D’Andre Jones and Holly Hertzberg / Courtesy photos
The Fayetteville City Council will meet twice in the first week of the new year due to a packed agenda.
The council will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 5 to discuss the consent agenda items and unfinished business, and will convene again two days later on Thursday, Jan. 7 to take up the new business agenda items.
“Next week’s two-meeting approach has been implemented to help avoid Council meetings continuing late into the night when the agenda is particularly full or when a large volume of public comment is anticipated,” according to a news release.
The upcoming agenda includes 25 items on consent, seven items of unfinished business, and 11 new business items.
As the first meeting of a new year, Tuesday’s business will also include the election of a vice mayor, the mayor’s appointments to various council committees, and the swearing in of two new council members.
D’Andre Jones will replace outgoing Council Member Sarah Marsh in the Ward 1, Position 2 seat. Jones was originally part of a four-person race for the seat, along with Tanner Pettigrew, Pedro Fimbres and Oroo Oyioka. He defeated Pettigrew in a runoff election after the two emerged as the top contenders in the general election.
Jones is a local social worker and longtime community advocate who has served as president of the Northwest Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus, chair of the Civil Rights Commission, chair of Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s African American Advisory Council, and secretary of Civil Service Commission.
Holly Hertzberg will replace Council Member Kyle Smith. She was one of three candidates to challenge Smith, along with Paul Waddell and Adam Fire Cat. Hertzberg won the seat outright after taking 51% of the votes in the general election.
Hertzberg is a local occupational therapist, and told us earlier this year that said having someone with a healthcare background will improve the council, especially during a pandemic.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan has nominated the following members to serve on the council’s committees in 2021:
Transportation Committee
Sonia Gutierrez, Matthew Petty, Sarah Bunch, Holly Hertzberg
Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste Committee
D’Andre Jones, Mark Kinion, Sloan Scroggin, Teresa Turk
Nominating Committee
Sonia Gutierrez, Mark Kinion, Sarah Bunch, Teresa Turk
Ordinance Review
D’Andre Jones, Matthew Petty, Sloan Scroggin, Holly Hertzberg
The mayor also appointed the following to serve as council representatives on various other committees:
Active Transportation Advisory Committee
D’Andre Jones
Advertising and Promotion Commission
Matthew Petty, Sarah Bunch
Animal Services
Sarah Bunch
Audit Committee
Mark Kinion
Energy Improvement District
Sloan Scroggin
Environmental Action Committee
Teresa Turk
Washington County Regional Ambulance
Holly Hertzberg
Equipment Committee
Sonia Gutierrez, Matthew Petty, Sloan Scroggin, Holly Hertzberg
Town and Gown Advisory Committee
Mark Kinion
Arts Council
Sonia Gutierrez
Stormwater Committee Utility Study
Sonia Gutierrez, Mark Kinion, Sarah Bunch, Teresa Turk
