Presidential Election News

President Biden:

Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden announced he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to take his place as the Democratic nominee.

❝

… as president, Mr. Biden has stood on the side of the values that have long defined America: a commitment to freedom, a respect for the rule of law and a belief that pluralism is a fundamental source of the nation’s strength. His administration, the most diverse in American history, embodies those values. It has worked to improve the lives of all Americans and to give Americans the opportunity to build better lives.

When Mr. Biden began his campaign in 2019, he told supporters that Mr. Trump would be defeated and that history would come to regard Mr. Trump’s four years in office as an “aberrant moment.” Mr. Biden has played his part, but the democratic project is never complete. That work now passes to the next generation of political leaders and to the American people.”

NYT: “Biden Made a Courageous Choice. Democrats Must Seize the Opportunity.”

Democratic National Convention (DNC):

Nearly 4,000 Democratic voting delegates will be in Chicago in mid-August for the convention (including 5 from Benton County). With Biden’s announcement, more than 3,800 of his delegates will be released to vote for whomever they chose. According to the DNC rules, only candidates with support from at least 300 delegates can appear on the convention ballot. Follow The Hill’s delegate tracker HERE. As of Monday morning, the entire delegate populations from Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Florida will be backing Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Arkansas delegation will be meeting Monday night to discuss options on how they would like to proceed for the convention. I’ll provide an update on what our state delegation will do in the next newsletter. Meanwhile….

Our likely Democratic Nominee will be:

Vice President Kamala Harris

Donate to campaign to elect Kamala Harris president HERE

How can I help support the democratic campaign in Arkansas?

Sign up to be part of the Arkansas Block Captain Program! This Democratic Party of Arkansas led program is rooted in a relational organizing strategy that empowers Arkansans to take voter mobilization into their own hands. The program trains volunteers on direct voter contact methods like phone banking, texting, and canvassing. General Block Captains, Rural Captains, and Campus captains will be assigned tasks that fit their district goals and audiences.

When you sign up to be an Arkansas Block Captain you agree to canvass 50 houses in your neighborhood and make other contacts with voters throughout the year. This is a commitment of about two hours each time you knock 50 doors. This is the BEST WAY you can help elect Democrats in Arkansas.

Republican Party News:

Local Events

  • Thursday, July 25th at 6 p.m. - Emerge Arkansas Step Forward - Preparing to Run for Office zoom meeting; Are you considering a run for office? Join us for this informative hour-long zoom workshop to learn what you need to do to prepare. There's no fee to participate, but registration is required - HERE

  • Thursday, July 25th from 6:30 - 8 p.m. - Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition Courtside Training Dinner & Learn at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville (224 N East Ave); Courtside volunteers support and observe a person’s court proceedings. This training will give you the knowledge of courtroom etiquette, proceedings, and what to expect to help a court involved neighbor. Dinner to be provided as box salad or sandwich items. Please RSVP by Tue July 23rd to insure food selection.

  • Thursday, July 25th at 6:30 p.m. - League of Women Voters Benton County Interest Meeting at the Pointe in Bentonville (3800 SW Richsmith Rd); All are welcome to learn about the League of Women Voters and their mission in our community. Join for a discussion on the benefits of being a member, volunteer opportunities, leadership positions, and the exciting opportunities the League can provide.

  • Saturday, Aug. 3rd 1 - 4 p.m. - NWA Girl Gang Market at New Province Brewing Company in Rogers (1310 W Hudson); Support their women & minority-owned small businesses and makers at this End of Summer market. All are welcome to this free and open to the public, family and pet-friendly event!

Municipal Government Awareness

Bella Vista

  • Next Council Mtng: Monday, July 22 at 6 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd)

  • Items of Note:

    • The city has transitioned to a new meeting agenda system where you can find meeting agendas, accompanying information and meeting minutes all in one handy spot. You can choose also to sign up to be notified when agendas are published.

Bentonville

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 23 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • It’s time to review the Future Land Use Plan!!! Review and provide online feedback HERE. And if you’d like to participate in live presentations/discussions, here’s the upcoming list. All events are DROP BY

      • July 23 - The Ledger from 8 - 10 a.m.

      • July 26 - Airship Coffee (802 NW A St.) from 8 - 10 a.m.

      • July 26 - City Hall Council Chambers (305 SW A St) from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

      • July 26 - 8th Street Market from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

      • July 27 - Bentonville Farmer’s Market from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m.

      • July 29 - City Hall Council Chambers (305 SW A St) from 8 - 10 a.m.

      • July 29 - Bentonville Fire Station (800 SW A St) from 4 - 6 p.m.

      • Aug 2 - City Hall Council Chambers (305 SW A St) from 8 - 10 a.m.

Cave Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • The City of Cave Springs Events Committee is seeking volunteers to help with community events such as the Fireman's Pancake Breakfast and Christmas in Cave Springs for the year 2024. If you are interested in participating, please contact [email protected].

Centerton

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)

  • Items of Note:

    • There is an opening to serve n the Centerton City Council to until December 31, 2026 as one of the representatives for ward 1. The City of Centerton is accepting applications until Monday August 5th, 2024 (5:00 PM). Applicant must be a registered voter and resident of Ward 1. Applicants will be interviewed by the remaining members of the city council at the August 13th city council meeting. Application can be found HERE.

Gravette

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE)

Lowell

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)

Pea Ridge

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole

  • Items of Note:

    • The city is looking for volunteers for their new youth programing at The Garage. Forms can be found HERE or on paper at City Hall.

Rogers

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 23 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)

  • Items of Note:

    • City council is scheduled to approve the adoption of the new Rogers Master Street Plan and the Unified Development Code at this weeks meeting

    • Additionally this week, the City council is scheduled to approve the mayor’s appointment of Carolyn Belz to the Rogers Museum Commission (term expires Dec. 31, 2026)

Siloam Springs

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)

  • Items of Note:

    • The city welcomes the public to July 26th’s Fourth Friday; the ultimate monthly family-friendly event that transforms Memorial Park in Siloam Springs into a themed block party with free activities, local artisans, small businesses, non-profit organizations, food trucks, live music, and abundant fun for everyone.

Springdale

  • Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, July 23 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)

  • Items of Note:

    • The second of two public input sessions for the 2025 Budget of the City will be held in Council Chambers from 5:15 -5:45 before the council meeting this Tuesday (July 23).

County Government Awareness

Benton County Storm Damage/Government Assistance

Read Worth Sparkman’s Axios NW Arkansas reporting from last week’s meeting with Isabel Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), “U.S. small business chief tours tornado damaged Benton County”. Note, the SBA deadline for seeking physical-disaster; homeowners or renters loans has been extended to August 28th.

Also, from FEMA on July 15th: “Arkansans May Be Eligible for Transitional Sheltering Assistance”.

Benton County Quorum Court

Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:

  • Development Review Committee - July 24th at 10 a.m.

  • Quorum Court - July 25 at 6 p.m.

  • Planning Board Meeting - Aug. 7 at 6 p.m.

State Government Awareness

Arkansas Election Board:

The State Board of Election Commissioners on Monday approved a permanent rule requiring “wet signatures” on Arkansas voter registration forms except at select state agencies. If approved by legislators in August, the rule will take effect on Sept. 1. - Read more from Mary Hennigan at the Arkansas Advocate HERE.

In the Ear

  • Hear from my friend, Isaac Stevens, as he shares his journey into urbanism, his experiences with bike commuting year-round, and the state of infrastructure in Northwest Arkansas. He also discusses the vital role of bicycles in making cities more accessible and sustainable, the value of social infrastructure after a tornado impacted his community, and much more on episode 19 of Fayette Forward.

  • Get the latest on Arkansas focused news with the Arkansas Times Week in Review - Direct Democracy vs. Bureaucracy from July 19th - specifically the first section discussing abortion advocates suing the secretary of state of rejection of the abortion amendment in the ballot initiative process.

  • Rogers Mayor, Greg Hines, recently was the guest on the Community Catalysts podcast with Matt Lehrman. His discussion about the resilience of the city after the storms is available HERE.

Ballot Initiative News - Abortion Amendment

Since my last newsletter was published, a lot has happened around the Arkansas Abortion amendment. On July 10th, the Arkansas Secretary of State, John Thurston, rejected the ballot measure’s signatures due to missing paperwork. The notice kicked off a week of back and forth between the ballot petition sponsors and the Secretary, culminating in a request for the Arkansas Supreme Court to get involved (read AFLG’s complaint HERE).

Read Arkansas Advocate’s coverage for the details here:

Want a way to channel your anger at Secretary of State John Thurston? Well, he’s running for State Treasurer this November and you can support his Democratic opponent, John Pagan, HERE.

FINAL Candidate Filing Period Notice

Filing period at the County Clerk’s offices in Benton County will run from July 31, 2024 at noon - August 7, 2024 at noon.

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