Kinion seeks bid to earn re-election for Council seat

FAYETTEVILLE — A mortgage loan officer and incumbent council member wants to build on the initiatives he has helped create with the city.

Mark Kinion, 61 , intends to run for re-election for his Ward 2 City Council seat. Kinion has held the spot since 2010.

Ward 2 includes downtown and midtown Fayetteville, covering much of the University of Arkansas campus and Dickson Street entertainment district.

A 40-year resident of Fayetteville, Kinion said he wants to continue playing key roles in many of the city’s endeavors.

For instance, the city is in the midst of a stormwater study that will map the most problematic flooding areas. The study began in the Water and Sewer Committee, which Kinion chairs. A recycling master plan also went through the committee, as did the streamside protection ordinance and 20-year water plan, among others.

The city has several nascent vision plans covering economic development, energy use reduction, major corridors and other areas.

“These are important things,” Kinion said. “I think we need some continuity from the planning stage to the implementation phase.”

Kinion said he also cares about neighborhood issues. He wants to preserve community parks and historic structures.

“I have a pretty strong voting record,” Kinion said. “You’ve probably heard me say it at City Council: If you want to know about a neighborhood, go and talk to the neighbors.”

More than 20 years of senior executive management experience with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and serving as past president and chief operating officer of BioTech Pharmacal has helped Kinion make judicious selections as chairman of the Nominating Committee, he said. Knowing which candidates will best fulfill roles on the city’s various boards, commissions and committees takes a lot of work to which Kinion is committed, he said.

A co-sponsor of the city’s Civil Rights Ordinance, Kinion said he would actively defend the measure as it faces challenges in the state’s courts and Legislature.

“That was passed by the people of Fayetteville, and we don’t need pre-emption,” he said.

Kinion is serving as vice mayor, as he did in 2014, 2015 and the end of last year.

Kinion had past campaigns for state representative and Washington County judge. Nicole Clowney defeated Kinion in the May 22 Democratic primary for the legislative seat, and Joseph Wood won the county judge’s position in 2016.

A Prairie Grove High School graduate, Kinion earned a bachelor of science degree in food science and technology with a double major in chemistry from the University of Arkansas in 1980.

Kinion