Incumbents seek re-election in Ward 4

Octavio Sanchez
Bentonville City Council seat
Octavio Sanchez Bentonville City Council seat

BENTONVILLE -- The incumbents in Ward 4 are seeking re-election to City Council this fall.

Octavio Sanchez and Jon Terlouw were the only candidates who had filed for Position 1 and Position 2 as of Thursday.

Sanchez, 66, is a database administrator for Walmart.

"I am seeking re-election for City Council so that I can continue to serve, by using all of my professional and personal capacities, my willingness to work and my honesty, for the benefit of the citizens of Bentonville," he said.

He was first elected to council in 2014, defeating incumbent Burton Head.

Sanchez has supported many of the city's initiatives while on council, including providing additional pay for employees with college and graduate degrees.

Sanchez is from Mexico and has lived in Bentonville 21 years. He has a civil engineering degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a master's degree in information systems from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico City. He also obtained an information systems security certification from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Sanchez is also a member of the Library Advisory Board and the Airport Advisory Board.

He became a United States citizen in May 2006.

Terlouw, 55, is from central Iowa and has lived in Bentonville for 25 years. He works in central operations at Walmart.

Council members appointed Terlouw in February to fill a vacancy left by Jim Webb, who resigned after moving out of the ward.

"I have enjoyed getting to know the residents of Ward 4, and the women and men that work for the city. The people that I meet are passionate about this community and want to see it move forward in the best possible way," he said. "My hope is that I can help them achieve this."

Terlouw said city staffing and infrastructure will be "top of mind" for the next few years.

Terlouw also serves on the Bentonville Parks Conservancy.

He said he attended college for four years at Truman State University -- formerly Northeast Missouri State University -- Missouri and Iowa State University, but doesn't have a degree.

The city adopted new ward boundaries in 2017 that will take effect Jan. 1. Candidates must live in the ward they're seeking election based on the new boundaries.

Ward 4 will encompass the city east of Southwest I Street and south of East Central Avenue.

City Council members are paid $711 a month. Filing for municipal office ends Friday. The nonpartisan election will be held Nov. 6.

NW News on 08/14/2018

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