Yoes Makes Bid For Ward 1 Bentonville Council Seat

BENTONVILLE -- Chad Yoes will challenge incumbent John Skaggs for the Ward 1, Position 2 City Council seat this fall.

Yoes and Skaggs are the only two candidates who have filed for the position as of Wednesday.

Yoes' priorities include planning for responsible city growth, ensuring city services, such as snow removal, are adequate and that zoning and infrastructure improvements are appropriately communicated to residents, according to a news release.

Yoes is a senior director of merchandising finance for Walmart. He moved to Bentonville in 2001 and joined the company in 2002. He has been in several roles in the company that include moving out of Bentonville twice.

Yoes said he has seen the city's growth over the past 13 years.

"I believe that my work background and experience will make me well suited to serve as an alderman for the city of Bentonville," he said. "I've worked in strategy, finance and operations. These experiences together have given me a unique perspective that will benefit the city of Bentonville. In order to develop and execute plans, my focus has been on practical solutions that are clearly communicated."

Yoes coaches soccer through the Parks and Recreation Department, is a member of the Board of Junior Achievement of Northwest Arkansas and is a member of St. Gabriel's Anglican Church in Springdale.

Yoes is personable, friendly, outgoing and highly intelligent, said Todd Tittle. Tittle has been fiends with Yoes for seven years. Yoes has supported The Cancer Challenge and Benton County Quail, a nonprofit organization that supports conservation efforts and shooting sports. Tittle is involved with both organizations, as well.

"He's very approachable, has a great attitude about everything," Tittle said. "He would be a great addition to the council."

Scott LeMaster has known Yoes since 2003. The two ride mountain bike trails on rides that Yoes organizes, LeMaster said.

"Chad is the guy you want to have around when it is time to get things done," LeMaster wrote in an email. "He's super intelligent, and great at both rallying the troops as well as rolling up his sleeves. I couldn't think of a better person to have on the City Council to make sure we are both taking care of this great city's basic needs, but also looking to the future of what we want the city to become."

The filing period for municipal elections closes at noon Aug. 15.