Announcement for Mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas
Monday, June 7, 2004
Today I proudly announce that I am a candidate for the office of Mayor of Fayetteville. I became a citizen of Fayetteville in 1969 when I began attending the University of Arkansas where I received a degree in engineering in 1973. I worked for a civil engineering firm in construction administration and inspection for over twenty years. I was elected to the Fayetteville City Council three consecutive times serving a total of eight years never missing a regular City Council meeting. I am familiar with all city departments and the needs and challenges of the department managers, and employees. If elected, I will bring this vast knowledge and experience to the office of Mayor of Fayetteville.
I will work to regain the trust of all citizens and of the City Council by intensely listening, by creating open government, and by making decisions based only on what is in the best interest of the city. Requested information by the public or their aldermen will be provided willingly and immediately. Under my leadership as Mayor, committee recommendations adopted by the City Council will be adhered to and fulfilled.
I will avoid urban sprawl by planned and managed growth and will not ignore citizen's established, long term plans for Fayetteville. It is a mistake to close neighborhood schools, and I will work to preserve neighborhoods in the central part of the City. I will seek intelligent solutions to traffic congestion rather than just throwing concrete at the problem.
I will remind the business and development community on the one hand and the conservation community on the other, that they share long-term interest in building and preserving this beautiful and prosperous city. I pledge to work with both groups. With effort, we can preserve Fayetteville's natural beauty, as well as encourage alternative means of transportation, and develop a cultural and entertainment district. We can increase the city's efforts toward economic development, and attract clean industry into Fayetteville to broaden our tax base. By balancing the budget, we can avoid tax increases and deficit spending.
Another major issue is the new sewer system, which is the largest capital improvement project in the history of Fayetteville. I am the only candidate that has experience with sewer construction contracts and the only candidate that was the inspector for the construction of the new sewer treatment plant.
We are truly blessed with wonderful people in Fayetteville in addition to abundant natural beauty and a vibrant and dynamic economy. As Mayor, I will work with all groups to preserve our community so that future generations can have the same high quality of life we have been fortunate enough to enjoy.