Time for Coody to Get Fayetteville Well Again

Bentonville has Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Rogers has the upscale commercial boom. And Springdale still has more White Leghorns than KFC or your grandmother could fry.

Of course, those Northwest Arkansas cities are each fighting their own financial problems, too. But compared to Fayetteville, they seem like a gnat on an elephant’s derriere.

It is Mayor Dan Coody’s task to get Fayetteville back on track. He will be entering his second year in office in January. Using his crutch of blaming the previous administration for the city’s current woes won’t fly anymore after a year on the job.

The person more in the know than anyone else regarding the city’s finances — budget manager Steve Davis — has been warning everyone who would listen that measures must be taken immediately to prevent staff cuts or the elimination of major services for residents.

Things are tough at city hall, but such is life as mayor of Fayetteville.

It has been a stormy year for Fayetteville’s government. Coody replaced incumbent Fred Hanna as 2001 began. Friends and foes alike agree the two could not be more different. And Coody has had to withstand criticism from those bitter about Hanna’s defeat while also trying to soothe the wishes of those that helped elect him.

Running what is surely the state’s most diverse city with those left of left and right of right is a daily migraine.

Then there’s been the well-publicized dissension within the city council. The meetings, televised by the local public access station every other Tuesday, have become as entertaining as any new sitcom on the tube. Violence often seems like just one more meaningless proposed resolution away.

Here’s a resolution for them to consider: No more resolutions regarding whether or not we should be in favor or opposed to drilling for oil in Alaska until we can strike a little around city hall and save some jobs. Such waste of time at our council meetings tells residents that the police and fire departments are of little concern to some on the council.

If council member Randy Zurcher and his Sierra Club cronies want to protect something, protect the jobs of the police and fire departments that are protecting him every day. They even protect non-Fayetteville residents staging protests with a tree sit-in all while trespassing. Go figure.

Coody has perhaps the toughest mayor’s job in the state because so much is expected from Fayetteville. It has been the crown jewel of Arkansas and its people don’t want to lose that marquee. Why anyone would want to take a stab at balancing its diverse sectors is beyond me. But Coody, who few can argue is a workaholic, has a chance to keep the crown in town for years to come.

The next six months will likely be more important for Coody and Fayetteville than his last six months in office (he has three more years on his current term).

Maybe then we will stop hearing about Fayetteville as the butt of some jokes floating around Northwest Arkansas, some of which are even earned. Recently, one area city official compared Fayetteville’s financial situation to that of a sick child. “You don’t really talk about it,” he said. “You just want to get it well.”

It’s time for Coody to quit talking and do whatever it takes to just get Fayetteville well.