Two vie for Lowell City Council seat

Liz Estes and Kendell Stucki
Liz Estes and Kendell Stucki

LOWELL — Voters will select a new member of the City Council in a runoff election Dec. 1.

Liz Estes, 72, and Kendell Stucki, 45, are candidates for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat. Ward 3 is the most southern part of the city.

Early voting starts Tuesday. The early voting sites will be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

Estes received 1,460 votes (42%) in the Nov. 3 general election. Stucki received 1,462 votes (42%). A third candidate, Shawn Benk, received 502 votes (15%).

State law requires a runoff in municipal races with more than two candidates if no candidate receives either a majority of the votes cast or a plurality of 40%. A candidate who receives a plurality of 40% of the votes cast must obtain at least 20% more of the votes cast than the second-place candidate.

Estes is the city clerk, and Stucki is on the Planning Commission. Either will have to step down from their position if elected to the council, according to Melanie Houston, the mayor’s assistant.

The city clerk is an elected position. When a city clerk resigns, the City Council appoints a replacement, according to Lanny Richmond at the Arkansas Municipal League.

Estes is running because she has observed the City Council and Planning Commission for eight years and would like to be more involved in making decisions based on residents’ needs, she said. She would like to offer more amenities, such as evening events, for senior citizens.

“I enjoy what I do,” Estes said, adding she likes to engage with the public and is willing to answer residents’ questions.

Estes worked as a private music instructor for 25 years and then as the city’s museum director for six years. The museum closed in early 2019, and Estes said she would like to see it open.

Stucki liked serving on the council for 10 years and is running again to be a conservative voice for the city he has lived in for 23 years, he said. Stucki lost reelection to the Ward 3, Position 2 seat in 2018 to Lisa DeGifford. He received about 46% of the vote.

Stucki said he wants to make sure the Police Department has cars and other equipment it needs and wants to see the city continue to be business-friendly.

“Lowell is in desperate need of restaurants,” he said.

He also wants to focus on the city’s infrastructure and to consider putting a traffic light or traffic circle at the intersection of West Monroe Avenue and Spring Creek Road/Bellview Street, which he said is a dangerous intersection.

The council position is nonpartisan, and council members serve four-year terms.

Council members are paid $250 for each regular meeting they attend and $100 for special meetings, according to Houston. The city is divided into four wards, and each ward has two council members who must live in that ward. Each council member is elected by all voters in the city.

Linda Vannoy is the council member for Ward 3, Position 1. She didn’t file for reelection. Eight members serve on the council including DeGifford, Thomas Evers, Chasity Taylor, Todd Fenix, Eric Schein, Dean Bitner and David Adams.

Liz Estes

• Age: 72

• Residency: Ward 3 for 12 years

• Employment: Lowell City Clerk

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in music education, University of Central Oklahoma

• Political experience: City clerk for eight years

Kendell Stucki

• Age: 45

• Residency: Ward 3 for 14 years

• Employment: Sales representative at Bell & McCoy Lighting & Controls

• Education: Rogers High School

• Political experience: Lowell planning commissioner since 2019; City Council member 2008-18 and lost reelection bid in 2018

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