Over several days in the coming week, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial board will offer its endorsements for several key municipal, county and state government races. Voters will start casting ballots Monday through early voting. The election will be Nov. 6.
Voters should cast their ballots based on their own knowledge of candidates and the needs of their communities. It's not our goal to tell people how to vote. This newspaper doesn't get a vote. But based on interviews, candidate-provided information and news coverage of races, our editorial board offers its thoughts as one factor to be considered.
Informed voters need to make sure they cast their ballots. The only wrong decision for a registered voter is to not vote.
Bentonville City Council
Ward 1, Position 1
Tim Robinson, 34, is a two-term incumbent seeking re-election, but not to the same position. So is that really re-election? Redrawn political boundaries shifted his home into a different ward, but he's stayed put. We'd recommend voters give him a chance to stay put on the City Council, too. Robinson, in a contest with Robert Carr Jr., is co-owner of a small business that's part of downtown's revitalization and, at 34, brings a perspective of a younger generation of city leaders that matches well with the demographics of modern Bentonville. He's well versed in city issues and typically takes a reasoned approach to them. Carr, despite repeated email and phone messages over the course of three weeks, did not respond to requests for an interview.
Ward 2, Position 1
Two newcomers to Bentonville politics, Cindy Acree and Sam Whiteside, will vie for this position on the City Council. Acree, 62, who grew up in Bentonville, is no newcomer to politics, however, as she served as a state legislator during three decades living in Colorado. She moved back to town four years ago and demonstrates her competence as a person comfortable with public life, campaigning and speaking to issues. Whiteside, 36, has lived in and around Bentonville his entire life and says he's driven to make Bentonville better for the future of his two young children. He'd like the city to promote affordable housing so more people can live near their jobs and cut down on the traffic burdening Bentonville. At the same time, he wants to invest in street infrastructure and a small system of public transportation to help move people around the city while reducing traffic. In this race, we recommend Whiteside as a candidate who brings analytical skills and strong connections to the region. We think that's going to work well on the issues facing Bentonville.
Ward 4, Position 2
Jonathan Terlouw, 55, has served on the Bentonville City Council as an appointee who filled a vacancy eight months ago. He said it was the perfect opportunity for him to get a taste of representing the people of his ward, because campaigning isn't in his "wheelhouse." But the experience made him want to keep doing the work, and we think he's demonstrated enough of a knack for it the voters should give him a full term. His opponent is Brian Lyew, 29, who is also a political newcomer. Terlouw's time on the City Council has helped prepare him for continued service.
Springdale City Council
Ward 2, Position 1
Having observed both Ray Dotson and Mike Overton in service to Springdale on the City Council over the years, we recommend Overton as the more qualified and capable candidate for the city's needs.
Ward 3, Position 1
Incumbent Rick Culver, 62 and a one-term member of the Springdale City Council, is challenged this fall by educator Amelia Taldo-Williams, 40. Culver is the executive director of the Rodeo of the Ozarks. Taldo-Williams and her husband created a social media site in which they promote Springdale. It seems to us, though, that people in Springdale are pretty satisfied with the direction of the city, and Culver says he wants to continue working toward sound implementation of the bond issue voters recently approved and the redevelopment and promotion of downtown. We think Culver has listened, paid attention to the issues important to residents and businesses and delivered what voters expect of their City Council members. We recommend him for another term.
Ward 4, Position 1
Mike Lawson, 54, faces a challenge from Eve Smith, 44, director of exhibitions at the Arts Center of the Ozarks and a relative newcomer to Springdale. Lawson grew up in the area and has been on the City Council a little more than five years. We're going to advocate for Lawson's continued representation in this space, but Smith presented an attractive option for the influence of new blood in the city. With time, she very well may be a contender. Lawson, however, has helped Springdale get to where it is today, which is as promising as things have been for the city in a long time. Granted, he hasn't done that alone, but he seems a good fit for Springdale past, present and future, all of which factor into the modern leadership needs of the city.
Commentary on 10/20/2018