Incumbent faces two challengers in Bentonville

BENTONVILLE — Incumbent Bill Burckart will face challengers Bobby Wilson and Kesha Chiappinelli for the Ward 3, Position 2 sat on the Bentonville City Council.

Ward 3 is in southwest Bentonville. The council is made up eight members, two in each ward. Position 2 is a four-year term.

City Council members are elected at-large, but represent wards, according to the city website.

Council members are paid $808 per month, according to the city website.

The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting starts Oct. 19. A voter may request an absentee ballot application by contacting the county clerk in the county where he’s registered to vote, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State website. Voters may download the application from the county websites.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette emailed the same questions to the candidates. Their responses are below. Candidates were limited to 200 words per answer. Question: If you were in charge of the Parks Department, would you encourage more recreation development or green space development? Explain.

Burckart: Our goals have been to create an active lifestyle and a quality of life that is inclusive and accessible for all. We must provide amenities to serve our growing population and work with adjacent communities as well.

I do not believe we can separate recreation and green space because the experience we are wanting encompasses both and creates our quality of life and the experiences we strive for.

For instance, our new Quilt of Parks downtown is a combination of both. It creates socializing spaces, green space, parks, connectivity, sidewalks and trails. Together the Quilt of Parks becomes an experience for all and brings an ever-growing town down to the perspective each of us can feel and understand. Another example is the new Osage Park.

This partnership will provide an experience that recreation can and should be. You have hardscape amenities and nature blended seamlessly. Parks master plan has both elements in it because quality of life means both.

The helix trail systems are just as important as needed new facilities.

Our quality of life is partly due to the experiences and parks we have and are looking to build. You cannot exclude one without affecting our goals greatly. Chiappinelli: I think we need both. I’ve always played sports and so does my son.

A much more user-friendly Bentonville Parks and Recreation website would be a good start so recreation is accessible to everyone. We also need a variety of recreation.

After living in New York and other big cities, I really came to appreciate large green spaces with Wi-Fi access and food trucks or little cafes.

Being outdoors more is calming and restorative. I think with strategic growth and planning all of this can become a reality for our community.

Wilson: I would focus more on green space. Neither are really a priority, but focusing on green space could help with pandemics and help alleviate our sewage problem.

Question: What does Bentonville need to do to become a more inclusive city?

Chiappinelli: I think what comes to mind is all the fun stuff …. good ethnic restaurants, grocery stores and festivals, but recently I was reading about a unique approach to fostering diversity that involved city employment.

When members of our police force, fire department and other first responders represent different ethnicities and backgrounds, it sends a strong message to the people they serve and the community as a whole.

Mayor Orman’s DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] Task Force is a huge step in the right direction. I recently found out I was appointed to serve on the task force, and I am excited to get started.

Wilson: I’m not convinced Bentonville needs to become more inclusive beyond that if anyone wants to make this city a better place to live, they should be included.

Burckart: If I listen to each new person or business owner I meet, each offers something no one else can, themselves. They each bring their own stories, desires and passions.

You only have to ask, and they are happy to share why they picked Bentonville as their home. I soon find out they are not much different than me.

This is the key to becoming more inclusive, is to listen to each other and not just the people that are arriving, but as important is to reengage the people who have been here and built such a beautiful community. We are all stakeholders, and, if anyone feels left out, they become disenfranchised.

I have heard ‘no one cares what they think.’ We should be open and provide an opportunity for everyone to share and develop a plan that promotes our values and desires while respecting our history and those before us.

The mayor has formed a task force for diversity, equity and inclusion. I have been appointed to this task force for the next year. I believe the result will make us be a better and more inclusive of a community. Question: What makes you the best candidate for this position?

Wilson: I think I am the best candidate because of how I think through issues.

The city is growing at a rapid pace, and we aren’t keeping up. If we changed zoning designations to allow for duplexes or triplexes, half of the City Council meeting would go away and then we could focus on future problems.

We should look at items that could be potential disasters and make sure we are protected.

Burckart: Experience matters. Experience is something not given too quickly, like wisdom it comes with lessons learned and a few bumps.

This allows us to make better educated decisions that we are addressing and not duplicate errors. My experience is in business, budgeting, infrastructure, finance, housing, education and legislative affairs.

A council person needs these experiences to understand the complexities of the city and our future. My passion for our city and all my experience is what I offer.

I have spent 12 years on the council working to make Bentonville the best place to live and dedicated my adult life to always try to move us forward as a community and improve our quality of life.

Moving us forward means working with others to make the environment conducive to family, citizens, freedom, business and entrepreneurs.

All of this promotes good jobs and a quality of life that makes you want to stay here and raise your kids, as I have done. I have strived to be a part of the process and have learned from many people and leaders before me.

This is my home, I love all that it is and will be. God Bless. Chiappinelli: I am an Arkansas native, so I’ve seen first hand the growth and development in our cities, but I’ve also lived all over the country (five states and abroad), which has shown me that communities have different needs.

What works for one may not work for another.

This isn’t an excuse to continue to do things a certain way because that’s how it’s always been done. We should always engage in problem-solving using logic and creativity.

I am a practicing attorney and former veteran; I’ve always served others in my professional career, and I am well equipped to do it for my community.