Mayor Mark Stodola

Mark Stodola was elected as Mayor for the City of Little Rock, beginning his term in January 2007; however, Mayor Stodola is not new to Little Rock City Hall. From 1985 to 1991, Mayor Stodola served as Little Rock’s City Attorney. During his tenure as City Attorney, he initiated the re-codification of City Ordinances, which had not been done for 26 years and led a creative initiative to shut down drug houses as public nuisances.

He 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, Mayor Stodola focused his energies on gang violence. He developed the first Domestic Violence Unit in the State of Arkansas and greatly expanded the Prosecutors’ Victim Assistance Program. 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 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. He 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.

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

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 34%. The Mayor led an effort to reduce copper thefts with City legislation, which has decreased the sale of to stolen scrap to recyclers. In addition, Mayor Stodola spearheaded City legislation to reduce harmful conditions at extended stay motels and has partnered with the State of Arkansas and the Chamber of Commerce to bring over $1 billion in new capital investment to the City and more than 1,900 new jobs during the past two years.

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 and in the past has served as president of the Quapaw Quarter Association and the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.

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.