Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Orman, Webb heading to runoff in mayor’s race
BENTONVILLE — Stephanie Orman and Jim Webb will face each other in a runoff for the mayor’s seat.
A candidate in a municipal election with more than two challengers can win outright with a majority, which is 50 percent plus one vote. Or, a candidate can win with 40 percent of the vote if he is ahead of the second-closest candidate by 20 percent. Otherwise, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be Dec. 4.
Other challengers in Tuesday’s general election were John Skaggs, Charlie
Turner and Terry Shannon.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were: Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,595 (43%) Orman. . . . . . . . . . . . 5,193 (40%) Skaggs . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,777 (14%) Turner.............. 272(2%) Shannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 (2%)
Webb, 37, served on City Council from 2015 to February. He said he’ll listen to residents and work to maintain a fair and balanced approach to city growth. He is a senior national account manager for Walmart and Sam’s Club businesses at Backyard Discovery and Step2 in Bentonville.
Webb said Tuesday night he was excited about the results, which he learned about at a watch party with supporters.
Orman, 43, has served on City Council since 2015 and said she’ll aim to increase public access to city administration and address community concerns with frequent communication with residents. She is the director of social media and community involvement with McLarty Daniel Automotive Group in Bentonville.
Orman said she was also excited about Tuesday’s results and is ready for the runoff election.
Incumbent Mayor Bob McCaslin did not seek re-election. The position is a four-year term and pays an annual salary of $132,954.
WARD 1
Incumbent Tim Robinson, 34, defeated Robert Carr Jr., 62, for the Ward 1, Position 1 seat.
Ward 1 is in the city’s northeast, everything east of North Walton Boulevard and north of East Central Avenue. City Council members serve two-year terms and are paid $711 a month.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were: Robinson . . . . . . . . . 7,947 (68%) Carr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,657 (3%)
Robinson is senior director
in merchandising at Walmart and co-owner of Phat Tire Bike Shop. He was first elected to City Council in 2014 then re-elected in 2016.
He has said he’d like to help address the increasing housing costs and improve infrastructure.
WARD 2
Cindy Acree, 61, will serve as the Ward 2, Position 1 representative after defeating Sam Whiteside.
Ward 2 is in the city’s northwest, everything west of North Walton Boulevard and north of Southwest 14th Street.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were: Acree.............7,241(64%) Whiteside........ 4,046(36%)
Acree, who grew up in Bentonville, is the CEO of the Elizabeth Richardson Center. She served as a state representative and held numerous government appointments when living in Colorado. She returned to Bentonville in 2015.
She said she wants to ensure that everyone is treated fairly when dealing with city departments and wants to improve accessibility to city officials.
WARD 4
Jon Terlouw will remain in the Ward 4, Position 2 seat after defeating challenger Brian Lyew.
Ward 4 is in the city’s southeast, everything from Southwest I Street and south of East Central Avenue.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were: Terlouw......... 6,598(62%) Lyew.............. 4,048(3%)
Terlouw, 55, works in central operations at Walmart and has lived in Bentonville 25 years. City Council appointed him to fill a vacant seat in February.
He said he wants to continue to help the city progress in the best possible way and
that city staffing and infrastructure will be top priorities in the next few years.