Fayetteville's Ward 2 candidates distinct

FAYETTEVILLE -- Voters who live in or near downtown will choose among three City Council candidates with widely different viewpoints.

Raymond Burks and Martin Bemberg are challenging incumbent Mark Kinion for his Ward 2 seat. Kinion is seeking his third term.

The candidates' said their personal experiences and philosophies influence their perspectives.

As a 16-year resident, Burks said he will align himself with longtime residents of the city.

Bemberg said his positions come through the lens of a Democratic socialist.

Kinion's experience on the council, dedication as a fan and former student of the University of Arkansas and time spent living in an active, historic neighborhood all influence his decisions, he said.

Burks said he feels the city acquiesces a little too much to the university, especially with student housing. The traffic associated with construction of midrise apartment complexes takes its toll wherever they're built, he said, and sensible planning must be considered.

The city can't tell the university what to do, but council members can influence university decisions, Burks said. He proposed encouraging an enrollment and tuition cap, and evaluating whether certain underclassmen should be allowed to have cars.

Bemberg similarly said the university seems to have the upper hand, but that may not always be a bad thing. Development of student housing promotes infill, and as long as it's appropriate infill, that meets one of the city's goals, he said. However, new student housing can come at a cost to construction of affordable housing.

The university's growth has prompted the city to put in more trails and accommodations for bus routes, which also falls in line with the city's objectives, Bemberg said. He would support measures that may stem from university needs, but benefit everyone else in the city.

Kinion, who serves on and helped form the Town and Gown Committee, said the university is the city's largest employer and probably has the biggest impact on its economy. Overall, the two entities have a great relationship, he said.

The city and university have been growing together since Day 1, Kinion said. Maintaining good lines of communication is integral. As president of the student government in 1978, Kinion sat on a task force to find housing for students in the city. Students had to live on campus then. Housing for students off campus was a big deal, he said.

"This isn't a new situation," he said. "It's a situation that occurs regularly throughout the history of the university and the city."

Kinion acknowledged there's congestion on and near campus. However, the city has partnered with the university on alternative means of transportation, such as making Razorback Transit and Ozark Regional Transit free and the city's new bike-share program, to relieve pressure on the streets.

Kinion is familiar with the university's impact on neighborhoods. He has often said the best way to know what's appropriate in a neighborhood is to ask the neighbors. Kinion's neighborhood near Wilson Park is full of active, involved residents, and Kinion understands the desire to be protective about a community, he said.

The City Council has hired a number of national consultants to help develop its various plans and achieve its goals. Within the last few years, the council hired Florida-based Kessler Consulting for about $300,000 to come up with a recycling plan; brought on San Francisco-based Nelson/Nygaard for $585,000 to update the city's mobility plan; and enlisted RDG Planning+Design, with headquarters in Iowa and Nebraska, for $153,000 to design a corridor plan along College Avenue, to name a few.

Bemberg said the value that comes with expertise isn't necessarily monetary. He would evaluate the hiring of a consultant on a case-by-case basis to see if the city is getting its money's worth, he said. Consultants do become beholden to the taxpayers when the council hires them, and there's an aspect of accountability associated with that, he said.

Kinion said the city's staff does a lot of good internal work. Sometimes council members need the best advice possible and that requires hiring an outside consultant, he said. The council has taken a judicious approach to hiring consultants, he said, by reviewing contracts first at the committee level. Kinion serves as chairman of the Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Committee, which handled initial reviews of the recycling contract.

City staff's time is limited, and sometimes it's necessary to use tax dollars to get unbiased, expert information, Kinion said.

Burks said there's value in getting an outside opinion, but national consultants may overlook what residents hold dear. Good plans require consensus from everyone in the city, not just what consultants recommend, he said. For example, it's one thing to talk about preservation of green space and appropriate infill, but another to take action on those pledges, Burks said. He said the council seems eager to follow the words of a consultant or developer but not so much the will of residents.

"Big development will never get a pass from me," he said. "It could be 7-1, and I'll be that one vote. And I will raise all kinds of Cain to make certain that people know why I am that one vote that is against that particular rezoning."

Bemberg floated the idea of putting microhousing on some of the city's open spaces and parkland. It's time for the city to rethink how it defines such spaces, and open land could be put to good use with gardens, playgrounds and tiny houses for homeless and low-income residents, he said.

"There's plenty of space we could utilize as this kind of hybrid," he said.

Kinion said every neighborhood deserves to have some kind of easily accessible park for the community to enjoy. The city also should honor the commitments it has made to improving existing parks, such as Kessler Mountain Regional Park. Those larger parks bring in a return on the investment, while community parks contribute to the quality of life, he said.

Ward 2 includes the Dickson Street entertainment area and downtown square. Other notable landmarks include Wilson Park, the historic Washington-Willow neighborhood, Lewis Park, Woodland Junior High School and the University of Arkansas campus east of Garland Avenue.

City Council members earn $12,504 annually and serve four-year terms. The election, which is nonpartisan for municipal candidates, will be Nov. 6 with early voting starting Oct. 22.

NW News on 10/07/2018