The Sierra Club's Ozark Headwaters Group has endorsed Lioneld Jordan for Mayor of Fayetteville and Matthew Petty for Ward 2 Alderman in the November 6 election.
“During our endorsement process,” said Chairman Aubrey Shepherd, “Mayor Jordan stood out for his vision, temperament, and effective leadership in working with the City Council to enact important ordinances. During his current term in office, Fayetteville adopted the state’s first Low-Impact Development Ordinance, the state’s first Energy Efficient Residential Building Code, and the state’s first Streamside Protection Ordinance. In addition, he secured state and federal grant funds to open the Green Jobs Training Center in Fayetteville and establish the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to help local non-profit groups make improvements to their buildings. Jordan is a member of the Sierra Club and has twice been named the Outstanding Local Government Official by the Sierra Club of Arkansas.”
“While both Jordan and Coody bring environmental credentials to the race,” he added, “the Sierra Club believes Lioneld Jordan has a more impressive record of environmental accomplishments and a stronger ability to involve residents and mobilize people for practical action that will help keep Fayetteville a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
“Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Petty, during his first term on the City Council, consistently considered the environmental impact of all proposals and offered fresh ideas for making our community more livable. He co-sponsored the City’s new Energy Efficient Residential Building Code,” noted Shepherd. “As a member of the Street Committee, he has been a vocal advocate for expanding trails and sidewalks and for adding additional bicycle lanes on existing city streets.”
Petty is a former Chairman of the OHG Sierra Club’s Executive Committee. His priorities are reducing sprawl, improving alternative transportation, and expanding recycling to increase the diversion rate of solid waste from landfills.
In making this decision, Sierra Club members began looking carefully at the major candidates in September, reviewing records and responses to questionnaires this month. The endorsements are based on candidate responses to the Sierra Club questionnaire, records of achievements in office, and individual history of working with the Club on key environmental issues. The specific issues on the questionnaires included water quality, energy conservation, transportation, and recycling.
“We reserve our political endorsements for candidates we believe will be outstanding advocates of natural-resource conservation and, more importantly, who can work effectively to achieve actual results,” Shepherd said. “Our endorsements are for individuals who have shown a deep commitment to environmental protection to ensure a better quality of life for all by protecting the health and safety of our residents."
Both candidates received unanimous support from the Executive Committee and the Political Committee.
The Sierra Club is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and exploration of the earth’s natural environment. The non-profit environmental organization founded in 1892 has approximately 3,000 members in Arkansas and 1,100 members in the Ozark Headwaters Group region of Northwest Arkansas.
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