Response to Don’t vote for Christie

Donna Hutchinson’s letter to the editor in The Weekly Vista on March 30 appears to be political in nature, and she is using the proposed Dollar General rezone as rationale to create a false narrative. This bothers me. FYI – Donna Hutchinson served as an Arkansas State House Representative from 20072013. With that in mind, I find it disappointing that she would take this path.

It is important to note that any property owner in Bella Vista has the right to submit a rezone petition for their property. That is due process, and it cannot be denied. When I originally wrote this letter, the Bella Vista CDS Planning Department had reviewed the development plans of Dollar General and had given their recommendations concerning what would be required for DG to be approved for a building permit. This is normal procedure for every rezone request.

Ms. Hutchinson’s first accusation is simple enough to dismiss. Peter Christie was not the mayor when a Walmart store in Bella Vista was proposed. That was during 2012 and Christie wasn’t elected mayor until 2014.

The second accusation, that Christie was the motivation for possibly locating a Dollar General in the Metfield area, is false. I suspected it was false because I know the dynamics of Bella Vista. To be certain, I contacted Mayor Christie to ask if he knew about DG before Cooper Communities, the owner of the property, initiated the rezone request through the Bella Vista Community Development Services Department (CDS). He verified that he did not, nor did the city play any role at all. He was informed when CDS contacted him, and I confirmed this with CDS as well.

Referencing the comment from the article that the rezone “is a done deal” was also false. Ultimately, one or two bodies of local government would have been required to vote on whether to pass, or not pass, the rezone request. After a public hearing, the BV Planning Commission, on which Peter Christie has no vote, would be the first to consider the request and then vote. If it would pass, the rezone request would then move to the BV City Council where Peter Christie has no vote either, UNLESS (this is only if it passes to the city council) the BV City Council vote would result in a 3-3 tie. Then, the mayor could choose to vote in one of three ways: Yes, No, or choose not to vote. If he would choose not to vote, that would leave the vote tied 3-3 and would kill the request.

Lastly, each member of the Planning Commission and City Council has the charge to stand independently and make decisions based on their own research. From the comment that was made it would imply that members of the PC and CC are disciples of the mayor and might vote however he may wish. I can assure you that this is not the case, and it is a disservice to all members involved. If a person wishes to take a position on an election, then do it. However, using the rezone conversation as an opportunity to mislead and falsify actions is unacceptable. Respectfully,

Doug Fowler City Council Member, Ward 3