Special election set Tuesday

BENTONVILLE — Voters will decided who will fill City Council’s vacant Ward 3 seat during a special election Tuesday.

Michelle Malashock and Aubrey Patterson are on the ballot.

Voting centers will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Bentonville Church of Christ at 708 N. Walton Blvd. and at First Landmark Baptist Church at 206 S.E. 28th St.

Both candidates said they are running to preserve Bentonville’s history and culture and want to help the city continue to grow in a responsible manner.

Patterson is a wellness instructor for the Parks and Recreation Department. She’ll need to resign if elected to the council. She’s lived in Bentonville 16 years. She is also a volunteer at the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter.

Malashock works in Walmart’s communications department and is a four-year Bentonville resident. She’s lived in Northwest Arkansas since 2006.

The council seat has been empty since Tom Hoehn left the council in November for a job in Dallas.

Since there was more than a year left on Hoehn’s term, the City Council had the option of either appointing someone to fill his seat or holding a special election. They agreed to hold a special election.

All eight of the council’s seats will be up for grabs during the Nov. 6 general election. Council members are elected at-large to represent the ward in which they live. They serve two-year terms since the city’s population is less than 50,000.

Both Malashock and Patterson said they would seek re-election if they win the special election.