Jonathan Story and St. James Methodist

Fayetteville’s well-known pianist and organist Jonathan Story has been presenting classical and sacred music concerts to benefit the restoration of the historic St. James Church at 5 North Willow, built in the 1870s. "I love the history of this church," Story said. "St. James, a historically African-American congregation, is the oldest continuously serving Methodist Church in North Arkansas. It was built partially with bricks left over from the construction of Old Main. Over its history it was attacked twice by the Ku Klux Klan, and it served as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement in Fayetteville. There were many, many important meetings held at St. James. Fayetteville in turn became the first city south of the Mason-Dixon Line to integrate its schools in 1954.”

The St. James Methodist commitment to racial and social justice continues under the highly regarded civil rights leader Rev. Charles Lee White Jr., a former Director for the Southeast Region of the NAACP and National Director for Field Operations for the NAACP. Reverend White served as one of the principal pallbearers at the Rosa Parks memorial service, but he also made civil rights history of his own in South Carolina, fighting discrimination by the Buffalo Room in 1993 that led to strengthening the state's public accommodation laws.

"I am stepping up my effort to raise money for the project, and I will continue giving benefit concerts until the building is completely restored and hopefully designated a National Historic Landmark. Last year I gave one benefit concert in Little Rock and one in Fayetteville, and I plan to do several this year," Story said.

We like this Story, because it is about a committed local citizen and political commentator contributing his artistic talents to preserve local historical landmarks, a labor of love that began when Jonathan was but a young tyke and led the effort to save the Ozark Opera House. "I've just been presenting concerts anywhere they'll have me to help restore the old church. So much history there, and it needs to be preserved."

Last month Story presented a concert in Rogers, and we will keep you posted on future benefit concerts in our area. We hope that you will attend the performances and give generously to preserve our heritage.

Last Ditch Damage by Dredger Dan

It was only two weeks ago that Mayor Dan Coody held a press conference to claim credit for a streambank restoration project completed several months ago in Gulley Park. Dan was in a run-off election campaign at the time and thought it might get him some favorable news coverage. Now the campaign is over, and the city is busy dredging and ditching another neighborhood stream in violation of state and federal laws.

Thanks to local blogger Aubrey Shepherd for bringing to public attention the city's renewed destruction of Kitty Creek, a tributary of Mud Creek and the Illinois River. A local resident sent Shepherd an email this morning, reporting:

The creek that runs by my house (Kitty Creek) has been attacked within the last few days by heavy equipment. First they cleared most of the riparian vegetation and vegetation in the creek, and in the last few days have made a mess with a track hoe and other equipment directly in the creek. It’s all mud right now.

The City of Fayetteville just completed a stream restoration project in Gulley Park that cost over $200,000 and used outside consultants/designers/contractors…but Kitty Creek is getting trashed by who? The city? Some guys with track hoes that they paid to clean it out?

I’m planning on contacting ADEQ as well…maybe a newspaper or two. It seems like we spend the money making a show of restoring one stream, but go for trashing when other creeks run to Oklahoma. Or it only counts if it’s visible in a park.

Shepherd says, "Neighbors complained to ADEQ, which learned that the city has planned to dredge more of the stream south of the street as well. Apparently, the city now will be required to get a Corps of Engineers permit for further dredging. The irony, of course, is that the city should be the agency PREVENTING such violations of Stormwater II regulations, not the jurisdiction violating the intention of the regulations."

This incident is another reason that we are thankful for our local blogging community and citizens who take action. Take a look at Shepherd's Aubunique blogspot for additional photographs and maps of the destruction wrought this week.

This reckless disregard for Kitty Creek is also a reason to be skeptical of politicians who preach sustainability and pretend green while spending our tax dollars to dredge streams, destroy riparian buffer zones, increase the damage from urban runoff, and ignore environmental laws and regulations.

Money Squawks

Financial reports were filed yesterday for the mayoral races in Fayetteville and Springdale, and there were a couple of surprises. The first is that Springdale Mayor-elect Doug Sprouse, bankrolled "in large part by dollars from poultry giants Tyson Foods Inc., George’s Inc. and their executives," only spent $40,531 for the general election. The second departure from conventional wisdom was that his closest opponet, Alderman Mike Overton, spent $66,681 and got fewer votes on November 4th. Sprouse received 5,561 votes, spending $7.28 per vote, while Overton garnered 3,809 votes at a cost of a whopping $17.50 spent per vote. It is likely that the run-off reports will sing the second verse of the same song for that election, in which Sprouse defeated Overton by 3,761 to 2,248.

In Fayetteville, incumbent Mayor Dan Coody raised $66,716, mostly from developers and related groups, and reported spending $58,498 for the general election. Alderman Lioneld Jordan raised only $25,559 and spent $25,018. In that first election, Coody got 9,817 votes at an average cost of $6.80 per vote, while Jordan received 7,387 votes and spent $3.46 per vote. Later this month, final reports for the November 25th Run-Off Election are expected to tell a similar tale, and an unusual one where a candidate with the dual advantages of incumbancy and twice as much money gets beat by a challenger with 57.3%, a tally of 5,803 to 4,321.

What's up with this, anyway? Cannot money still buy elections?

And Bill Bowden Makes Four of a Kind

The Northwest Arkansas Council of Corporations and Wealthy Business Executives now has all its ducks in a row. It began last year when they drafted and pushed through legislation to authorize creation of Regional Mobility Authorities with amendments that did not require voter approval of increases in tolls or fees. Now they are lining up the rest of the pieces to get what they want from their subsidiary Northwest Arkansas Regional Mobility Authority, specifically easy picking local sales tax dollars to subsidize their priority construction projects the Bella Vista By-Pass and the Springdale By-Pass.

It began in October when Washington County Judge Jerry Hunton appointed a Nominating Committee from the members of the Regional Mobility Authority. That was seven weeks ago, but neither the minutes of that meeting nor the names of the Nominating Committee have appeared on the NWARMA website. Bill Bowden of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has revealed that Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin and Prairie Grove Mayor Sonny Hudson are members of the Nominating Committee.

This nominating committee must have met last month, because it was announced that Benton County Judge-elect David Bisbee was being promoted for Chairman. Then they met again this week and anointed Springdale Mayor-elect Doug Sprouse.for Vice Chair and Mayor Hudson as Secretary-Treasurer. Hudson is also Treasurer of the Northwest Arkansas Planning Commission that has approved a $750,000 feasibility study for a $400 million Western Beltway to XNA and the Walmart Distribution Center.

The two top priorities for funding are the proposed Bella Vista bypass and the Springdale northern bypass, said Mike Malone, Executive Director of the Northwest Arkansas Council of Corporations and Wealthy Business Executives, who has been assigned by the unelected private business group to oversee the public Regional Mobility Authority. The approved placement of Bisbee and Sprouse to head the authority reflects the group's private agenda, Malone acknowledged. According to The Morning News, Malone explained that Bisbee will be vitally interested in the Bella Vista project and Sprouse would be just as vitally interested in creating the Springdale bypass, so the Council is quite pleased.

The pawns will be formally in place next Monday, when the Nominating Committee offers up the well-vetted Bisbee and Sprouse to serve. The business interests also secured the nomination of Dick Trammell to serve on the Arkansas Highway Commission and advance their interests in coordination with the local vassals. Trammell has worked for the Walton banking interests for more than 30 years, currently serving as Executive Vice President and Secretary of the Arvest Board. Arvest Board Chairman Jim Walton called him the "spark plug of the community," meaning that he is the King's loyal Rook.

The King's messenger has also been chosen. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Bill Bowden attended the annual fall meeting of the Northwest Arkansas Council of Corporations and Wealthy Business Executives yesterday. He emerged from the gathering and repeated as fact their claim that "the region needs an estimated $6.72 billion in highway work over the next 10 years," but only about $4 billion will be available for the entire state over the next decade. Consequently, you might conclude that we should be eager to raise as much as $4.2 billion in local sales taxes to build the highway projects demanded by the Northwest Arkansas Council of Corporations and Wealthy Business Executives. Bowden certainly does not question that sacred premise.

And you probably thought the Regional Mobility Authority might serve the public interest and consider mass transit and alternative transportation options? Get real. It is only about building multi-lane concrete slabs to serve the corporate interests. A royal flush.

Siloam Springs Settles Strip Search Suit

In the land of the repressed, nothing really surprises us anymore. Siloam Springs banned vibrator sales and strip clubs, and now they are infested with an American Legion chaplain who loves young boys and jailers who may have subjected more than 4,000 people arrested on minor offenses to illegal strip and body cavity searches -- without consent, without a warrant, and in violation of the constitutional right against illegal search.

This week, the city agreed to settle a federal lawsuit challenging the jailhouse indignities. They admitted no wrongdoing, of course, but readily agreed to pay $1.85 million to the plaintiffs in the class action against Police Chief Joe Garrett and former Chief Jerry Toler. That's about all we know. Chief Garrett did not return a phone message from The Morning News this afternoon. Siloam Springs city officials refused to answer how many arrests city police make. All questions were referred to City Attorney Tom Kieklak, who was unable to provide answers.

So, feel free to make up any explanation you can imagine.

Square Deal

The Northwest Arkansas Times editorial today throws another bouquet to Dan Coody for spending our tax dollars on the town square, recalling the staged press conference he held four days before the run-off election to bask in his own glory. "With work finally complete (an unveiling of sorts took place Nov. 21)," the editorial rapsody gushed, "we can officially and proudly say that the Fayetteville Square never looked better than it does right now. New sidewalks, new lighting and new trees create a fresh new look that, by comparison, makes the town square of exactly one year ago look dark, drab, dated and dull."

I have to agree that the million dollar renovation is nice. Does anyone know how much the taxpayers ponied up for that especially nice rock planter on the east side of the square at the entrance to the condo project in the old Bank of America building? It is not shown in this marketing photograph above, so there must be a work order with a signature somewhere that can answer this riddle. Who owns that building, anyway?

Benton County Breakdown Blues

If you are planning on having car trouble, you might want to plan it somewhere beside Rogers. Kent Longley, owner of Marck Industries, called his own wrecker service when one of their recycling trucks broke down at Eighth and Walnut streets in Rogers back in December 2006. Their wrecker service was going to charge $200, steep enough, but the Rogers Police Department called Jim Erwin Wrecker Service from its rotating list, and Erwin charged $817.

Longley complained to Mayor Steve Womack about being ripped off, and Erwin Wrecker was removed from the Police Department's rotating list in Rogers. Marck Industries also sued Erwin to recover part of the exorbitant fee. Erwin then countersued Marck, seeking $156,000 in damages for lost business. Benton County Circuit Judge Xollie Duncan found liability against Marck, but she failed to assess any damages. Now Carol Gillespie, Erwin's lawyer, says they will sue the City of Rogers to get back on the Vulture List. Dismissing the numerous complaints that got Erwin Wrecker removed, she said, "It's the nature of the business for people to complain about towers."

It is the nature of the business for people to complain about towers that charge outrageous prices, often for towing ordered by someone else that prevents the vehicle owner from shopping for reasonable prices. Apparently wrecker operators can charge any price they want to tow your vehicle. In Springdale, they must charge "reasonable" fees based on comparisons with other towing companies, but that offers little protection for customers.

The Fayetteville Police Department has contracted with a single towing service at an established price. This is the best solution available to cities for official towing services. Towing operators who engage in nonconsentual towing from private lots can still charge whatever they want, and there is nothing the city or citizens can do about it. That's what our legislature calls free enterprise, the sacred ability to rip off the unwary who don't even realize they are being towed or what they are being charged.

Dan and His Developer Buddies Once Again

Dan Coody will be Mayor of Fayetteville for two more meetings of the City Council, and it is looking like a "Two-Minute Drill" for the developers who supported him in his recent election defeat. Tomorrow's City Council agenda provides two examples that should be questioned very seriously.

Item B6 under Old Business is a resolution to approve approximately $744,880.00 as a 50/50 cost share with Southpass Development Company, LLC for the sewer installation costs for the Southpass PZD. Three-quarters of a million tax dollars to run a sewer line to the SouthPass Planned Zoning District of Misters John Nock, Richard Alexander, and Hank Broyles. Before the City goes obligating taxpayers for this massive expense, someone should check to make sure that SouthPass Development Company LLC has $744,880 in the bank for its share of the project. If they don't, you know who will get stuck with the full bill when they can't get financing. Take a look at our $3.7 million investment in their parking lot that they told us would be a fine hotel, and see what happens when they can't get it up for financing their promised projects.

Then there is Item C1 under New Business. Coody campaign backer Tracy Hoskins is asking for an ordinance approving a No-Bid cost-share agreement with Park West, LLC in the amount of $2,157,000.00 for the upgrade of the future location of Highway 112 through Phase 1 of the Park West Development from two lanes to a four-lane boulevard. Yessir, $2.157 million to build a four-lane boulevard through the middle of Developer Hoskins' proposed commerical strip mall. Do you think Mr. Hoskins has $2.157 million sitting in the bank to pay for his share of this gift from the taxpayers? Do you think his project should be moved ahead of all the other planned street work in Fayetteville?

I've had about enough of these favored developers using their connections with the lame duck Mayor to drain the city treasury for their pet projects. Let's table all of these giveaways for a couple of months. Let's decide whether this kind of corporate welfare is the best use of our tax dollars in these tight economic times. Let's put a stop to signing contracts for multi-million dollar deals that the city cannot afford and the developers can't get private financing to pull off in a free market. And let's get the developers to personally guarantee all contracts instead of foisting it off on some fictional paper Limited Liability Corportation that limits their liability and leaves the taxpayers buck naked.

Crabbed Coverage and Council Bluffs

Well, just when I was ready to give the Northwest Arkansas Times a break, reporter Dustin Tracy writes a piece on the coming relationship between the new mayor and the city council. He starts off with the claim that there are only six aldermen on the council then proceeds to be selective in those he chose to interview. He did not bother to seek any comment from Mayor-elect Lioneld Jordan.



Ace reporter Tracy identifies Ward 3 Alderman Bobby Ferrell as a Jordan supporter who anticipates working well with the new mayor, and he also includes some favorable comments from Alderman-elect Sarah Lewis, who continues to play both sides in the post-election summary. There are no comments from Ward 4 Alderman Shirley Lucas, who supported Jordan, nor from Ward 2 Alderman Kyle Cook, who didn't appear to do much for anyone during the campaign. Coody supporter and Ward 3 Alderman Robert Rhoads was also overlooked by Tracy, but he is easy enough to overlook.



Coody supporter and Ward 1 Alderman Brenda Thiel said she would reserve judgment but thought that Jordan would have an easier time because of his experience. Ward 1 Alderman Adella Gray, a strong Coody supporter, continued her negative remarks about Jordan even after the campaign. Bitterly, she said, "I can’t remember one thing he's done to help make the council think as one." It is a safe bet that she will be an obstructionist on anything Jordan proposes during the remaining two years of her term, but she has so little influence on the Council that it won't make much difference.



Curiously absent from those asked to comment was Matthew Petty, Alderman-elect from Ward 2. Petty was among the most vocal of Coody supporters, and Richard Drake pointed out that Tracy easily could have referenced Petty's website attacks on Jordan or the video attacks posted on his Facebook account. Petty would not likely have been very effective anyway, considering his earlier emails attacking Alderman Ferrell, but his strident campaign rhetoric probably assures that he will have a strained relationship with the Mayor and a majority of the Council come January.



Our prediction is that Jordan will do just fine. He will have the support of a majority of the City Council, and his experience will serve him well.

Jay Cole, Jr., and the Anti-Christ

There is no report that Reverend Jay W. Cole, Jr., has raised the Confederate battle flag at his Airplane Hanger Church in the Wildwood to defy the election of Barack Obama. Yet, he affirms his belief that "news and media tell us that many Americans are responding to the new potential tyrant in the spirit of our Founding Fathers and draining the shelves of firearms dealers, while Google reports an exponential increase in searches for the word antichrist"

Drawing on fear and ignorance to support his position, Rev. Cole seems milder than usual in his denunciation of the people and the Democrats in general. "While Barack Obama does share many traits with the coming antichrist described in the Bible, and while those who lived through the Jewish Holocaust are fearfully warning of striking similarities to 1930s Germany, we cannot say with certainty at this point that Obama amounts to anything more than just another leftist puppet who is controlled by the enemies of our Constitution. But," says Cole scraping the moral and linguistic bottom of the barrel, "remember that Nazi Germany also had a financial crisis and wanted a savior as well. Time will tell. If Obama does in fact use his legions to assault Bible-believing churches, I wonder how many modern-day Christians will be willing to stay the course and continue prayer meetings when soldiers, community service youth, federal police and other brainwashed agents march in to give the ultimatum of life or death?"

Has Jay W. Cole been studying the fearful form of the Jeremiad against the unwashed with that renowned aristocratic UA poet Michael Heffernan? Beats me, but we do wish that the Northwest Arkansas Times would make an exception for both and allow them to display their vast learning and shriveled humanism more than once a month.