Bentonville council has three contested races

BENTONVILLE -- Six candidates will vie for three City Council seats in the Nov. 8 general election.

Incumbents in all eight positions will seek re-election, and three will have challengers. Kristen Dunavant will seek the Ward 1, Position 1 seat held by Stephanie Orman. Chad Goss will challenge incumbent John Skaggs for the Ward 1, Position 2 seat. Jim Webb will face a challenge from Anthony Ciabattari in Ward 4, Position 2.

Bentonville City Council

Ward 1, Position 1

Kristen Dunavant

• Age: 38

• Residency: Bentonville, since July 2015

• Employment: Homemaker

• Education: Bachelor’s degrees in social work and religion from St. Olaf College, master’s degree in social work from Augsburg College

• Political experience: None

Stephanie Orman

Age: 41

• Residency: Bentonville, 13 years

• Employment: Marketing at Orman Creative

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, master’s degree in communications from Missouri State

• Political Experience: Ran for City Council in 2012, elected to City Council in 2014

Ward 1, Position 2

Chad Goss

Age: 32

• Residency: Bentonville, 30 years

• Employment: Vice president of sales at Blue Ocean Innovative Solutions

• Education: Bentonville High School graduate, bachelor’s degree in mass communications and political science from Ouchita Baptist University

• Political Experience: None

John Skaggs

Age: 71

• Residency: Bentonville, 69 years

• Employment: Retired

• Education: Bentonville High School graduate, bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas, juris doctorate from University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Political Experience: City Council, 1984-86 and 2014 to present; five terms as municipal judge; one term as district judge

Ward 4, Position 2

Jim Webb

• Age: 35

• Residency: Bentonville, 35 years

• Employment: Account manager for Pacific Cycle

• Education: Bentonville High School graduate

• Political Experience: Elected to City Council in 2014

Source: Staff report

Early voting begins Oct. 24.

Ward 1, Position 1

Political newcomer Dunavant said she started to think about running for City Council after it was suggested to her by former alderwoman Leah Williams.

Dunavant said she began to think about how to celebrate Bentonville, a city with residents from various other locations because of Wal-Mart and its various vendors.

"I meet people from all over, and it's very rare that I meet somebody that's from here," she said.

Dunavant moved to Bentonville with her family in the summer 2015. Her husband, Michael, works for Merrill Lynch. She's a stay-at-home mom with their two children, ages 2 and 3.

Dunavant said she'd like to help bring more amenities to continue to attract and keep people in the city if elected to City Council.

"Everybody's coming from all over the place, and everybody has these great ideas about what they used to do in the towns that they came from," she said. "How can we incorporate that into building communities and building traditions here?"

Orman said her first two years on the council have gone by quickly.

"There's some initiatives that I'd like to still accomplish," she said about seeking re-election. Orman defeated Williams in 2014. "I'd like a few more years to make some of those things happen."

Orman mentioned the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority and working to get more cities to use it, which would help manage sewer rates. She also said she's passionate about getting neighborhoods and private sector entities to work with the city to accomplish projects.

Neighborhood residents often want connections to sidewalks and trails, but city money allotted for that often is spoken for, so Orman said there may be a way where property owners associations and other private entities could agree to pay a percentage to help initiate some of those projects.

"I don't have any major agenda behind me," Orman said. "I'm just a person that appreciates the community and wants to make a difference."

Ward 1 is east of Northwest A Street and north of East Central Avenue and East Battlefield Road.

Ward 1, Position 2

Goss is throwing his hat into the political ring for the first time.

Goss has lived in Bentonville for 30 years. It's a city he has a love and passion for, he said.

"I loved it when it was 7,500 people, and I love it now that it's starting to approach 50,000 people," he said.

Goss said he's running for City Council because he wants his children to have the same opportunities he had growing up in Bentonville. Goss said city leadership has done a great job creating a quality of life and he wants to be a part of continuing that as the city grows.

"I think there's an opportunity for Bentonville to become a destination city on a national level," he said. "I just want to help oversee some growth and quality of life initiatives that will make it more attractive to not only just families, but to single entrepreneurs and people who work in the tech industry."

Skaggs has more than 30 years experience in elected positions from starting on the council in 1986 for one term, then 20 years as a municipal judge, then six years as a district judge before being appointed to fill a vacant council seat in 2014. He was elected to his council position in 2014.

"I just like to be of service," he said of seeking re-election. "I have a lot of experience with city government, and I like being of service when I can."

Most items before the council are fairly routine, but occasionally there are a few drawing attention, Skaggs said, mentioning the controversy over the dam at Lake Bella Vista.

Skaggs cast the only dissenting vote when the council approved the contract to rebuild the dam in November.

"I was not particularly in favor of rebuilding the dam rather than some other use of restoring (Little) Sugar Creek," he said. "The lake is not very usable. It's just there. People walk around it. It's not good for swimming. It's not good for fishing. The city attorney says there's a contractual obligation to rebuild the dam."

Ward 4, Position 2

Webb defeated Ciabattari and former incumbent Jim Grider for the Ward 4 seat in 2014.

"The first two years went by so fast. I feel like I've got so much more to do," Webb said of running again. "I really enjoy being on there and being part of the community and representing the people of my ward and of the city in general."

Webb said he wants to continue work on alternate transportation and making it safer for cyclists to commute and ride recreationally, as well as continue to work to bring more entertainment options to the city. That will take partnerships with the private sector to encourage developments that will continue to attract outside talent for the companies located in the city, he said.

Ciabattari didn't return two messages.

Ward 4 is east of Southwest A Street and South Walton Boulevard and south of East Central Avenue and East Battlefield Road.

NW News on 10/10/2016

Bentonville

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