OPINION: REX NELSON: The strong mayor http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/27/the-strong-mayor-20...

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OPINION

REX NELSON: The strong mayor

By Rex Nelson
This article was published May 27, 2018 at 4:30 a.m.

Comments (8) Font Size

In an August 2007 special election, 61 percent of Little Rock voters supported an initiative to make
the position of mayor a full-time job while retaining the city manager form of government.

Those in favor of the change based their campaign on the premise that the state's largest city
should have a strong mayor. Soon after the election, friends of Mayor Mark Stodola (and there are
many) began jokingly referring to him as "Strong Mayor" or simply "Strong."

It's a Friday morning, and I'm having breakfast with Stodola at the Capital Hotel in downtown Little
Rock. It also happens to be his 69th birthday. The man known as "Strong" had contacted me
following several columns I wrote about the future of Little Rock.

Stodola, who has been mayor since January 2007, recently announced he's not seeking another
four-year term due to a serious illness in his family. He tells me that polls show that he's doing
well, but there's no doubt that this would have been a tough race due to a growing sentiment
among voters that the city is stagnant economically.

Let me say this at the outset: Mark Stodola is a good man. He has served the city with honor and
integrity for almost a dozen years. He's the president of the National League of Cities, a position
that allows him to learn about best practices across the country and then hopefully bring some of
those concepts back to Little Rock.

Stodola's heart is in the right place, but he has faced major handicaps. The first is the fact that the
city's business leaders have never united on a common vision and then put their private capital to
work to achieve that vision. The second is the half-century of litigation surrounding the public
schools that led to thousands of families fleeing to Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke counties. That's an MOST POPULAR
issue that a mayor can't do much about. The third is the city's system of government. Stodola may
have become Strong Mayor after that August 2007 special election, but that's not strong enough. Recommended

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OPINION: REX NELSON: The strong mayor http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/27/the-strong-mayor-20...

On Nov. 6, 1956, Little Rock voters approved a change to the city manager form of government. On Arkansans' letters share WWI st
Nov. 11, 1957, voters selected the first city board of directors under that system, which allowed
Nancy Pelosi key cog in GOP str
the board to choose a mayor from among its membership to serve a two-year term. That led to the aired in Congress race in Arkan
first black mayor (Charles Bussey in 1981) and the first female mayor (Lottie Shackelford in 1987).
Hot Springs police arrest bank
The position, however, was largely ceremonial.
24 state schools to expand rece
Jim Dailey served two years as mayor under the original city manager structure. Due to a change
U.S. officials visit North Korea
approved by Little Rock voters, Dailey was elected to a four-year term in a citywide election. Still,
it wasn't a full-time job. Dailey served 14 years as mayor, the longest tenure in the city's history. U.S. agency, Arkansas church w

When voters made the mayor's job a full-time position in 2007, Little Rock became the only city in
the state with both a full-time mayor and a city manager. In retrospect, this created a two-headed
SHOPPING
monster. Where does the buck stop? At the city manager's desk? Or at the mayor's desk? Little Rock
residents can't tell you. More and more people are coming to the realization that it's time to do Arkansas Daily Deal
away with the city manager form of government. Register Yo
Basketball C
I've written before that what promises to be a hotly contested race for mayor this fall is among the Up to $110 o
most important political races in Arkansas (not just Little Rock) history. Here's why: With a majority See more D
of its 75 counties now losing population, the state needs both northwest Arkansas and Little Rock
Autos
to thrive. Northwest Arkansas cannot stand alone as an economic engine given the continued
2017 Nissan
decline of large parts of south and east Arkansas. Little Rock simply must have a mayor who can
$23,368; 30
convince the business community to support his or her agenda. Crain Buick
Search mor
Stodola isn't critical of the private sector, but he realizes that a younger generation of business
leaders needs to step forward. He tells me: "We keep going back to the same families year after Real Estate
year, and some of them are tired." 9401 E Woo
$359,900
Stodola makes sure I know that the area he refers to as the Creative Corridor has won 11 national 3016 square
and international awards while bringing almost $150 million in private investments downtown. He View more h

notes that property values are up and more developers than ever are considering downtown
projects. The Little Rock Technology Park is off to a good start. Young talented people are
attracted to urban neighborhoods where they can walk or bike to work, which certainly bodes well
for the future of downtown.

The area also has been helped by the $70 million transformation of the Robinson Center into one of
the top performance venues in this part of the country, the opening of the Broadway Bridge and the
addition of hotels and restaurants in the River Market District. A $70 million renovation and
expansion of the Arkansas Arts Center is on the drawing board.

"I don't think we do enough to point out the good things that are going on," Stodola says.

He says that what are known as Part 1 crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, arson,
burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft) have been under 17,000 for four years. They were above
19,000 in 2006 and 2007 and then stayed above 17,000 for five of the next six years. Violent crime
is down 28 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2017. The Little Rock Police
Department hired more than 80 new officers last year, and the number of open positions has
dropped to about 25.

Stodola also talks about some things that any mayor of Little Rock will have to overcome. Because
Little Rock is the heart of government, there's a significant amount of tax-exempt property in the
city. There's also a parochial anti-Little Rock sentiment in the Arkansas Legislature, which seems to
have gotten worse in recent years. Legislators (along with residents of booming northwest
Arkansas) must realize that for there to be a strong Arkansas, there must be a strong Little Rock.

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OPINION: REX NELSON: The strong mayor http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/27/the-strong-mayor-20...

I'm not holding my breath, but Strong Mayor remains optimistic.

------------v------------

Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Editorial on 05/27/2018

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OPINION: REX NELSON: The strong mayor http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/27/the-strong-mayor-20...

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 total comments

RBear says... May 27, 2018 at 8:55 a.m.

A very good column by Nelson on the current state of Little Rock municipal government, echoing
similar thoughts I have after moving back to the city from nearly a quarter of a century in San
Antonio. While I see the value of a good city manager, Little Rock is not in the right place for that
now and needs to revert back to a strong mayor form of government. While many of the major
cities of TX have council-manager forms of government, they are also of sizes 6 times or greater
than Little Rock. Heck, one city council district in San Antonio is almost as big as all of Little Rock.
...
But there is one point Nelson makes that I think merits greater conversation. "The first is the fact
that the city's business leaders have never united on a common vision and then put their private
capital to work to achieve that vision." That one point is what has struck me about Little Rock and
why I think this city has never really moved to the next level of development. Without a shared
vision built by the community, there is no plan for growth.
...
That fact became evident when I joined over a thousand residents of San Antonio to build SA 2020
collectively. It was our city's road map to the future and still serves as the blueprint for the city. It
wasn't built by a few "leaders" in a back room. It was built in full transparency by 800-1,000 citizens
in weekend sessions at venues in every corner of the city. The final report even shows the table
sessions where we all came together to write the plan.
...
What came from it is Pre-K for SA, Cafe College, the Decade of Downtown, a growing Emerald
Necklace of greenways and parks, economic development in all parts of the city, infill development
to eliminate urban deserts, and greater investment in public art. Those are but a few of the
benefits of the community plan. But they have helped San Antonio continue to grow, recording the
largest growth in 2017 in major cities in the nation.
...
I've mentioned this to two of the three candidates and feel the next mayor of the city should
strongly consider such an effort. It will help he or she with plotting a course for the city that
everyone can buy into. If Little Rock really wants to survive and thrive, it needs something all can
agree to.

( permalink | suggest removal )

drs01 says... May 27, 2018 at 11:06 a.m.

One thing for sure about Little Rock. When voters decided to create this 2-headed government,
they had no idea what the results would be. It looked good on paper and ideally it sounded like a
good idea, but....
Nelson speaks the truth about this city. We're the city with the responsibility for state capital
infrastructure and improvements but not enough support ( $$$$) to provide it; and an ageless
resentment from the legislature to help fix the problem.
Stodola has done what he could under the circumstances; faced with stagnant growth, a commuter
work force, failing schools and resentment to a charter school alternative, his focus on downtown
revitalization was his only choice. Create a downtown environment where tourists can mingle;
attempt to make the Clinton Library a destination address, and attract young adults if possible.
And don't overlook the "arts".
Stodola's comment " We keep going back to the same families year after year, and some of them
are tired." is indicative of an ageless problem we have in Little Rock. For too long, the same civic
and political re-treads have been attempting to shape the future of this city. What my father called
the "dirty dozen" of years past may have been expanded in numbers but little else.
If Little Rock wants to progress, we need to decide what form of government will lead us. Two
heads confuse the citizens and dilutes the power. Fix this before we elect another mayor who will
struggle as Stodola has.

( permalink | suggest removal )

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RBear says... May 27, 2018 at 11:23 a.m.

Drs it cannot be fixed before we elect a new mayor. The voters must fix that and the next mayoral
election is in November. That being said, the charge of the next mayor should be to lead an effort to fix
the issue and help set forth a new vision for ALL the city.
...
Another need is for a new, younger BOD. The average tenure of the curent board is almost 20 years,
with the average for at-large at 23 years. Drs speaks the truth when he says, “For too long, the same
civic and political re-treads have been attempting to shape the future of this city. What my father
called the "dirty dozen" of years past may have been expanded in numbers but little else.“
...
It is time for new leadership and new ideas. I call on some of the current board to NOT seek re-election
and allow those new voices to come forward. Bow out gracefully instead of being forced out. If the
later is your choice, you WILL be forced out as your time has come.

( permalink | suggest removal )

PopMom says... May 27, 2018 at 11:52 a.m.

Fixing up Robinson Auditorium is like putting lipstick on a pig. That money should have been spend
on fixing the schools, social services, and crime enforcement. Little Rock needs a Bloomberg who
will do what needs to be done and take the political heat. The schools are bad from elementary on
up. Teachers' contracts need to be renegotiated or purchased and better teachers hired. School
days and years need to be lengthened. Birth control needs to be distributed to drug addicts and
unfit parents. Children need to be taken away from unfit parents. The gangs need to be controlled
through stop and frisk. When the schools improve and crime decreases, people will return to Little
Rock to live.

( permalink | suggest removal )

NoUserName says... May 27, 2018 at 11:56 a.m.

Bear is, of course right. The problem is that nobody is going to tank their own meal ticket to do
what needs to be done.

( permalink | suggest removal )

Dontsufferfools says... May 27, 2018 at 5:56 p.m.

Come on, RBear, "shared vision?" What would that shared vision look like, and why would discrete
business interests have a shared vision? And why is it the capitalists' vision that is so important?
That's is just BS. The columnist comes close to figuring things out when he alludes to the "half-
century of litigation surrounding the public schools." The litigation starting this was Brown v. Board.
After that, it was just a matter of the folks who wanted to keep their separate schools, churches
and neighborhoods moving to Cabot, Bryant, and Conway and hollowing out parts of the city. In-fill
development can be a slow and painful process, but it happened downtown and it will happen
elsewhere in the city's east and south.

( permalink | suggest removal )

RBear says... May 27, 2018 at 6:07 p.m.

DSF I suggest you Google up SA 2020 and see what I'm talking about. I've talked to several in Little
Rock who would BEG for this and it's not about some capitalist dream. In fact, during our process in
SA we had all at the table working together at the table, literally. The report has many photos from
the sessions which shows how that came about.
...
"And why is it the capitalists' vision that is so important? That's is just BS." Where did that come
from? I don't think I ever mentioned something like that.

( permalink | suggest removal )

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Razrbak says... May 28, 2018 at 7 a.m.

Last Term Mayor Stodola is full of crap. The violent crime rate in LR is twice the national average. I
guess that only two tourists murdered in the last two years (one from Italy and one from IL) is
functionally zero risk for tourists. Stodola and the board have given the CoC public funds for years
while each sitting member of the LRBOD & Stodola have accepted funds from the CoC associated PAC -
Progress PAC. We have most of the white police officers working for LRPD afraid to live in the city due
to crime and schools, and the department is divided along racial lines. The COP is trying to get a job
elsewhere and we spent almost $15k sending him to Harvard to boost his resume. We need to get rid of
all the sitting LRBOD's and city manager Bruce Moore. Then with the election of a new mayor and fresh
city board members the problems LR faces can be tackled. #TimeForChange #CleanOutLRCityHall
#ByeByeBuckner

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