Oct 2, 2020 

 

Three of the four candidates for Fayetteville mayor took turns answering questions Thursday night during a forum hosted by the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.

Ron Baucom, Tom Terminella and William Harris participated in the event. Mayor Lioneld Jordan was not in attendance.

Susan Norton, Jordan’s chief of staff, said the mayor had a schedule conflict and was attending the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police ceremony honoring Police Chief Mike Reynolds and other officers, including former officer Stephen Carr.

The forum was held on the Zoom app due to the COVID-19 pandemic with each candidate having the option to attend virtually from home. However, the three candidates all chose to appear in person at the chamber in front of a live camera. The event was moderated virtually by Taylor Shelton, the chamber’s director of government affairs.

Baucom said he is a conservative Christian who describes himself as “pro-life and pro-family.” He said as a lifelong resident of Fayetteville, he thinks the community has become more divided recently, possibly because not enough people are participating in local politics. Baucom said too much money is being spent frivolously on things that only benefit a small portion of residents and he hopes to change that if elected.

“We can’t continue to use the taxpayers’ money like Monopoly money,” said Baucom. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way I feel they’ve been doing things for quite a few years.”

Baucom said he’d push for updated infrastructure, including completion of Kessler Regional Park and improvements to areas like Walker Park, which he said looks like a ghetto.

Baucom said the lack of a living wage and is the biggest issue Fayetteville faces, which has led to a major disparity between low-income and high-income residents.

“There is absolutely no middle class, I don’t believe, at all in Fayetteville,” said Baucom, adding that most people who live in town can’t take advantage of parks and trails because they work two or three jobs.

Tom Terminella said he also thinks the city is divided, but said he’s running because it’s time for a change in leadership. He said Jordan’s 12 years as mayor, combined with his previous eight years as a City Council member is too long of a time to be in office.

“I think anybody that runs for mayor in the future ought to agree to be mayor for two terms and then move on,” Terminella said.

It’s Terminella’s second campaign for mayor. He ran against Baucom and Jordan in 2016, and said he’s back again because the current administration doesn’t focus enough on police, fire and infrastructure projects, but rather spends money on “feel good things” that aren’t as important and cause divisions among residents.

“I want to bring people together,” said Terminella. “And I don’t feel like Lioneld (Jordan) has been doing a very good job of that.”

Terminella said some of Fayetteville’s biggest issues are a lack of updated municipal infrastructure and a confusing set of development codes that make it difficult for builders to construct affordable housing.

“It’s awful hard for anybody to provide and deliver affordable housing when the permitting process is so voluminous and costly that it becomes counterproductive,” said Terminella. “We have so many requirements…that it’s actually made Fayetteville an area that’s expensive to build within.”

William Harris said he has “checkered past” that includes 20 years in prison, but is proud of his accomplishments fighting against a “cultural revolution” and joining President Ronald Reagan’s “teflon team.”

Harris said cities stopped building large swimming pools around the time of desegregation, and if elected, he’ll push for an Olympic-sized public swimming pool near the center of town.

“If we really have race problem in Fayetteville, that swimming pool will tell us whether we’ve got it or not,” said Harris.

Harris ran an unsuccessful campaign for Washington County District 2 constable in 2016, an effort he said was in response to the Black Lives Matter movement which he didn’t agree with.

“I see BLM as causing a lot of excitement…and not offering any real solutions,” said Harris, adding that having unarmed constables in “troubled neighborhoods” is a possible safe solution to problems.

Harris said when he didn’t win that position, he shifted his focus to running for mayor.

The chamber posted the full video of the forum on its YouTube channel. The video is also embedded above.


Flyer Newsletter

The latest headlines from the Fayetteville Flyer, delivered straight to your inbox.

TOPICS: Vote 2020

    MORE FROM THE FLYER

  • Residents see plans for College Avenue improvements; survey available for input
  • Fayetteville man one of four Patriot Front members to plead not guilty in Idaho
  • UA renames supply chain department following $1.5 million gift from J.B. Hunt
  • City to host public meeting on Highway 71B corridor plans
  • @fayflyer
  •     » Become a sponsor
  • Advertisements

  • Get Email News Updates

    Never miss a story! Sign up here.
  • Advertisements


     

  • Local Info

    Fire/Police Dispatch Logs
    Detention Intake Report
    Public Meetings Schedule
  • Sponsors

  • Flyer Sponsors

    sponsor-logos
    » See all sponsors
  • Sponsor Tweets

    A Twitter List by fayflyer
  • Advertise

    Local businesses are so important to our community.

    Our goal is to work with small- to medium-sized businesses rooted in the community. To acheive this, we’ve developed affordable and effective advertising options for any budget. Several of our long-term packages cost less than $14 per day, including our popular sponsorship program.

    To get started or for more information, call Dustin at 479-387-1002 or send us an email.

     

    Proud member:

  • About
  • Sponsors
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Legal, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Facebook Twitter Instagram Flickr Pinterest RSS

© 2007-2022 Wonderstate Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2022, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. See AP policy.