VOTE411 Voter Guide

The City Attorney is Fayetteville's chief legal counsel. The office is directly elected, answering to the people rather than to any official. It advises the Mayor, the City Council, and every city department; drafts or reviews each ordinance and contract the City signs; leads the City's litigation, deciding what we fight for, what we defend, and how; prosecutes code violations and sets enforcement priorities; and supervises the City Prosecutor, which means every misdemeanor case runs through this office. In short, it holds real power over how city law is written, enforced, and defended. I believe it also carries one duty it has long neglected: teaching the public how their own city's laws and government actually work.

I try felony cases as a Deputy Public Defender in Washington County Circuit Court — the same court where this office's biggest cases are tried and its prosecutions land on appeal. A career on the defense side of the justice system means I meet many clients at the end of a road that began on the misdemeanor docket: the unpaid fine, the missed court date, the record that followed. I know that system by where it leads. I hold a Juris Doctor from SMU and an MPA from Columbia — training in what the law allows and what actually works. With the UN in the Middle East, I drafted and negotiated under real pressure. This office needs a lawyer who can advise, draft, try a case, and hold steady when it's hard. That is the career I have built.

First: open this office's doors. Day one, I will establish the Citizens' Ordinance Desk by office policy. Any resident with an idea for city law gets what insiders already have: the city's lawyers assessing it, drafting it, and presenting it to the Council. If the Council says no, we explain your ballot-initiative rights. That takes no vote, just a City Attorney who believes the people hold the pen. The reorientation continues, all within the office's authority: the first published Prosecution Principles in office history with fines scaled to ability to pay, warrant amnesty on stale minor cases, full seriousness on domestic battery and DWI; permitting guidance built with homeowners and small businesses in mind; and prosecuting wage theft.

The duties of Fayetteville city attorney are to:

*Advise the mayor, city council, staff, boards and commissions on legal issues

*Represent the city in legal proceedings and protect the city’s interests in court

*Ensure the city is in compliance with Arkansas law, including the Freedom of Information Act and other laws passed by the legislature

*Review ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and other documents to reduce risk, protect taxpayer resources, and avoid costly litigation

*Support city departments so they can deliver services effectively and lawfully

*Oversee the City Prosecutor Division, where two city prosecutors handle misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic violations that occur within Fayetteville.

Since 2014, I have served in the Fayetteville City Attorney’s Office, where I’ve helped guide the City through complex legal issues, and supported the work of elected officials, city staff, and our resident boards and commissions.

I believe experience matters. Municipal law covers a broad range of issues: public safety, utilities, parks and recreation; property law and eminent domain; transportation; criminal law; and employment. I understand the legal challenges we face, especially with a legislature that has placed a target on our back. I have also defended Fayetteville’s values and policies in court. I know how Fayetteville’s government works, I am ready to serve from day one, and I will provide strong, steady legal leadership.

With the City Attorney’s approval, I led the selection of new matter management software that will make our office more responsive, organized, and resilient.

Until now, cases and projects have been managed through a mix of paper files, Windows folders, and email. That worked when our workload was smaller, but Fayetteville’s growth has brought more projects and a significantly larger litigation caseload. The new system when fully deployed will centralize our files, improve collaboration, and give us better data to identify legal risks, track workloads, and find ways to improve how we serve the City.