Christie, Flynn win election, runoffs in Ward 2 and 3 set

Steve Bourke
Steve Bourke

The general election yielded two incumbent victories and two runoffs for Bella Vistan positions.

Mayor Peter Christie and Ward 1, Position 2, council member John Flynn both took election victories, with 68.95 percent and 56.23 percent of the vote, respectively, while Ward 2, Position 2, will see a runoff between Christian Henning, who scored 40.7 percent of the vote, and Larry Wilms, who pulled 33.92 percent of the vote. Ward 3, Position 2, will also have a runoff between Steve Bourke, who landed 37.03 percent of the vote, and Jack Kelly, who had 42.97 percent of the vote.

The runoff election will be Tuesday, Dec. 4, with early voting starting Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Henning said he was excited to be in the runoff and to see people voted for him.

"It feels great knowing that close to 4,500 people believed in my campaign and chose me as their vote," he said. "I think I have to approach the runoff differently. It's more of a challenge of getting people out to vote."

Henning, who works as a preschool teacher in Bentonville, previously stated he has attended leadership summits in the state and national capitals and served as commander of the Sons of the American Legion in Bentonville and Rogers.

"I've managed hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said.

He's also attended Boys State, a mock government program in Little Rock put on by the American Legion.

He intends to start back into campaigning immediately, he said.

Wilms said he was surprised that Wards 2 and 3 had significantly more undervoters -- eligible voters who showed up but did not cast a vote -- than Ward 1 or the mayoral race.

"What it says is I need to get out and do more exposure, campaigning," he said.

Wilms said his experience years working with municipal governments in a wide array of positions is what sets him apart. His familiarity with city government, he said, will help him get started quickly.

"The key thing I think I bring to the table is 45 years experience working with local government," he said. "The residents of Bella Vista, in choosing me, will elect someone to the position who will have almost no time of acclimation."

Wilms said he intends to do more door-to-door campaigning to get more one-on-one interaction with the public.

Bourke said he expected a runoff because it's quite likely that among three candidates that nobody can gain a clear majority.

The important thing with a runoff is getting attendance, he said.

"Every vote is very important," he said. "You have two very different candidates and I trust the voters to make the right pick."

Bourke retired in Bella Vista after 36 years in the corporate world, he said.

"Most of that time spent leading teams, managing budgets and solving problems," he said.

Bourke said he believes he should be involved in the community and his work ethic makes him a strong candidate.

Bourke has previously stated he's interested in exploring new ideas and managing growth in the city while providing for the city's different demographics and avoiding what he calls "growth traps," like traffic congestion, crime and chronic flooding.

He intends to keep campaigning, he said, much the same way he has been.

"I'm well prepared and ready to serve," he said.

Kelly said he's not shocked to see a runoff.

"I feel good about it in that I had the most votes in the general election," he said. "I think our message is good. I think what I have to offer is good -- and that is a very broad and deep background."

Kelly has previously stated he has a wide variety of experience in the municipal and private sector. He worked for the city of Tulsa for 18 years in different departments and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for 18 years in Tulsa and Rogers.

He has a bachelor's degree in the management of human resources and served in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and the United States Air Force.

From here, Kelly said, he's going to continue getting the word out about the election and his own candidacy.

"Hopefully everyone will return to the polls and vote for the candidate of their choice so not just a few people choose who represents them," he said.

General News on 11/14/2018