Charlton Troutner
Charlton Troutner has lived in Bella Vista for nearly four years, and lived in Centerton before. He decided to move to Bella Vista, he said, after visiting his grandparents, who retired here in the 1980s. He goes to the Lutheran Church in Bella Vista, he said. • “I’m running on a three-point platform,” Troutner said. “The first is I’m looking at business growth. I want to focus on bringing in small businesses.”
“Businesses like daycares,” he said. “More family-oriented businesses.”
“The second part is to focus on bringing in younger families to keep Bella Vista moving,” he said.
The third part, he said, is a focus on infrastructure and amenities.
•
Troutner said part of his motivation for running is the way the presidential election cycle has gone so far.
“I’ve seen so much in this election,” he said. “They don’t act like they have their hearts in it. They don’t act like they want to help. I do.”
He’s also tired, he said, of seeing campaigns based around negativity and the notion of voting for a candidate mostly to keep the opposition out of office, rather than discussing what they, specifically, intend to do in office.
“I’d like to be the type of candidate I’d like to see,” he said. “So I’m going to be the most open and transparent candidate for City Council this town has ever seen. I’m going to be very approachable.”
He’s also interested in expanding the hours that people can access the town’s amenities, he said, and he’d like to see night classes offered at the gym.
Additionally, Troutner said, he’d like to implement curbside pickup for recycling, much like what’s offered in Bentonville.
“I just want to work to improve the community,” he said. “It’s my way of giving back.” • “I feel I’m qualified,” Troutner said, “because I know the area. It feels like home to me.”
He has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, he said, and he’s also got experience with fundraising for various charities, including SIFE, Million Meals, AIM Walk and the World Health Organization.
•
“The biggest challenge, I think, is growth,” Troutner said. “And that’s why I’m focused on it.”
“I think the key to that growth is bringing in smaller businesses and younger families,” he said. “And I think that will make it better for people already living here because they’ll have a better economy and there will be a stronger sense of community, rather than thinking of it as a place I live, it’ll feel more like home wherever you go in the city limits.”
Another issue, he said, is that while there’s very little business in Bella Vista and space is limited, some of that space is still out of use.
“We’ve got a lot of business real estate out there that isn’t being used right now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of buildings that are already built for businesses that are empty.” • Troutner said he understands that there needs to be some regulation in place, but people need to be able to take care of themselves as well.
“If it’s something they need,” he said, “then perhaps it should be allowed to be different. But for the most part, it should be uniform.”
Jason Faulkinberry
Jason Faulkinberry, a father of four, said he’s lived in Bella Vista for 15 years.
“We chose Bella Vista to raise our family,” he said. • “You’re going to take on new projects and stuff,” he said. “I think an alderman has to give their insight on the budget.”
“You’re the leader of the community,” he said. “You need to be willing to step up and start projects and form committees. You almost have to have a business background.
“I think an alderman needs to be in touch with the people,” he said. “To have a pulse on the community.”
“There’s nobody represented (age) 50 and under,” he said.
With a change in demographics, he said, he’d like to see the new demographics represented on the City Council.
“I feel I need to contribute back to the community somehow,” he said. “And I want to. Mayor Christie has done a great job, and I want to help.”
Additionally, he said, he’d like to create a Parks and Recreation Department in Bella Vista. Because many Bella Vistans, particularly those with children, use amenities and services in Bentonville, the city is missing out on potential revenue.
“All that money would go right back into the city,” he said. “This is going to keep money in the community instead of every Saturday running to Bentonville for baseball and soccer and everything else. It’s just adding value to the community.”
Faulkinberry said he has a Master’s degree in business administration and management.
“I understand all the fine details of business and all the ins and outs,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes into budgets and statistics and I’m comfortable with that.”
Faulkinberry said he owns two businesses. One sets up utility lines, while another is a construction firm, he said.
He’s also, he said, a representative for the younger families moving into Bella Vista.
“I know this was a retirement community,” he said, “and in some ways it still is. But there are a lot of young families moving in. I’m trying to represent the families more than anything.”
•
“I see a rift down the middle of Bella Vista,” he said, “with the POA and the city. It’s a fine line, because I understand the POA’s place, but there are small issues.”
With the POA handling water services, he said, people may lose their water service after missing a payment by a few days.
“I don’t feel like it’s fair or right,” he said. “That can’t be changed. It’s just something that bothers me.”
Another significant issue he discussed is growth.
“I think growth is staggering,” he said. “I’ve looked at the census over and over. We won’t know until 2020 what’s happened.”
This is an issue, he said, because with the sort of growth the whole county is experiencing, it can be difficult to know where exactly a city is.
“If you base your decisions off numbers that aren’t accurate,” he said, “you’re going to shoot yourself in the foot.” • “I own a couple big bucket trucks,” he said. “I own the lot next to my house. And if I have to spend $200,000 to build a garage that matches my house, that’s not going to work.”
“People can’t afford that and people need places to put things,” he said, “but you can’t have people building just anything.” • The role of an alderman: “To keep track of the finances and look out for what’s best for everyone,” Wozniak said. “Not just a few people. So you have to look at the bigger picture, and not just have an agenda.”
• Why he wishes to become an alderman:
“I’ve been doing public service stuff for 40-some-odd years,” Wozniak said. “I’d like to see it succeed. We went through a couple of rookies last time,” he added. “They keep doing the same things, like reinventing the wheel.” • Qualifications: Wozniak said he served 14 years as the chief of police, and he was on the Benton County Quorum Court for 8 years. He’s also been on the county finance and grievance committees, and he chaired the environmental committee.
He’s worked with the POA as well, he said.
• Bella Vista’s biggest challenges in 2017:
“Revenue,” he said. “We’ve hired a bunch of folks. There’s a bunch of folks being requested for next year.”
“The POA can raise money a lot easier than the city can,” he said.
The city’s options to increase its revenue are limited, he said, and the lack of commerce in the city limits its tax base significantly.
Permit fees for construction and property taxes can help, but they won’t carry the city, he said.
“We’re not setting the world on fire building houses,” Wozniak said, “and we’re not doing anything commercial. You’re not looking at a whole lot of places that are new that are making money.”
Another concern, he said, is the new Back 40 trail system.
“We’re getting into it relatively cheap,” he said, “but it’s going to cost us down the road.
The city has agreed to maintain the system, he said, and this could grow to be expensive.
“With 150 miles,” he said, “even if you’re just cutting brush, that’s a lot of miles.”
“Where’s all this money coming from?” he asked.
Another issue, he said, is that because there’s so little commerce in town, the majority of younger Bella Vistans work outside the city.
“There’s only so many things you can do here without going into town,” he said. “You look at the highway in the morning and you see a lot of people heading to Bentonville.”
It would be beneficial, he said, to reach a position where more people could work in the city, but he also believes that in its current state, Bella Vista could have trouble attracting businesses.
“We don’t have infrastructure, per se,” he said. “We can’t offer a lot of stuff.” Additional roads and utilities, he said, could help to attract more development. Without the city developing these things, he said, a developer could end up footing the bill — which might be particularly difficult for a smaller firm.
“So it’s a matter of affordable commercial property,” he said. • Accessory structures: “If you’re putting up a structure on a property you own,” Wozniak said, “I can see restricting it to the adjacent lot. As far as restricting it’s size, that’s a big ol’ can of worms.”
An excess of limitations — be they on size or aesthetics — could make construction less attractive and more expensive.
“If we put too many restrictions in,” he said, “nobody’s going to want to come out here ever again.”
Brent Stinespring
Brent Stinespring is a teacher at Cooper Elementary School, and he’s been a property owner in Bella Vista since 2008 and moved into the city in 2009. •
“I think the way is to represent the people who elected them to that position,” he said. “The ultimate end result needs to not just to push your own agenda, but to make the direction the city heads in reflective of the needs of the population.”
•
“I’ve found, as I’ve worked with the trails development, I’ve enjoyed being part of those improvements being done that have affected so many people,” he said.
“I have ideas that I think are good, but I’m not sure how possible these are or if they’re what the majority of the people want,” he said.
He’d like to see more commercial development in Bella Vista, he said, particularly to facilitate dining and shopping.
“The majority of people,” he said, “do their dining and shopping outside of our tax space. We lack those more commercial amenities that so many people want. • He helped to form the Learn Naturally Committee, he said, and he’s chaired it since it started. In this endeavor, he said, he managed