Fire Cat makes another run for City Council

FAYETTEVILLE — A self-described recurring character in city politics and busser at Village Inn has once again thrown his name into the hat of City Council candidates.

Adam Fire Cat, 43, filed to run for the council representing Ward 4. John La Tour holds the seat and is seeking re-election.

Ward 4 covers most of the city west of Interstate 49 and parts of the University of Arkansas campus south of Wedington Drive. Notable landmarks include the University Heights neighborhood, Pratt Place Inn, Bryce Davis Park, Holcomb Elementary School, Owl Creek School, Asbell Elementary School and the Boys & Girls Club.

Fire Cat ran for mayor in 2008, when Lioneld Jordan won his first term. He followed with unsuccessful bids for City Council in 2010 and 2012, both for Ward 2. In 2016, Fire Cat filed to represent Ward 2 before withdrawing his name because he lives in Ward 4. He gained 1,140 votes, falling 65 votes shy of the next qualified candidate, despite pulling his name from contention. Matthew Petty won the race with 3,505 votes.

Fire Cat said his mantra has been victory through perseverance. “If you don’t win, continue,” Fire Cat said. “People give up too easy. I find there are talkers and walkers, right? It’s just sort of a thing where they’re willing to go as far as the first time and that’s it.”

Fire Cat said he will continue to campaign on the principles of balanced budgeting and personal freedom. He said he won’t hesitate to vote against a measure that would violate those principles, even if a majority of the public feels otherwise.

“I’m willing to tell them no,” Fire Cat said. “If they want something, I’m willing to say, ‘No, we can’t have it.’”

Among local issues, Fire Cat would like to institute single-stream recycling citywide. The council adopted a new recycling plan last year, but excluded the single-stream concept after an outpouring of residents spoke out against the idea. The method would have residents place all recyclable materials in one container for processing.

Advocates say the method leads to a far higher contamination rate. Fire Cat said he believes the higher volume collected will lead to more materials recycled. Fire Cat said planning ordinances should address functionality, and not aesthetics. Such ordinances essentially create issues where there are none, he said. Council members earn $12,504 annually and have four-year terms. The election, which is nonpartisan, is Nov. 6.

Fire Cat