Tennant To Run For Second Term On Fayetteville City Council

Justin Tennant
Justin Tennant

FAYETTEVILLE -- The final City Council member up for re-election this year announced Thursday he plans to run again for the council's Ward 3, Position 1 seat.

"I feel we have accomplished a tremendous amount in the last four years," Alderman Justin Tennant said. "But there is so much more to be done."

Profile

Justin Tennant

Fayetteville City Council

Ward 3, Position 1

Age: 43

Residency: Fayetteville resident for more than 25 years

Family: Wife, Katie; two children

Employment: Director of global accounts, Printronix/TallyGenicom

Education: Bachelor of arts degree in journalism, University of Arkansas

Military Experience: None

Political Experience: Fayetteville Ward 3, Position 1 alderman, 2011 to present

Source: Staff Report

Ward 3 contains a number of neighborhoods in northeast Fayetteville, including the Root School, Huntington and Candlewood subdivisions. Gulley Park, Lake Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Mall and Washington Regional Medical Center are also in Ward 3.

When Tennant first ran for public office in 2010, he pledged to keep Fayetteville "green and growing."

"I am thrilled to say that is exactly what we have done, as seen in our expanded trails system, securing the land for our regional park, improvements to Walker Park and multiple street and sidewalk improvements all over the city," Tennant said in a news release. "Fayetteville has also seen explosive retail and commercial growth adding to our tax revenues. These businesses are not only adding good-paying jobs, but they will also enhance our educational, cultural and overall health."

Tennant, global accounts director for a major printer and print supply company, has served as the City Council's liaison on the Advertising and Promotion Commission for the past four years. He's a Fayetteville High School and University of Arkansas graduate.

"He's very savvy, very well-prepared," Bobby Ferrell, former Ward 3 alderman, said Thursday. "He has a very pragmatic approach to things. He looks at all the data available to him, and then he will make a decision. He will make the hard decisions also."

"To me, that's a characteristic that's critical in city government," Ferrell added. "Unless I have a brother or sister who will run, I'll damn sure vote for him."

Tennant's stances on city issues haven't always been predictable.

In December, he voted for a height and setback ordinance that restricts commercial and multifamily development next to single-family homes. He cast one of the deciding votes in 2011 against a proposal that would have banned smoking in all Fayetteville bars.

Tennant was one of two aldermen to oppose a set of "urban agriculture" measures, allowing goats, bees and more chickens and ducks in residential areas. He sponsored a 2013 ordinance regulating door-to-door sales, and, in 2012, he voted to allow up to five unrelated people to live together under one roof.

Earlier this year, Tennant penned a proposal committing the city to up to $150,000 for a traffic signal at College Avenue and Millsap Road, where a Whole Foods Market-anchored shopping center is planned.

"Companies like Whole Foods choosing Fayetteville over many other cities in the region and nation proves that Fayetteville is still a preferred place to do business," he said. "We must keep it that way."

Voters will decide Nov. 4 who will fill Tennant's and the council's three other Position 1 seats -- held by Adella Gray (Ward 1), Mark Kinion (Ward 2) and Rhonda Adams (Ward 4).

Gray and political newcomer Sonia Davis Gutierrez have said they intend to run for the Ward 1 post. Kinion announced his re-election bid Tuesday. Adams said this week she won't seek a second term.

The official filing period for municipal candidates begins July 25 and ends Aug. 15.

NW News on 06/13/2014

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