Nineteen Eye Bentonville Council Seats

BENTONVILLE -- The 19 candidates for City Council are the most in one election in recent city history.

That number only includes those who seek the eight council positions and doesn't include the mayor, city attorney or city clerk positions. Bob McCaslin, George Spence and Linda Spence will run unopposed for those three spots.

At A Glance

Bentonville Council Races

There are 19 candidates running for Bentonville’s eight City Council seats. They are:

Ward 1, Position 1

• Jon Cavness

• Stephanie Orman

• Michael Williams

Ward 1, Position 2

• John Skaggs*

• Chad Yoes

Ward 2, Position 1

• Tim Robinson

• Roger Thomas*

Ward 2, Position 2

• Shane Miller

• Chris Sooter*

Ward 3, Position 1

• James Smith*

• Craig Soos

Ward 3, Position 2

• Bryan Bennett

• Bill Burckart*

• Kristy Reed

Ward 4, Position 1

• Burton Head*

• Octavio Sanchez

Ward 4, Position 2

• Anthony Ciabattari

• Jim Grider*

• Jim Webb

* Denotes incumbent

November's election will be the first to have contested races for each alderman seat, according to documents from the Benton County Clerk's Office dating to 2000.

Five positions have two candidates, and Ward 1, Position 1; Ward 3, Position 2; and Ward 4, Position 2 each have three candidates.

The 2000 election had the largest number of candidates at 14, but it only had three contested races. One position had five candidates that year.

Most elections since 2000 have had one or two contested races with only two, sometimes three, people after the same seat, documents show.

The 2010 election didn't have any contested races. The last election, in 2012, had 13 candidates in five contested races.

With so many people running this election season, residents need to research who their candidates are, why they want to be in office, what they want to do and what their qualifications are, McCaslin said.

"Staff and my office will work with whomever the voters put in office," he said. "That's what we do."

Stephanie Orman, Ward 1, Position 1 candidate, and Kristy Reed, Ward 3, Position 2 candidate, are the only women who seek election. Michael Williams, Ward 1, Position 1 candidate, is the only black candidate. Octavio Sanchez, Ward 4, Position 1 candidate, is the only Hispanic candidate.

Shane Miller, Ward 2, Position 2 prospect, is the youngest candidate at age 28. John Skaggs, Ward 1, Position 2 incumbent, and Burton Head, Ward 4, Position 1 incumbent, have the most life experience with 69 years. The average age of the candidate pool is 45.

Four candidates have military experience. Seven are new to the political scene. Of the 12 who have had political experience, nine are either on the council or have served on the council in the past.

Mary Baggett, Ward 1, Position 1 alderwoman, said she's been "struck" by the amount of interest of people running for City Council.

Baggett is finishing her seventh term and 14th year as an alderwoman. She ran six terms unopposed, she recalled.

"It's a really good thing," Baggett said of the number of candidates. "This is the way government is supposed to work. People are supposed to be interested in their government."

Baggett, 83, is only council member who will not seek re-election. Orman, Williams and Jon Cavness are vying for her seat.

Baggett said she believes it's the vibrancy of the city that has created the interest around the council.

"It's a good place to live, and it's a good place to be involved," she said.

Being a council member is all about service, Baggett said. Voters need to make sure that the person they're voting for is sincere about serving city residents, she said.

The general election is Nov. 4. Early voting begins Oct. 20. Voter registration deadline is Oct. 6.

NW News on 08/30/2014

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