Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Aubrey James Shepherd's third video supporting Lioneld Jordan for mayor

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial endorses Lioneld Jordan for mayor

For Lioneld Jordan

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Northwest Edition

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008

URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Editorial/241825

LIONELD JORDAN has a reputation for working hard. He’s the city alderman in Fayetteville who’s never missed a city council meeting in his nearly eight years in office. Alderman Jordan has brought the same dedication to the monthly meetings he’s held in his ward.
He’s also known for his thorough knowledge of city government, for his ability to understand complicated city business, and his just plain love of his hometown.
One of the candidates Lioneld Jordan is running against is the incumbent, Dan Coody. Mayor Coody is winding up his eighth year as mayor with a mixed record. He’s certainly done some good things for Fayetteville. Like establishing the current system of trails in the city. And he talks up environmental issues, even if he hasn’t always lived up to his own standards.
But the Coody administration has had some notable shortcomings, too. There’s the $ 60-million-plus cost overrun for the expansion of the city’s wastewater system. The project came in three years late and had to be bailed out with an increase in the city sales tax. Then there’s the stalled development the mayor backed on the site of the old Mountain Inn. Instead of a big hotel, the city got a big hole, which is now to become a big parking lot. That’ll be an improvement, but not much of one.
The mayor’s also presided over a takeover of the city’s Government Channel. The biggest result has been an end to its forums, where issues were discussed openly and fairly. A fear of fair and open discussion is not a good sign in a mayor, especially a mayor of a town as freespirited and open to argument as Fayetteville. What a shame.
Mayor Coody, maybe reflecting what he learned in the military, says a city’s chief executive is responsible for what happens during his administration. We agree. The wastewater project, the downtown hole in the ground, the canceling of issue forums... he must take responsibility for all of them along with the city’s accomplishments during his tenure.
As an alderman, Lioneld Jordan hasn’t always been right. But he’s consistently shown a willingness to dig into issues and take every side into account. As his supporters have noticed, when he disagrees with anybody, he tells them why. And his explanations tend to be well thought-out. (It’s hard to imagine him shutting down any public forums. )
His long service on important committees, such as the Street, Water-and-Sewer, and Equipment committees have given him a thorough understanding of how the city works. He does his homework. And he’s served as vice mayor, which would be good experience for the top job.
If it’s time for a change in Fayetteville, and it is, its name is Lioneld Jordan. That’s why we’re endorsing him today.

Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Kinion the clear choice for Ward 2 seat on City Council. He has built a resume of actual service to this community.

Mark Kinion
AGE: 51
EDUCATION: University of Arkansas, BS, food science and technology
OCCUPATION: Retired senior executive for GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
LENGTH OF RESIDENCY IN THE AREA YOU WISH TO SERVE: About 20 years
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Fayetteville Housing Authority, board of commissioners, past vice-chairperson;
National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, member;
Partners for Better Housing, board of directors, founding board member;
Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, past chairman; Wilson Park Neighborhood Association, past coordinator;
Humane Society of the Ozarks, past president, past finance committee chairman, lifetime member;
Ozark StageWorks, board of directors, financial development chairman; Planned Parenthood of Arkansas/Eastern Oklahoma, advisory board;
University of Arkansas Alumni Association, lifetime member;
United Way of Pulaski County, former vice president of campaigns;
No. 1 issues: Transparent government, open communication, mutual respect and trust.

No citizen should feel disenfranchised from local political activity. All residents should feel they have an avenue to be heard and know their opinion is respected and valued.
I will have regular Ward 2 meetings to let people know relevant information in a timely manner regarding issues facing our city. Additionally, I will encourage open and mutually respectful dialog between the constituency, other members of the City Council, city officials and city administrative divisions.
Trust will be built by promising transparent and measurable actions in regard to economic, environmental and social impact of city projects.
By open dialogue, transparent action, and measurable benchmarks accountability can be established.
This open communication model will be applied to every issue and concern.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Kinion and Petty contrasted in article by The Morning News

The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas

In Ward 2, It's Green Going Against the Familiar
By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/10/16/news/101708fzelnward2.txt

FAYETTEVILLE -- Mark Kinion rattles off the names of neighborhoods and streets in Ward 2 like they were the names of his children.
Matthew Petty can wax for hours on ideas and programs he'd like to nurture -- or already has -- to grow what he describes as the "green economy" and society.
Both Petty and Kinion are seeking the Ward 2 alderman seat being vacated by Nancy Allen.
And, if on the surface, both candidates seem closely aligned on key issues facing Ward 2 or the city, their differences lie in the more hard to measure areas of community involvement, experience and commitment to change.
"I definitely don't have a lifetime of experience," reflects Petty, 24. But what he brings to the table, he says, is a proven commitment to research issues thoroughly, fresh ideas for the city council and leadership skills he's been building since he was a teenager.
"I spend upwards of 30 hours a week researching what other communities are doing and how that might work for Fayetteville," Petty explains. He founded the Social Sustenance Organization, a nonprofit which aims to organize the green movement at the local level. The organization is registered with the Arkansas Secretary of State's office as the corporate nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Sustainability Center. Its 501(c)3 federal tax exemption status is pending, Petty says.
This is the kind of organization and philosophy he wants to bring to the city council.
"The council has been a reactionary council," Petty says. "We don't have council members out there researching and coming up with policy."
Kinion, 51, grew up in Fayetteville, graduated from the University or Arkansas and has served on numerous local boards and commissions. He looks to his long history of activity in the community as his resume for preparing him to serve on the council.
"We have a very strong sense of community here," Kinion says. "And we should nurture it and use it to our benefit."
Kinion's big-picture goal is to make Fayetteville a destination -- both for visitors and people choosing to live here. And that means preserving its sense of place and community.
"You can't buy history. You can't buy the connection we have with the university. You can't buy the views we have of the Boston Mountains to our south," he says.
A large part of keeping Fayetteville's sense of place lies in preservation, he adds. Kinion discusses what he calls "the second wave of baby-boomers," or people closer to his age who want to return to their college towns.
"And they want to move back to the college towns that they remember," Kinion says.
It might be easy to brand him as a candidate averse to change.
"I'm not resistant to change," Kinion stresses. "I want to encourage protecting what's unique while we change."
Ideologies aside, several issues have arisen this election season. City finances and budget concerns are a challenge for any city council. Mayor Dan Coody's proposed budget would have the city dipping into reserve funds at the tune of about $500,000.
Both Kinion and Petty eyed this move with caution.
Petty --like Coody -- is not in favor of a tax increase, given the state of the economy. But he would only go into reserves for the areas of the budget that are more discretionary and could be expected to bring money into Fayetteville through tourism promotion or other means.
"If we've already paid for all the essential stuff with the budget, with the general fund, which is what we should do, then I think funding something like the Arts Festival or continuing meeting our goals on the trails, that's a smart use of the reserves because it results in a positive cash-flow and puts us in a better situation," Petty says.
Kinion says because of the shaky economic picture, the city ought to show more caution when it comes to using reserve funding. And Fayetteville should think about how to grow its tax base.
"I would like to see our technical park be as attractive as the Research Triangle Park," Kinion says, referencing the high tech research triangle in the area of Raleigh and Chapel Hill, N.C.
A key element in Petty's platform is looking for ways to grow the green economy. He'd like to do this through job training or working with developers to encourage more environmentally sensitive development.
As an example, Petty said the city should look at possible incentives offered to developers to make homes more energy efficient.
Growing a more sustainable economy requires a broad approach, Kinion says. He prefers to talk about growing attainable housing and some of the traditional blue collar jobs like machinists, mechanics, or even dental hygienists as a way to expand Fayetteville's diversity and fulfill what he calls social sustainability.
"These are technical skills that are always going to be of use, green collar, or not," Kinion says.

Mark Kinion

Age: 51
Residence: Ward 2 resident for 20 years
Occupation: Retired as a senior executive manager from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
Education: Bachelor's in food science technology, University of Arkansas
Family: Single
Political Experience: Served on Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, Wilson Park Neighborhood Association, Partners for Better Housing


Matthew Petty

Age: 24
Residence: Ward 2 resident for a year
Occupation: Self-employed community organizer; founder, nonprofit Social Sustenance Organization
Education: Graduate, Arkansas High School for Math, Science and the Arts; attended University of Arkansas
Family: Single
Political Experience: None

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Fayetteville police organization endorses Lioneld Jordan for mayor

Please click on image to ENLARGE for easy reading of the Fayetteville, Arkansas, chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police's endorsement of Lioneld Jordan for mayor.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Firefighters endorse Mark Kinion for Ward 2 alderman, Lioneld Jordan for mayor

Fayetteville Fire Fighters Association endorses Jordan
Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/70088

The Fayetteville Fire Fighters Association IAFF Local 2866 has endorsed Lioneld Jordan for mayor of Fayetteville in the Nov. 4 general election.
Other endorsements by the association:
• Don Conner — Ward 1, Position 2
• Mark Kinion — Ward 2, Position 2
• Craig Honchell — Ward 4, Position 2
Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com