After the weird series of events over a seventy-two hour period that resulted in Mayor Lioneld Jordan appointing Kyle Smith as Ward 4 alderman for more than three years, I made Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. This e-book is the compilation of those FOI responses. It begins with my questions about the chronological order of events. Below is a snap shot of what you’ll find as you browse through the pages.
- July 18, 2016, Eighteen months before Alan Long abruptly resigned as a Ward 4 alderman, Fayetteville City Attorney Kit Williams sent a letter to City Manager Don Marr and Mayor Jordan alerting them that they needed to be aware of the procedure to replace an alderman should one resign suddenly. What did Williams, Jordan, and Marr know that Ward 4 residents should have known? What was the ethical procedure that should have been followed?
- November 18, 2017 Alan Long suddenly resigns and instead of supporting a special election the City Council votes to appoint someone to a THREE YEAR and ONE MONTH term. Council members John LaTour and Justin Tennant were the only two who spoke in favor of allowing Ward 4 citizens their constitutional right to elect their ward representative. Those voting against allowing Ward 4 residents their constitutional right to vote were Sarah Marsh, Mark Kinion, Adella Gray, and Matthew Petty. Interesting that Ward 3 Alderman Sarah Bunch missed this critical meeting.
- There was no vetting process. If you wanted to apply for the Ward 4 position the only requirements were that you lived in Ward 4 and showed up at City Hall on Tuesday, November 21st. Many voters didn’t even know about Long’s resignation until after Mayor Jordan cast the necessary 5th vote appointing Kyle Smith as the Ward 4 alderman.
- Not only did Mayor Jordan fail to speak in favor of a Special Election, he cast the necessary 5th vote making Kyle Smith Ward 4 representative for more than three years. Our own former Ward 4 alderman, Lioneld Jordan, did not speak in favor of allowing us to elect our alderman. Without his vote, the necessary 5th vote, the Council would have had to go back to the drawing board.
- Even more strange, Kyle Smith himself, spoke against holding a special election. He urged the Council to make a decision that night, November 21st.
- The final kicker, Kyle Smith was renting a room to the alderman he replaced, Alan Long.
- As you can see from the Special Elections expense sheet, the cost to allow Ward 4 voters to elect their alderman would likely have been around $10,000.