Two seek Bentonville mayor seat

Bentonville mayoral candidates Stephanie Orman (left) and Terry Shannon.
Bentonville mayoral candidates Stephanie Orman (left) and Terry Shannon.

BENTONVILLE -- City Council member Stephanie Orman and political newcomer Terry Shannon will vie for the mayor's seat this fall.

Mayor Bob McCaslin isn't seeking re-election.

Candidate filings

The following candidates filed for mulicipal offices on Monday.

BENTON COUNTY

Bella Vista

Ward 1, Position 2

John D. Flynn*

Ward 3, Position 2

JB Portillo

Bentonville

Ward 1, Position 2

Chad Goss*

Ward 2, Position 1

Cindy Acree

Cave Springs

Mayor

John Craig

Gateway

Position 1

Don Deckard*

Pea Ridge

Mayor

Jackie Crabtree*

Rogers

Ward 3, Position 1

W. Clay Kendall*

Washington County

Greenland

Ward 4, Position 1

Larry Forrester*

*denotes incumbent

Orman, 43, announced her candidacy Friday at Dave Peel Park after filing her petition for the position with the County Clerk, according to a news release sent Monday morning.

photo

Stephanie Orman

She defeated two candidates when she was elected to the council in November 2014.

"I believe that my achievements as a council member, my leadership and involvement in local community groups and my desire to create a deeper connection within our community will help the people of Bentonville as we work together to build a more amazing community," Orman said.

Orman said she'll aim to increase public access to city administration and address community concerns with frequent communication with residents as well as develop a City ScoreCard to assess community engagement and drive transparency.

She said she intends to create community leadership councils to develop growth strategies and to work with city officials to create solutions for issues affecting residents.

Shannon is a 67-year-old native of Paris, Texas. He's retired from real estate and Yellow Page publishing and moved to Bentonville four years ago.

"The reason I'm excited about running for mayor is because, No. 1, I don't have anything else to do in life except run for mayor," Shannon said Monday. "I'm single. I'm retired. All my children are grown. I have no axe to grind."

He said he moved to Bentonville because it was safe, adding drug use was at the foundation of Paris' social issues.

Bentonville's growth presents opportunities and threats, he said, adding those who move to the area for valid reasons bring a "certain element of people that follow them, and they're the ones who buy and sell drugs."

"My hometown is falling to pieces. I don't want Bentonville to turn out like Paris, Texas," he said.

Shannon created COPS, or Citizens On Patrol Service, to help clean area parks and other areas that have been poorly used. There's about five in the group, and they've picked up trash, needles, condoms and old clothing, he said.

Orman holds several leadership positions in community organizations including board president of Women in Networking of NWA, PTO chairwoman at Barker Elementary School and chairwoman of the Bentonville Animal Shelter Task Force.

She received a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Arkansas in 1997 and a master's degree from Missouri State University in 2002. She is the director of social media and community involvement with McLarty Daniel Automotive Group in Bentonville.

The mayor's salary is $132,954 and will remain unchanged next year.

Filing for municipal elections closes Aug. 17. The nonpartisan election will be Nov. 6.

photo

Terry Shannon

NW News on 07/31/2018

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