WHAT GIVES : Let the games begin
Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tuesday, we'll know for sure. No, I'm not talking about the next pronouncement of a vice presidential running mate. I'm not talking about some discovery of evidence that Bigfoot exists. It's not about whether the Fayetteville School District will ever be able to develop a realistic and achievable plan for the future of this community's high school. Tuesday is the final day for anyone to file for municipal office, and in Fayetteville, it will formalize the mayoral campaign that so far includes a 7 1 / 2-year incumbent who initially said he wouldn't run, but changed his mind; an alderman who has served that long on the City Council; a one-time Arkansas attorney general; a fundraising consultant; and a busboy whose campaign was apparently sparked by his belief that the city has too many regulations. All indications are that we know who the candidates will be and there won't be any last-minute surprises. As of Friday, Steve Clark, Dan Coody, Walt Eilers, Lioneld Jordan and Adam Fire Cat had filed the paperwork to run for mayor. Those are all the announced candidates. With Tuesday's closing of the filing period, the mayor's race will transform into a more intense effort by candidates to present a compelling case to voters. I spoke with four of the five candidates late last week to see what's in store for the weeks ahead. What's clear is that Mayor Coody's decision in July to re-enter the race will profoundly change the campaign Fayetteville voters will see this fall. He had announced plans to step down when his second four-year term ends in January, but reconsidered as the race took shape among the other candidates. His campaign slogan is "Let's keep a good thing going. "For a considerable portion of the next two months, voters will likely see his challengers pointing out what they believe hasn't been so good about Coody's time in office, and why they don't think it's wise to keep it going. For a good while, it's probably going to look like Coody against the world as his challengers first attempt to overcome the benefits of incumbency, making the case to voters about why they should change from Coody's leadership. They will jump at the chance when all the candidates are together to draw distinctions among themselves. So the first order of business for each candidate is helping voters to understand why he's not Coody, then he can begin explaining what differentiates him from the rest of the pack. September will be a key month in the campaign. Already, the mayoral candidates have several forums or debates scheduled. There may be more, but here are the one's I have information for so far: Sept. 11 - Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, 7 p. m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Sept. 18 - Washington County Republican Women, reception 4: 30 p. m., debates approximately 5: 45 p. m., Jones Center for Families, Springdale. Sept. 19 - Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, noon, Cosmopolitan Hotel. Sept. 24 - League of Women Voters, 6 p. m., Fayetteville Public Library. Conventional wisdom would say a five-man race has a strong likelihood of forcing a runoff, which occurs when no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes cast. That same wisdom would suggest that Coody is likely to be in that runoff with one other challenger. Once an election reaches the runoff stage, the incumbent's advantage is severely diminished. It's going to be a heck of a race to watch, and as one candidate mentioned, the race will be a great opportunity for local residents to fully explore issues of importance to the community no matter who ends up winning. As a result, the debate will play a significant role in helping every candidate, and the eventual winner, more fully understand how the public feels about local issues. But what do the candidates say about the next two months ?
Lioneld Jordan "My campaign has been mostly door to door," Jordan said. "We're just going to keeping doing the same thing. "Core message: "Open-door government is probably the foundation of my campaign," Jordan said. "I'm seeing a lot of people, they feel there is a disconnect between the people and the government right now. "Jordan says people want fewer surprises, so he plans to have town hall-style meetings every three months, rotating to each ward, to set goals and inform residents of progress on past goals. More communication with residents is vital, he said.
He also will press ideas for developing a solid economic development plan and building the city's infrastructure. Steve Clark "It's going to become more of the traditional campaign, more retail politics," said Clark. "Everyday, you're trying to find a voter you haven't contacted and ask for their vote. "Clark said Coody's decision to stay in the race changes it a lot, making Coody the one who has the likely advantage today. Clark, however, said he's "picking up some fatigue "toward the incumbent among his one-time supporters and that creates an opportunity to win voters from that bloc of voters. Core message: "Fayetteville is a national city playing on a global platform," Clark said, asserting it's time to move forward with change while preserving what the community likes about its past. Clark said the city must focus on the essentials as opposed to aesthetics, but it needs to pursue as much aesthetic improvements as it can afford after the essentials, such as fire and police service, are funded. He'll also focus on developing the job base, saying Fayetteville doesn't need to wait for jobs to come, but instead, go get them.
Walt Eilers Eilers says as perhaps the least-known candidate, he'll continue a strong campaign of door-to-door "face time"with voters, a use of technology for social networking and spreading his message, and participating in debates. He expects the overall tone of the race to "take on a sharper edge"as candidates work against the incumbent. "Thankfully, Dan is running and we're going to address what's not working in the city and Dan's going to have to be accountable for that," he said. Core message: Eilers wants voters to know that (1 ) He's not a politician, but a first-time candidate who wants to bring people together to accomplish more through that dynamic, (2 ) he's the only candidate who has business experience with a budget of similar size to the city's, and (3 ) he's the only one with experience at helping businesses experiencing any form of crisis that he can use to move the city from challenging situations to success. "I believe that is the skill set we've needed in Fayetteville," he said.
Dan Coody "One of the drawbacks I have that the other candidates don't is I've got this intensely busy and time-consuming job that I take seriously," Coody said. "Just because it's campaign season, the requirements of the job don't slow down. "Core message: "If the citizens of Fayetteville like the direction we're going and don't want to change to another direction, I would hope they would re-elect me," Coody answered. Coody said a great future for Fayetteville has been unfolding during his administration, and the chance for stability and getting through rough waters facing many communities is highest with an experienced staff informed by long-term perspective. He says Fayetteville's growing prominence on the national scene is important for economic development. "Frankly, from what I've seen from the other candidates, no one has shown me they really understand how to keep us on the same course," Coody said. Adam Fire Cat I left a message for Adam Fire Cat Friday and he returned the call and got my voice mail, so we didn't connect. In an earlier forum, Cat said he chose to run for mayor because he believes the city has too many ordinances. "I believe the excess ordinances are choking the life out of Fayetteville," he said. The final straw came when he and his roommates were evicted because they were in violation of an ordinance that limits four vehicles per driveway. His campaign has included a few signs and he can occasionally be seen walking up and down Dickson Street with a campaign sign. Greg Harton is executive editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times. His column appears on Sundays.
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