FAYETTEVILLE -- A real estate broker who challenged Mayor Lioneld Jordan in 2016 said he still has issues he wants to address.
Tom Terminella, 53, filed to run for mayor. Jordan won a third term against Terminella and resident Ron Baucom four years ago and is running for reelection.
Terminella said he's concerned the city won't be able to pay its debt after voters approved $226 million in bond issues last year. Sales tax revenue is likely to take a dive because of businesses shuttering during the pandemic, and many small businesses were struggling before the pandemic hit, he said.
"I think Fayetteville has got their head in the sand because there's going to be a real problem meeting the financial obligations of the city with all that debt," Terminella said.
After living in the city for 50 years and working in real estate, Terminella said he's never seen so many empty buildings. He said he's counted more than 100 driving around town, and the city needs to be stronger in supporting small businesses.
Terminella recounted instances of when he tried to lure a major business and developments to the city only to see them go elsewhere in Northwest Arkansas. He attributed the problem to poor leadership and repudiation on the part of the administration.
"They end up coming to Fayetteville, talking to the city and then end up going and building in Benton County," he said. "I think it's time for a change."
Homelessness also has become a problem, something Terminella said the city needs to take a leading role to combat. People living along the trail system has created a public safety hazard, he said.
"I've never seen the city in the state that it's in with over 50 years of being here," Terminella said. "I've never seen it this hollow, this shuttered, this empty. It sickens me."
Major public projects should not be decided in a special election, as the bond referendum was in April 2019, Terminella said. Special elections garner a fraction of the turnout of a general election, he said.
Terminella questioned the administration's effort to take over responsibility of miles of U.S. 71B running through the city and a portion of Arkansas 112. The city needs to be more financially responsible than that, he said.
"I don't know any city in Arkansas that would voluntarily take over 10 miles of state-owned right of way and obligate its citizens, residents and taxpayers to maintain it from now until the end of time," he said. "There's nothing about that that makes any financial sense."
The base salary for the mayor is set at 5% more than the average salaries of each chief and department head reporting to the mayor. Jordan makes $131,352 annually.
Challengers William Harrison and Ron Baucom also are running for mayor.
Municipal filing ended Wednesday. The nonpartisan election is Nov. 3.