Financial adviser makes second bid

FAYETTEVILLE — A self-described Christian conservative and self-employed financial adviser is taking another shot at becoming mayor.

Ron Baucom, 63, filed to challenge Lioneld Jordan. Tom Terminella and William Harris also are in the race.

In 2016, Baucom received 1,067 votes in the mayoral race. Jordan won with 22,803 votes, and Terminella had 8,935 votes.

Baucom said he is a staunch believer in the U.S. Constitution. He serves as a volunteer with Bruce and Betty Baucom Christian Ministries, where he spreads the word of the Gospel, especially for those experiencing homelessness, he said.

“That’s the No. 1 thing in my life. My faith has gotten considerably stronger. I wish that I’d been like this all my life. I finally got my priorities straight on that,” Baucom said. “Of course, I don’t get paid for it or anything like that. I get paid for it if I can bring somebody to the Lord. That’s the ultimate reward.”

Baucom spent 17 years as an employee and manager at Walmart before heading a number of small businesses. He works now for a service business in Fayetteville and retail in Springdale. He majored in accounting and finance when getting his bachelor of science degree in business administration at the University of Arkansas and does financial consulting.

Baucom said he wants to focus on the safety of the community. Police, firefighters and first-responders must be adequately equipped, he said. Residents must be taken care of with more jobs and better-paying wages, he said.

The city borrows too much to pay for projects, especially with the $226 million in bond debt voters approved a year ago, Baucom said. More frequent audits are necessary to keep the city’s financials in check, he said.

“We’ve got to have better fiscal management and stewardship of taxpayer dollars to represent all the Fayetteville citizens, not just a small portion that is benefiting,” Baucom said. “That’s the way it’s always been.”

Family is important to Baucom. He cared for his mother, Betty Baucom, for a number of years before she died in 2018.

“My mom and my Grandma Baucom taught me that our purpose in life is to serve and love God and to always serve and love others,” he said. “All souls matter.”

The base salary for the mayor is set at 5% more than the average salaries of each chief and department head reporting to the mayor. Jordan makes $131,352 annually. The position is nonpartisan.

The election is Nov. 3.

Baucom