FAYETTEVILLE -- Ward 2 representative Mark Kinion would like to keep his seat on the City Council for another four years.
Kinion, a home mortgage officer with the Bank of Arkansas, on Tuesday became the first alderman to announce his intent to run for re-election.
Fayetteville City Council
Ward 2, Position 1
Name: Mark Kinion
Age: 57
Residency: Raised in Prairie Grove; has lived in Fayetteville since 1991.
Family: Unmarried
Employment: Home mortgage officer, Bank of Arkansas
Education: Bachelor of science degree in food science and technology, University of Arkansas; studied communications at the University of Arkansas
Military Experience: None
Political Experience: Fayetteville Ward 2, Position 1 alderman, 2011 to present
Source: Staff Report
The official filing period for municipal candidates in the Nov. 4 general election begins July 25.
Ward 2 encompasses most of downtown and north-central Fayetteville, including West Dickson Street, the Fayetteville square, Wilson Park, Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, Evelyn Hills Shopping Center, Asbell Elementary School, Woodland Junior High School and the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Kinion, in a news release, said the ward "has unique challenges due to the aging infrastructure."
"Street projects, such as the widening of Garland Avenue, have also brought to light additional stormwater runoff issues impacting the Asbell and Woodland neighborhoods."
Kinion said he has sought to keep utility rates low as chairman of the City Council's Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Committee. He noted expanded apartment recycling and development of the Marion Orton Recycling Center during the past four years.
Kinion, who lives near Wilson Park, said he'll work to protect the historic nature of neighborhoods while supporting smart growth and infill development if he's elected to a second term.
"We have a unique heritage in Fayetteville that is irreplaceable," he said.
Kinion served as chairman of the Fayetteville Housing Authority and president of the Council of Neighborhoods before he was elected to the City Council in 2010.
Nancy Allen, who represented Ward 2 on the City Council in 2007 and 2008, called him a pragmatist who puts a lot of thought and careful consideration into all of the decisions he makes as an alderman.
"Mark is dedicated and studied," Allen said. "He never goes cold into a council meeting. He is prepared and seldom misses any meetings. Being on the council is a serious priority for Mark."
Kinion late last year supported a height and setback ordinance limiting the size and shape of apartments and commercial structures that can be built next to single-family homes. He voted in favor of Fayetteville's streamside protection ordinance in 2011 and was one of four aldermen to reaffirm the city's commitment to back-in parking on Block Avenue.
Kinion in 2012 voted against new occupancy limits that allow as many as five unrelated people to live together under one roof. And the year prior he cast a deciding vote against a proposal that would have banned smoking in all Fayetteville bars.
As of Tuesday, no one had announced they would run against Kinion.
Kinion won his 2010 race against Adam Fire Cat by a more than 3-to-1 margin. He narrowly lost to Matthew Petty, the council's other Ward 2 representative, in 2008.
NW News on 06/11/2014