City link below offers wide range of information to help cope with ice-storm problems

Fayetteville city Web site offers information on ice-storm related concerns, debris pickup, shelters, other services

City link below offers wide range of information to help cope with ice-storm problems

Fayetteville city Web site offers information on ice-storm related concerns, debris pickup, shelters, other services

Mayor Jordan urges residents to work together

Working Together;
Meeting the Challenges
Mayor Lioneld Jordan
January 30, 2009

My central message today is this: No one in Fayetteville should have to suffer unduly from the effects of this ice storm. It doesn't matter whether you're poor or unemployed, a renter or homeless, a student or a corporate executive- you should be able to stay safe and warm, and the City is doing and will continue to do everything in its power to help you.

I want to recognize the outstanding work of our city employees in all divisions and departments. It is an honor for me to work with such dedicated people who are committed to serving our citizens at all times and under such difficult conditions. I also appreciate the work of the Red Cross to establish an emergency shelter and the ongoing efforts of the private utility companies –SWEPCO and Ozarks Electric Cooperative – to restore electrical power to our homes and businesses.

Our citizens have responded with compassion and concern. Many have called my office to report conditions and alert us to the needs of their neighbors, and the number offering to volunteer to help has been heartwarming. I thank you for everything you do for our community.

I am grateful that President Barack Obama has issued an emergency disaster declaration allowing us to avail ourselves of federal resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and funding, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act. Governor Mike Beebe has declared a state of emergency allowing state agencies to more easily coordinate with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan's 2009 state-of-the-city address to the city council

http://www.accessfayetteville.org/government/mayor/documents/sotc/State_of_the_City_2009.pdf



Partners in Progress

Mayor Lioneld Jordan

State of the City
January 20, 2009

I am privileged to serve as Mayor of our wonderful city, and I am humbled by the
responsibility that the people have entrusted to me. I am honored to be your servant, and I
will work every day to make our community better for every citizen. That is my solemn
pledge to you.

Thanks to the vision of Mayor Dan Coody, the dedicated effort of our fine Aldermen, the
hard work of our outstanding city employees, and the contributions of many individual
residents who share our civic concerns, I am pleased to report to the City Council and to
my fellow citizens that the State of our City is sound.

We begin the year with a balanced city budget, solid progress on improving our
infrastructure, dedicated police officers and fire fighters who assure our safety, and a
commitment to institutional and individual partnerships to nurture and sustain the things
we love about this great community.

We also begin the year facing many new challenges and we must be prepared to face
those together with resolve. We are not immune from the problems of a faltering national
economy, and we must anticipate and be prepared for the consequences of any revenue
shortfall. We must be responsible stewards of our tax dollars, and we must maintain
essential city services for our citizens. Toward that end, I have already begun to identify
potential cost savings and have implemented a more effective management structure to
improve efficiency and control costs. Our staff already has offered many good solutions,
and we will institute an ongoing, frequent, consistent review of cost/benefit analysis of
operations and projects to assure the services and quality of life that our citizens expect
and deserve.

I believe in leadership by example, and I have proposed to cut the mayor’s salary and roll
it back to last year’s level. I have signed an affidavit that I will not avail myself of the
special lifetime retirement plan funded from general revenues. I have asked to return the
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$5,000 annual car allowance formerly paid to the mayor and instead, to use a vehicle
from the city fleet when necessary to travel on city business. We have already achieved
some savings in the salaries of top staff, and I will continue to look for savings in all
areas of city operations. My staff and I are partners in this effort.

Even in uncertain economic times, we must be bold in our efforts to develop and
implement a strategic economic development plan for our city. Not only can this lead to
increased revenues without a tax increase, but more importantly, it can help assure green
jobs, good jobs that pay a living wage, allowing individuals and working families to have
the basic necessities and a better life. We already know that we need greater efficiency in
the development approval process, a workforce trained for the jobs of the future, and
better methods to accurately measure the results of our efforts. We can draw on the
suggestions of recent studies and the work of my outstanding Transition Team to craft a
plan that is consistent with Governor Mike Beebe’s long-term strategic plan to help
achieve economic improvement for our state through collaboration and cooperation.

To that end, know that I am serious, and within six weeks I will host a Community
Summit on the Future of Fayetteville that will be open to every citizen and I will consider
all views in forging our own economic and community development strategy. We must
have the participation of the business community and advocates for working families,
students and retirees, public institutions and private citizens, as partners in our shared
progress. We will have, within 90 days, an economic and community development
strategy that considers support for existing small businesses as well as nurturing new
opportunities, and together we will work to make it a reality. A slow national economy is
no excuse for inaction but an opportunity for us to move quickly and prepare now for our
shared future.

My first and immediate goal will be to do everything possible to secure and support the
establishment of a Satellite Campus of the University of Arkansas Medical School and a
Regional Trauma Center in Fayetteville. In the longer view, we should also develop a
close relationship with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and seek a regional presence for that
institution. This commitment clearly illustrates the close connection between economic
development and our quality of life.

The University of Arkansas is a priceless resource, and it is one that helps define
Fayetteville. We must be active partners in progress with the University, drawing on the
vast local resources of knowledge and expertise as we grow together and achieve our
mutual goals. From the development of knowledge-based industry, to community design
plans, to solving social service needs, to collaborating on support for a vibrant arts
culture, the possibilities are limitless. I will actively reach out and pursue this partnership.

The economic, environmental, and cultural aspects of Fayetteville’s advancement are
deeply interconnected. For example, any consideration of transportation policy must
consider getting to work, moving goods, access to cultural resources, and environmental
impact, requiring an integrated and connected system of streets, mass transit, multi-use
trails, bike lanes, sidewalks, and parking, along with a revised transportation impact fee
3
to help growth pay for itself. We will pursue the development of each of these elements,
and we will urge the Regional Mobility Authority to support a feasibility study and
planning for a future light rail system.

As we consider infrastructure development, we must seize the same opportunities. My
administration will go beyond the current recycling program to implementation of a
comprehensive waste minimization program for our entire community. We are pursuing
the idea of solar greenhouses to kill pathogens and reduce the volume of bio-solids now
going to landfills. We are investigating an effective Hillside Development Ordinance and
a storm water utility to better control the primary transmitter of pollutants into our water
supply, and we will implement and enforce a better plan for the protection of riparian
zones. We will be active partners with the “Green Infrastructure” project being developed
with the help of the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association, Arkansas Forestry
Commission, the city’s Urban Forestry program, the Tree and Landscape Committee, and
citizen volunteers. Our ongoing city sustainability efforts can also be expanded and
shared to benefit the entire community, evidenced by our new initiative to provide and
exchange CFL light bulbs in the apartments at Hillcrest Towers. In each instance, we will
be partners in progress.

One major change that will be implemented is a reorganization of our Parks and
Recreation Department. While much attention in the past has been focused on sports
playing fields, we know that our outdoor public spaces can serve other essential
functions. I will propose a new division, to be implemented without additional costs, that
emphasizes our community heritage and citizen participation. Examples to be considered
will be increasing the number of way-finding signs and local historical markers, planting
of native trees and grasses in portions of the parks, establishing a community garden
program in appropriate neighborhood parks, opening a convenient dog park, and
partnering with the University, the County, the Fayetteville School District, the
Washington County Historical Society, and private citizens to identify, preserve, and
promote our historic buildings and other cultural resources. In conjunction with these
changes, I will appoint a volunteer citizen task force on Festivals and Community Events
to seek a closer partnership with the Convention and Visitors Bureau to identify needs
and opportunities, and we will promote the “creative economy” in Fayetteville by
developing a comprehensive Cultural Plan, in partnership with the Fayetteville Arts
Council, the University, local artists, entertainment businesses, and concerned local
citizens.

Finally, I want to reiterate and make clear my unwavering commitment to Open
Government. This administration is dedicated to access, transparency, inclusion, timely
responses, personal recognition, and exceptional customer service for our citizens, and
we will be held accountable to those we serve. From Town Hall Meetings to an improved
interactive city website to information on civic literacy to empowered Neighborhood
Associations, we are preparing to implement real changes to better provide information to
our citizens and, more importantly, to seek and consider ways for citizens to
communicate their ideas, arguments, suggestions, and problems to their city government.
My Transition Team has listened to your ideas and has made a series of steps we will be
4
implementing to assure an effective community conversation. We must be partners in the
progress of our community, and every citizen must have a voice and be treated with the
respect and dignity that they deserve. You have heard my ideas, I now ask our City
Council to help me work toward these goals and I look forward to hearing their input and
the input of citizens, especially how I can be a better mayor and do a better job for our
city.

Thank you for your patience in listening as I share my plans and thank you for the
opportunity to serve you and our city.

Jim Barnes, formerly of Fayetteville, Arkansas, named Oklahoma's State Poet Laureate for 2009 through 2010 by the Oklahoma Humanities Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2009
Contact: Carla Walker, Director of Communications
Oklahoma Humanities Council
(405) 235-0280 • carla@okhumanitiescouncil.org


JIM BARNES APPOINTED STATE POET LAUREATE

Oklahoma City, OK— The Oklahoma Humanities Council announced today that Governor Brad Henry has appointed distinguished author Jim Weaver McKown Barnes as State Poet Laureate for 2009 through 2010. The Humanities Council facilitates the poet laureate selection committee, which reviews statewide nominations on behalf of the governor, and coordinates the activities and appearances of the poet laureate throughout his/her term.

“It was my privilege to name Jim Barnes as Oklahoma’s Poet Laureate,” said Governor Henry. “His unique artistic vision, considerable creativity, and deeply moving works made him a natural choice. Jim Barnes is an accomplished poet and teacher who has done much to expand the cultural horizons of Oklahomans and all Americans.”

Jim Barnes, of Choctaw and Welsh ancestry, grew up in Summerfield, Oklahoma. His non-fiction prose book, On Native Ground: Memoirs and Impressions, reflects Oklahoma and Native cultures and won the American Book Award in 1998. He has authored several volumes of poetry, including The Sawdust War: Poems, which won the Oklahoma Book Award in 1993; Paris: Poems; On a Wing of the Sun: Three Volumes of Poetry; and his most recent work, Visiting Picasso (University of Illinois Press, 2007).

On learning of his appointment, Barnes remarked: “I am indeed honored and delighted to accept the Poet Laureateship of Oklahoma. I am honored to serve my home state in the cause of literacy and literature, and I am delighted to think, with the appointment as Poet Laureate, that perhaps all my years of living in the realm of poetry have not been outside the boundaries of understanding. No art is more important to me than poetry, for poetry makes everything happen.”

Barnes received his master’s and doctoral degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of Arkansas. He served as professor and writer-in-residence at Truman State University for 33 years. He then served as Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing at Brigham Young University. He was the founding editor of the Chariton Review Press and is currently poetry editor for Truman State University Press and editor of the international journal The Chariton Review.

OHC Executive Director Ann Thompson said that the Council is eager to re-introduce Oklahoma citizens to Jim Barnes and his work. “Jim’s talent, teaching experience, and ability to engage with the public make him an enormous asset to our state,” said Thompson. “We have no doubt that he will further the governor’s and the Council’s efforts to engage people with poetry.” Thompson also noted that the Council will post some of Barnes’ published poetry on its website: www.okhumanitiescouncil.org.

“As Oklahoma’s Poet Laureate, Jim Barnes has the task of broadening understanding and appreciation of poetry,” said Governor Henry. “His work is a testament to the strong cultural fabric of Oklahoma and an inspiration for others to follow.”

Surgeon General says tobacco smoking dangerous on this day in 1964

1964: Cigarettes declared health hazard
U.S. Surgeon General Luther Leonidas Terry today reported the findings of a federal panel which revealed that smoking may lead to major health problems. The ten member federal panel, chaired by Terry, spent 14 months evaluating more than 8,000 studies involving the effects of smoking on health.

"Smoking cigarettes is a health hazard that calls for corrective action – and is a major cause of lung cancer and other death-dealing disease, especially in men, a blue-ribbon federal panel reported today. In short, the panel indicated, the more you smoke, the greater your risk of an early death," reported The Lowell Sun on January 11, 1964. "The panel also linked cigarette smoking to peptic ulcers, to accidental deaths due to home fires, and to a reduction in size of babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy."

NOTE: Although this was not the first time someone in the medical or scientific community suspected tobacco as a possible cause of lung cancer, today's announcement was the first time the U.S. government officially warned against the dangers of smoking.

Northwest Arkansas Times reports highlights of Lioneld Jordan's first day as mayor and retirement of vice president of Chamber of Commerce

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Virgil Neuroth, who is retiring from his post as vice-president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and Gary Dumas, Fayetteville's highest-paid city employee, on December 30, 2008. Links to related stories below photo.

NWAT report on Lioneld Jordan's first day as mayor
NWAT report on retirement of Virgil Neuroth

Lioneld Jordan sworn in as mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Mayor Lioneld Jordan a few minutes after being sworn in by Judge Mark Lindsay on Friday, January 2, 2009, being congratulated by admirers and supporters in the Washington County Courthouse.

why is muddy water flowing in a normally clear Ozark Mountain stream on a sunny New Year's Day?

Please click on images to ENLARGE view of muddy water flowing on New Year's Day into the Town Branch of the West Fork of the White River.

For more images and a bit of explanation of this situation, please click the following link Silt-laden water pumped to the Town Branch by contractors flows to Beaver Lake
For a closer view of the pipe spewing water from Hill Place work site, please click on image to ENLARGE. Use cursor to move about and see the contrast between the flow from the pipe and the stream's normal clear water at right.


For more images and a bit of explanation of this situation, please click the following link Silt-laden water pumped to the Town Branch by contractors flows to Beaver Lake

Mayor-elect Lioneld Jordan chairs Tuesday's agenda-setting session preparing for his first meeting as mayor on January 6, 2009

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Lioneld Jordan chairing meeting of the city council to set agenda for its January 6 meeting. Jordan has served as vice-mayor and chaired many meetings the past few years. Next Tuesday will be his first as mayor. Jordan is to be sworn in Friday morning at the Washington County Courthouse.
Please see Jeff Erf's Web log for the tentative agenda for the Jan. 6 meeting at Tentative agenda for Jan. 6, 2009, city council meeting

For the final agenda, check the same link Friday or Monday or go to Final agenda for Jan. 6, 2009, city council meeting for the agenda and link for live web streaming on Tuesday.
Below the photo, please find final report on campaign spending including the runoff from The Morning News edition for Wednesday, December 31, 2008.



The Morning News

Local News for Northwest Arkansas


Coody Outspends Jordan In Mayoral Race

By Skip Descant
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody raised more money for his re-election bid than his opponent Lioneld Jordan. The incumbent mayor raised $87,375 -- and $12,464 was his own money that he lent the campaign.

But it was not enough. Coody lost his bid for a third term to Jordan, a two-term city councilman who raised $49,615. Final campaign finance reports were due Tuesday.

Jordan won the 2008 mayoral race in a runoff, capturing 57 percent of the vote to Coody's 43 percent.

"It's got to make you feel good when you raise $50,000 and your opponent raises nearly $90,000 and you win by about 14 percentage points," Jordan said Tuesday.

All told, the 2008 mayoral race picked up $200,857 in contributions. Steve Clark, a former state attorney general and the new president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, picked up $46,214 in contributions. More than $11,000 was a loan to his campaign made by Clark and his wife.

In Coody's final report, which spans Nov. 14 to Dec. 6, he accumulated $14,205 in contributions, much of it from developer interests. For example, Ruskin Heights LLC gave $1,200. Nock Investments contributed $1,000.

"The business community was supportive of my campaign. They recognize that I recognize the importance of a strong business base," Coody said Tuesday.

Jordan's final report, which spans Nov. 16 through Dec. 26, shows $8,000 of his final $10,131 in contributions came from union organizations such as the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees or the International Association of Fire Fighters. All told, union organizations contributed $12,099 to Jordan's mayoral campaign. But unions notwithstanding, the bulk of Jordan's contributions came from local residents.

"It was just a huge diverse group and it was an amazing campaign," Jordan said.

And ultimately, the challenger rallies the troops, Coody said.

"Unhappy people always go vote," he said. "And Lioneld had a broad base of support. And my supporters were happy."

With sizable amounts of money being spent in the last leg of the election --$19,169 going toward television, newspaper and radio advertising -- and other expenses, Coody's campaign ended in the red, owing $11,416.

Jordan closed his campaign with $2,951 still in the bank.

Three-hour public-listening session fills Chamber of Commerce meeting room early with small groups toward noon

Transition team committee Dec. 29, 2008, NWAT

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Linda Ralston (from left), Michelle Halsell and James Phillips facing the camera, with Cindy Cope at right and Julie McQuade facing the table. Not pictured were Jeff Erf and Walt Eilers (chairman of the Jordan mayoral transition teams' communition subcommittee).

Mayoral Transition Task Force communication subcommittee holds final public hearing January 13

Please announce:

The Transition Task Force Communication Subcommittee holds its concluding open public
hearing Tuesday, January 13 from 6:30 to 8 PM.

This 90 minute open hearing will be held in the Council Chamber (City Hall 219). The
hearing will be broadcast live on the Government Channel (Channel 16).

It will feature live public input for those attending and both a call in or an email
option for those viewing from home.

The contact information for the live call-in open hearing is:

Live Call-In 575-8299

Live Email: GOVERNMENTCHANNEL@YAHOO.COM

For more information please contact Transition Team Chair – Don Marr 479-236-1739 or the
Communications Sub-Committee Chair Walt Eilers at 479-582-0784

Please click on image to ENLARGE.

Transition team meets with mayor-elect to plan long-term goals

If you want to do the homework along with Lioneld Jordan's mayoral transition team, please see Documents being studied by Lioneld Jordan's mayoral transition team
Please click on images to ENLARGE view of second mayoral transition meeting.



Please click on image to ENLARGE photo of second meeting of Lioneld Jordan's transition team on December 18, 2008.

NWAT report on second transition meeting

EPA newsletter on watershed issues and sources of information

A site to learn about watershed management

Southpass, budget pass, Hoskins freeway subsidy delayed

The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas

SouthPass, Budget Move Forward
By Skip Descant
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/12/02/news/120308fzcitycouncil.txt
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody cast the deciding vote Tuesday night to extend a sewer line to the SouthPass regional park. The council tied 4-4, with Nancy Allen, Shirley Lucas, Bobby Ferrell and mayor-elect Lioneld Jordan voting against.
Please click on images to ENLARGE view of Fayetteville, Arkansas, city council on December 2, 2008


Because of many issues, such as cost and concern about developing on Mount Kessler, the SouthPass project has been controversial. The move Tuesday night was just another step in its slow march forward. Should the city kill the project -- a large mixed-use residential and park project in southeast Fayetteville -- it has been suggested by the city attorney that Fayetteville could be sued for not following through on contact obligations.
"I don't have any choice but to vote 'yes,' because I don't want to see the city end up in a lawsuit," Coody said.
The cost-share approved Tuesday night means the city will pay roughly $745,000 as its half of the cost of bringing sewer service to the project. The money will come from water and sewer impact fees.
The council also unanimously approved its $119.5 million 2009 city budget.
Jordan, who will be Fayetteville's next mayor and campaigned for cost-of-living raises, said the city could revisit raises in the first quarter of next year when officials know exactly how much surplus money the city finished 2008 with.
A 2 percent cost-of-living raise would cost roughly $800,000, said Paul Becker, Fayetteville's finance director.
Chickens can now legally cluck, scratch and lay eggs in Fayetteville backyards.
By a vote of 7-1 the council approved an ordinance to allow up to four hens per home. Robert Rhoads voted against, saying the ordinance seemed vague. It allows for both the slaughter of chickens, and prevents cruel treatment or killing of the birds.
"What is our business is passing legislation that may be confusing," Rhoads said.
"When it comes to the issue of slaughter, you know, we really haven't addressed it," said Jill Hatfield, superintendent of Fayetteville Animal Services.
A plan to require the chickens be registered with the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission did not receive support.
"It would become a permitting process," said Brenda Thiel, a council member. "And I don't think we're really going to have enough chickens to justify that."
By a vote of 5-3, the council voted down an appeal by developers for Amberwood Place, a 40-acre development with 177 dwelling units, some of them slated as attainable housing. Lucas, Jordan and Ferrell supported the project, primarily because it provided homes in the $110,000 to $135,000 range, a house type many say Fayetteville is lacking.
"If we want some (affordable) places -- and we've asked our developers to do this -- we've got a situation right here, and I'm all for it," Ferrell said.
"I really think we need some more homes that people can afford," Lucas added.
Other council members agreed with the city's planning staff and Planning Commission, saying Amberwood Place is contrary to Fayetteville's City Plan 2025. And also, some council members were not in favor of grouping affordable housing as a bloc.
"I have a lot of concern about it being bunched together," Allen said. "I have concerns that today's affordable housing may be tomorrow's slums."
And a move to enter into a $2.16 million cost-share with developer Park West LLC to extend Arkansas 112 into an open field to both encourage and access new development was sent back to the Fayetteville Street Committee for further study.

Fran Alexander's Monday column in the Northwest Arkansas Times offers a bit of history of interest

 
CROSS CURRENTS: Magnolia girl goes home
Fran Alexander frana@nwarktimes.com
Posted on Monday, December 1, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/71644/
Maybe it’s our Southernness that makes us cling to home and land, or maybe it’s just that we are like salmon and are drawn to our places of origin. Maybe it is because we want to be with our families again, or maybe we need to be in a place that we have known all of our lives. Maybe we have to claim a tiny patch of ground as our own on this big round Earth to hold us, just us, for as long as a human can dream eternity to be. Or maybe, sorrowfully, we pick our last places in spite of knowing sacred ground is only sacred for as long as anyone cares to hold it in reverence.
When I go to Magnolia, it is a pilgrimage. There, and in the countryside near the town, lie the roots of what family heritage I know the most about. We are now seven generations in time past old Sam Alexander, who settled in the woods of south Arkansas, built his home and bought himself some slaves. All but one slave left him after the Civil War, and family legend assumes they departed because Sam was not a loved master.
Sam’s daughter, Frances Alexander, whose first name later became my mother’s second name and then mine (and later, ironically, my married name as well) would tell her children and grandchildren that after the slaves left, she and her sisters had to do all the cooking and farm work. The kitchens were outside in the back yards in those days, a circumstance that led her to a lifetime of fearing and hating dogs. Her father’s hounds would leap, bite and claw at the young girl for the cooked food she held high over her head as she rushed to carry it into the house. She grew up and married Robert S. Warnock, and they moved into town. He was successful in many businesses and built a large Victorian-style home on Main Street in Magnolia, where they raised a son and a daughter, my grandmother, Ora Warnock.
Ora grew up in Magnolia, went off to Virginia to college and then returned home. One evening she attended an introduction party for a young man from Iowa, Louis Kemmerer, who happened to be in town selling buggies. Something sparked, and eventually they married and left to travel the country as he promoted the buggy trade. After a few years, they came back to Arkansas and settled in the large home on Main Street, where they lived with Ora’s parents.
Two daughters were born to Ora and Louie, and my mother, Lois Frances Kemmerer, was the eldest. She too grew up in Magnolia, then attended the University of Arkansas, where she met Ernie Deane. They were married for five years before I showed up.
CROSS CURRENTS : A 94-year perspective, part 1

CROSS CURRENTS : A 94-year perspective, part 2

CROSS CURRENTS : A 94-year perspective, part 3

CROSS CURRENTS : A 94-year perspective, part 4
It has always been my intent to write this opinion column primarily on environmental issues, but I allow myself to stray from time to time. Last year when Lois turned 94, I figured she was long overdue seeing some of her life in print, and so I did a four part series about her (starting at www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/54195 ). All my noble goals for raising enviro awareness over the years were shaken a bit after that series was published. I’ve never had more good feedback on anything I’ve written as those four articles on my mom.
My grandmother, Ora, used to say she had lived from the time of riding a wagon to town to watching men walk in space. Her daughter, Lois, was 7 years old when women got the right to vote. She witnessed two world wars, endured racial strife in Little Rock and lived almost long enough to see a black man elected president. Lois made it through 2007, so she got to meet her first two great-grandchildren, and she celebrated her 95th birthday in May 2008. She did not like the frailty and weakness she felt from all the years, advising me frequently, “Don’t live this long.” But, she kept playing bridge, writing letters and doing whatever she could as long as possible. She called me one day in April to report that her back hurt and was later diagnosed with a compression fracture.
My mom was a woman who drew much of her identity from my father and his professional life, usually introducing herself as “Ernie’s wife.” She, however, was the backbone of our family, and my dad readily admitted that while he could do the words, she had to handle the numbers. He always said he would have to die first (and he did), since he’d never figure out how to do his taxes and would rather go to jail than try. Although I realize she was a woman of her time and saw herself in only a supporting role, my greatest wish was that she could have realized that she actually played the lead. Ever vigilant about numbers, when she knew we had all finally mailed in this year’s taxes by the extension deadline, I think she could finally rest. Lois died on Oct. 16, and we took her home to Magnolia one last time.
I thought some of you might want to know. Fran Alexander is a local resident and an active environmentalist.
Copyright © 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved. Contact: webmaster@nwanews.com

Doug Thompson pinpoints reason that Lioneld Jordan was elected mayor of Fayetteville

Doug Thompson explains Lioneld Jordan

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. Vote for Lioneld Jordan for mayor

Please click on image to Enlarge photo of woman with her grandson holding signs at South School and Martin Luther King Boulevard, formerly Sixth Street.
Time is short to vote. Don't miss the chance to help elect an honest, steadfast mayor with a heart big enough to value everyone.

Aubrey Shepherd supports Lioneld Jordan in the Nov. 20, 2008, Fayetteville Free Weekly

Lioneld Jordan offers fair and open government



In the general election, Lioneld Jordan got votes from people from all political parties. Independence of thought and freedom from prejudice are two important qualities people admire about Lioneld Jordan.

Some said they follow city-government meetings on Government Channel and respect Lioneld for his work in eight years of City Council, committee and ward meetings.

Several said his work for neighborhoods made them trust him more than any other official.

Others said they met Lioneld years ago and respected his integrity in private life. Some said they had worked with him and recognized his consistently good judgment and kindness as he rose to a supervisory management position.

Some city workers have said privately that after years of interaction with Lioneld they felt more comfortable working with him than with any other elected official.

People who care about the fertile soil, clean air and water, trees, tall-grass prairie, wildlife, streams and all things living in Fayetteville said they voted for Lionel because of his consistent support of trails and parks and especially his voting to protect Wilson Spring and to create World Peace Wetland Prairie.

Some people said they voted for Jordan because of his support of well-planned developments and because he invites developers to his Ward Four meetings to interact with constituents BEFORE developers commit to projects with flaws easily recognized by people who live near the projects.

Most important is that many long-time Fayetteville residents recognize that Lioneld is dedicated to improving life for everyone in our city, regardless of economic status. He is a working man who reads constantly, listens to everyone and learns every day.

Early voting begins November 18 at the Washington County Courthouse. The county Website lists polling places for runoff election day, November 25.

Please vote to elect Lioneld Jordan mayor of Fayetteville.

Aubrey James Shepherd

Fayetteville, Arkansas