NW Arkansas

Pennington, Deutch make appeal to voters in Fayetteville city attorney race

Fayetteville Flyer·Oct 22, 2026 · 8:48 AM CT
Read the original at Fayetteville Flyer
Readthrough summary

Kit Williams, Fayetteville's city attorney since 2001, plans to retire at the end of the year, so the city will have a new top legal official no matter who wins in November.

Blake Pennington, 43, is the city's current senior assistant attorney and wants to succeed Williams. DJ Deutch, 36, a criminal defense lawyer, entered the race in late 2025, before Williams said publicly he would not run again.

The city attorney's office advises the City Council, the mayor and city departments, represents the city in most civil cases, drafts ordinances, and supervises the City Prosecutor's Office, which handles misdemeanors and city ordinance violations.

Deutch told the Fayetteville Flyer he sees the job as beholden to the people and argued that the office helps shape policy even though it is not formally a policy-making role. Early voting began Oct. 19, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Summary written by Readthrough from the original article. The full story, with photos and any updates, is at Fayetteville Flyer.

Read the original at Fayetteville Flyer

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