Where I Stand

Bella Vista is growing faster than almost anywhere in Arkansas. That growth can be shaped by the people who live here, or by outside investors who don't. Every question in front of the Council comes back to the same test: does this serve the people who actually call Bella Vista home, and can we sustain it for the long haul? That's the standard I'll bring to every vote. Here's where I stand on the issues facing us right now.

Managed Growth

Growth isn't the enemy. Uncontrolled growth is.

We can welcome new neighbors and new opportunity without giving up the character that made us want to live here in the first place. That means holding developers to a real standard, planning for the roads and water and services that growth requires instead of scrambling after the fact, and never letting the promise of extra tax revenue do our thinking for us. Companies like Blue Crane have shown they care about Bella Vista and are investing in its future, and that's welcome. The Council's job is to make sure every project, from every developer, is measured first against what's good for the people who already live here.

Short-Term Rentals

We're past 600. It's fair to ask whether we need more.

I'm not looking to punish anyone who's playing by the rules, but I don't think the answer is unlimited growth either. Two things have to happen. First, we need a real plan to de-cluster, so that no neighborhood turns into a row of rentals where families used to live. Second, we have to actually enforce the codes already on the books, including occupancy limits, parking, and noise, instead of leaving them on paper. These decisions belong to Bella Vistans, not to out-of-town investors treating our neighborhoods as a line on a spreadsheet.

Proactive Code Enforcement

Why write a code if we're not willing to enforce it?

Too often the city waits for a complaint before it acts. I'd rather get ahead of the problems: the stop signs people roll through, the golf carts and unpermitted vehicles on the Greenway and trails, the rentals packed past their limits. This isn't about being heavy-handed. It's about fairness. A rule that only applies when someone bothers to complain isn't really a rule, and the neighbors who follow the rules deserve to know everyone else has to as well.

Trails and the Greenway

One of the best things about this town, and worth protecting.

I want to see the trails keep growing, both the paved Greenway and the mountain-bike network that's put Northwest Arkansas on the map. But expansion has to be done right. It can't come at the cost of residents' quality of life, and every mile we build has to be a mile we can actually maintain. Growth we can't keep up isn't a gift to the next generation. It's a bill we hand them. I'll support trail investment we can care for over the long term.

The POA and Our Amenities

For what residents pay, the value is remarkable. Let's protect it.

The amenities we get through the POA are a genuine bargain, and Tom Judson's team does excellent work delivering them. I don't think that relationship is broken, and I'm not interested in picking a fight where none is needed. Good judgment means recognizing what's working and keeping it that way, not just chasing what's wrong.

Tourism and the A&P Commission

The one I'm still working through, and I'd rather tell you that honestly.

I want Bella Vista promoted, and I like the idea of visitors helping pay for it through lodging and prepared-food taxes rather than putting the whole cost on residents. But that prepared-food tax lands on Bella Vistans too, every time we grab lunch. And there's a deeper tension. If we promote ourselves so well that we get overrun, we haven't won anything. We've handed the town over to the very outside interests I want to guard against. So I'm not going to pretend I have this one solved. What I'll promise is the question I'll keep asking with every A&P decision: how do we grow the welcome without crowding out the people who are already here?

[CLOSING]

Notice something about all of this: you can't really answer one of these questions without touching the others. They're connected, because they're all the same question underneath. What kind of town do we want to be as we grow, and who are we growing for?

I think the answer is the people who live here. That's what I'll fight for on the Council.