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Mayor Mark Stodola

Mark Stodola was elected as Mayor for the City of Little Rock, beginning his term in January 2007 and re-elected to a 2nd term beginning in 2011. As Mayor, he has helped prioritize public safety as the City’s first and foremost obligation, resulting in substantial decreases in violent crime and property crime. Since Stodola took office, the city’s homicide rate has fallen more than 50% with the violent crime rate falling 34%.

The mayor also led an effort to reduce copper thefts with city legislation, which has decreased the sale of stolen scrap to recyclers and spearheaded city legislation to reduce harmful conditions at extended stay motels. The mayor has partnered with the state Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Chamber of Commerce to bring over $1 billion in new capital investment to the city and more than 3,691 new jobs during the past four years and led a major bond initiative that has injected $6,872,201 in improvements to the city’s park system.

Prior to becoming mayor, Stodola served a senior partner in the Little Rock law firm Catlett & Stodola PLC. In 2006 and 2007, Stodola was named to the Mid-South Super Lawyers list in the practice areas of General Litigation and Government/Cities/Municipalities. Additionally, Mayor Stodola has served as General Counsel to the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission and has represented numerous cities and counties throughout the state.

Stodola was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the 6th District in 1990 and was re-elected again in 1992 and 1994. During his tenure as Prosecuting Attorney, Stodola focused his energies on gang violence. He developed the first Domestic Violence Unit in the state and created a gang Prosecution team. He was recognized nationally by the Department of Justice for creating an innovative juvenile diversion program and drafted several successful pieces of legislation, including the Arkansas Safe Schools Act, the Arkansas Gang Organization and Enterprise Act and the Arkansas Drug Abatement Act.

Mayor Stodola serves on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Task Force of the US Conference of Mayors and the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Advocacy Committee of the National League of Cities. Mayor Stodola has served as Vice-President of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), as well serving as a lecturer for the NDAA in Argentina and Russia. Mayor Stodola is Past President of the Arkansas Prosecuting Attorneys Association and Arkansas City Attorneys Association, as well as Past Chair of the Municipal Operations Section of the International Municipal Lawyers Association.

Mayor Stodola is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock, and served as Chair of Class 16 for that program. In addition, he is a member of the Heights Neighborhood Association, and chaired the Kavanaugh Promenade Development Project. Mayor Stodola has served on the board of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, has been involved with Big Brothers/Big Sisters in the past and has served as president of the Quapaw Quarter Association and the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Little Rock.

Mayor Stodola graduated from the University of Iowa with a double major in Political Science and Journalism, and received his law degree from the University of Arkansas, School of Law in Fayetteville. Mark is married to Jo Ellen and has three children; a daughter, Allison; and twin sons, Robert and John Mark.