JUST A THOUGHT : Watergate
Posted on Tuesday, October 7, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/69877/
Last Saturday night, a very good friend told me matter-of-factly that she would not vote to re-elect Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody. Why, I asked?
You might be slightly surprised to learn her objection has nothing at all to do with the usual suspects, such as the now-stalled (permanently?) Renaissance Tower project; or the multiple worries about the proposed 900-acre SouthPass effort; or his eligibility for a lifetime pension of $53,000 should he be re-elected. Nor can I recall hearing this person complain about massive cost overruns (about $60 million last I checked) associated with the city's overhaul of its wastewater treatment facilities, or the somewhat surprising lack of economic development here in Fayetteville.
Instead, her concerns focus squarely on water. Bottled water, that is.
"I don't like being told what I can and can't do," she said.
My friend was referring to a story born June 11 on the steps of the City Administration Building. Flanked by supporters of what he was about to say, Coody stood before the press and public alike and asked the 68,000 people who call Fayetteville home, from senior citizens to students in residence on the University of Arkansas campus, to give up bottled water and begin drinking tap water.
Why, you ask?
"This is an important conversation that all of us need to have in America today," the mayor said, announcing that city government would no longer use public funds to purchase bottled water. It's true, Coody explained, that a wide variety of bottled water is available in the 21st century, including spring, purified, mineral, electrolyte-enhanced, flavored and vitamin-enriched. Cool, huh?
Coody continued, stating that water straight from the tap is just as good for you, and not nearly as expensive. "As we complain about gas prices being $4 a gallon, we're paying $8 a gallon for drinking water. ... As Americans, we take good, clean drinking water for granted." Despite the availability of all this great drinking water the Beaver Water District gives us, Coody said, it's a shame that the bottled water industry continues to grow so expeditiously.
What else is wrong with bottled water? Well, what about transportation costs. Trucks, Coody explained, to transport water across the country. That means spending money on oil, which means dirtying the environment and supporting foreign governments that have it out for us. If his June 11 comments are any indication, Dan Coody believes that drinking bottled water is only a couple of steps removed from supporting al-Qaida.
And then there's this: Coody was with several like-minded souls during this summer's annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Miami, where head honchos from across the country gathered to support a resolution introduced by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom encouraging cities to dispense with bottled water contracts. "Cities should not be consumed with the disposal of billions of pounds of plastic water bottles each year," Newsom explained at the time.
It's an understatement to say that all the mayoral candidates like to play up their ties to the sustainability movement. But Mayor Coody has done them all one better, and again bet Fayetteville's future -- including whatever economic development we might be able to someday procure -- on the sensibility of protecting Mother Earth in any way possible. Being against bottled water and for tap water, would seem to fit into those sentiments.
But does this?
Northwest Arkansas Times, Oct. 4 -- An Iceland-based water company is considering Fayetteville for a new distribution center and company officials are scheduled for a third visit next week.
Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody said Bruarfoss is considering leasing the city-owned former Tyson complex located on 15th Street.
Bruarfoss officials are scheduled for a third visit to Fayetteville on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Coody said.
Bruarfoss exports bottled water and small, medium and large bulk water from Iceland's most pristine water sources, according to its Web site. The company sells water that melts from the glaciers in Iceland and is hoping to become a supplier for Wal-Mart, he said. Because the water is very clean and pure, it can be stored for much longer than tap water and can be used in hospitals for a number of uses, Coody said.
Wait. What?
Coody supports bottled water? But I thought he said he didn't?
A lot of people like Dan Coody. So do I. Part of me hopes he wins the election fight he currently finds himself in. From the renovation of the downtown Square to his unwavering support of the environment, there's simply no doubt that Fayetteville is much better off in 2008 with Dan Coody than it was eight years ago without him. This community is happier and healthier for his time in office.
Still, Coody will have to employ a healthy defense for the hypocrisy charges his opponents are sure to lob his way. Does the potential expansion of Bruarfoss into Fayetteville suggest a positive development on the economic development front? Yes, it does. Should any mayor hesitate to support such developments? Absolutely not. But supporting a company that sells bottled water does seem to contradict an issue Coody is on the record about.
Is it possible this relatively minor matter could be the issue, beyond all the others, that ends up denying the mayor his third term? If I had to guess, I'd guess no. Dan Coody has hundreds of enthusiastic supporters who dearly want to see him prevail.
And yet ... I've run into several people who don't appreciate Mayor Coody's comments concerning bottled water. Mind you, I'm talking about Northwest Arkansas residents who don't necessarily read the newspaper every day and don't know the details surrounding every little issue. But, by god, they don't like being told what to do. It reminds me of four summers ago, when First Baptist Church Pastor Ronnie Floyd told his congregation to "Vote God."
Nobody in America likes being told how they ought to vote. It's insulting. Likewise, no one likes to be told they should or shouldn't drink bottled water.
Coody may be absolutely right to persuade residents against the use of bottled water. And he may be right to support the expansion of Bruarfoss into Fayetteville. But I'm not sure it's very smart politics.
Scott Shackelford is editorial page editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times. His column appears on Tuesdays.