Honchell Seeks Fayetteville Ward 4 Seat

FAYETTEVILLE -- Craig Honchell, a five-year veteran of the Fayetteville Planning Commission, entered a crowded race for the City Council's soon-to-be-vacant Ward 4 seat Friday.

Honchell, 45, said his role as a planning commissioner and helping to shape "every major project that's been coming through" will serve him well as alderman for the city's west side.

Profile

Craig Honchell

Fayetteville City Council

Ward 4, Position 1

Age: 45

Residency: Fayetteville resident since 1990

Family: Wife, Kimberly; two daughters and one son

Employment: Manufacturing engineer, Bargo Engineering

Education: Associate degree in computer aided drafting and design, NorthWest Arkansas Community College

Military Experience: None

Political Experience: Ward 4 candidate for City Council, 2008

"I'm very familiar with the way city operations work," Honchell said. "I don't think there would be very much of a gap or learning curve."

"This is kind of the next logical step for me," he added.

Honchell said his interest in local government was sparked in 2007 by Hank Broyles' and John Nock's development proposal for the Woodstock Community, which would have added about 380 residences and 100,000 square feet of commercial space -- including several three- and four-story buildings -- on 30 acres along Wedington Drive.

Honchell, president of the Cross Keys Property Owners Association at the time, had concerns about the size and scope of the nearby development. He began regularly attending commission meetings, and, in 2008, he challenged Sarah Lewis and Bernard Sulliban for the seat that had been held by Mayor Lioneld Jordan. Lewis eventually won the race with 65 percent of the 5,874 votes cast.

Honchell was appointed to the commission in 2009, where he has often been supportive of neighborhood concerns.

"Anything that impacts neighborhoods, that means a lot to me," he said. "I take it personal."

Honchell has worked the past eight years as a manufacturing engineer for Bargo Engineering on South Armstrong Avenue.

He's a member of the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, which advises the City Council on sidewalk and trail projects. Honchell said he enjoys bicycling, running and canoeing. He has coached youth sports for Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Department leagues for about 14 years.

"I've never really just sat back," Honchell said.

He said he looks forward to seeing some of the items identified in the Wedington Corridor Plan the City Council approved in March 2013 come to fruition.

Ward 4 encompasses a wide swath of west Fayetteville including several neighborhoods west of the University of Arkansas campus and most land west of Interstate 49.

Honchell will be joined in the race for Alderwoman Rhonda Adams' seat by Ray Boudreaux, Michael Collins, D'Andre Jones, John LaTour, Phillip McKnight and Robert Williams. Adams announced earlier this year she plans to move to Tampa, Fla., where her husband, Charles, has accepted a job as dean of the Honors College at the University of South Florida.

If no one candidate wins a majority in the Nov. 4 election, the top two vote-getters will square off in a runoff election Nov. 25.

NW News on 08/16/2014

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