Bentonville mayor reelected, Fayetteville mayoral race goes to runoff

Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman will keep her seat, while the Fayetteville mayoral race is headed to a runoff, according to unofficial results Tuesday (Nov. 5). With 54.05% of the vote, Orman defeated Steve Galen. She will begin her second term in January.

Mayoral terms are for four years. After serving as a city council member for four years, Orman was elected Bentonville mayor in December 2018. She won 63.27% of the vote in a runoff election against Jim Webb, a former city council member who worked for an outdoor toy company supplier.

Galen told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal he challenged Orman to promote growth while retaining the city’s “distinct charm.” He received the support and endorsements of former Bentonville mayors Bob McCaslin and Terry Coberly. Galen has lived in Bentonville since 1996. This was his first run for public office.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bentonville was the fastest-growing city in Arkansas from 2020 to 2023 among cities with at least 20,000 residents. Over the period, the city’s population rose by 9.7% from 54,822 to 59,471.

Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan will face Molly Rawn in a runoff Dec. 3. Jordan received 46.92% of the vote, while Rawn received 36.92%.

Following are the vote numbers for each city.
• Bentonville mayoral race:
Steve Galen: 9,560 votes (45.95%)
Incumbent Stephanie Orman: 11,243 votes (54.05%)

• Fayetteville mayoral race:
Adam Fire Cat: 1,332 votes (3.76%)
Incumbent Lioneld Jordan: 16,609 votes (46.92%)
Molly Rawn: 13,068 votes (36.92%)
Tom Terminella: 4,386 votes (12.39%)

In an interview Tuesday night, Orman said she was confident going into the race and expressed confidence about the results. She said she is looking forward to her next term and working on the various projects that the city has in the pipeline.

“We have lots to get done here in the city of Bentonville,” Orman said. “But having four more years to finish up all of our bond projects is exciting. Again, just ready to get at it and work hard. That’s what we do here.”

In an interview Tuesday night, Rawn said the next month is going to be busy, but she’s excited and energized. Asked about the results, she knew the race would be tight and close as a first-time candidate running against a four-term incumbent.

“It’s exciting to be at the point that we’re at, and we’ve been working really hard. And we’re ready,” she said.

Rawn said the voter turnout was great with nearly half of registered Fayetteville voters voting early. She’s expecting a similar turnout in the runoff.

“At this point, it’s all about turnout, and we’re just excited to get people to realize that votes matter and getting out to the polls matters,” she said. “And local races like this, it’s about turnout, and sometimes a very small number of votes is what makes the difference.”

In a late Tuesday interview, Jordan wasn’t surprised with the results, with four people in the race for the mayor’s seat. He noted that he has a good lead over the other candidates. Jordan said he’s going to continue to handle his duties as mayor while working on his campaign for reelection.

“I’ll get with my campaign committee tomorrow, my campaign manager. We’ll develop a strategy in the upcoming weeks. … We’ve got a really good lead right now,” said Jordan, adding that he will look to encourage voter turnout for the runoff as he continues his re-election campaign.

Jordan has been the mayor of Fayetteville since 2009 and is serving his fourth term.
During his tenure as mayor, Fayetteville has won multiple awards, completed a library expansion project, created a housing assessment plan to meet population growth, adopted a parks master plan, secured a $25 million grant for trails and roads, built three fire stations and a police headquarters, and approved a $226 million bond issue for multiple infrastructure projects.

Rawn, a native Arkansan, has lived in Fayetteville since 2005. Since August 2016, she has served as CEO of Experience Fayetteville, the destination marketing organization for Fayetteville. She oversees a $4.8 million budget and manages 19 full-time staff.

According to the most recent Census Bureau data, Fayetteville was the third-fastest growing city in Arkansas from 2020 to 2023 among cities with at least 20,000 residents. Over the period, the city’s population increased by 7.8% from 94,783 to 101,680. Fayetteville is the state’s second most populous city.