New District Draws Two Rivals

Saturday, October 20, 2012

— Springdale’s District 89 race for the state House pits the owner of one of the town’s family-owned businesses against a relatively new arrival who says she could better represent more of the residents.

Micah Neal is a former member of the Washington County Quorum Court and owner of Neal’s Cafe in Springdale. He is running as a Republican.

Profiles

Arkansas House District 89

Yessie Hernandez

Democrat

Age: 35

Residency: Springdale

Family: Single

Employment: Safety manager of TTT Foods in Springdale

Education: Attended NorthWest Arkansas Community College; certificate in computer networking, ITech Training Center

Military Experience: None

Political Experience: None

Micah Neal

Republican

Age: 36

Residency: Springdale

Family: Divorced; two sons

Employment: Manager, Neal’s Cafe in Springdale

Education: Marketing management degree from the University of Arkansas

Military Experience: None

Political Experience: Washington County Quorum Court, 2003-11

Yessie Hernandez is president of the Northwest Arkansas Hispanic Council, which provides interpreters and other support needed for a bilingual community. She is running as a Democrat.

There is no incumbent. Springdale picked up another House district when political boundaries were redrawn after the 2010 Census.

Both candidates said they are ready to represent all segments of the diverse district. Hernandez said she was the only candidate fluent in both English and Spanish, however. Neal said he was not bilingual, but has never had difficulty communicating with Spanish-speaking constituents, who either quickly learn English themselves or have other family members who do.

“I want to represent everybody, not just one group,” Neal said. “The district is 60 percent minority and all American. We’re all here to make our community better.”

There is more to representing all of a constituency than being able to get a message through, Hernandez said.

“I believe I’ll be the right person because I’ve been involved with all of the community,” Hernandez said.

Her work on the Hispanic Council means she has been a liaison between the Spanish- and English-speaking communities of the region for years, she said. This makes her able to work with either and with both at the same time, she said.

“I spent years listening to the needs of Washington County” while on the Quorum Court, Neal said.

The two varied in their answers of what District 89 needs.

“Everybody in the district wants some of their money back,” Neal said. “They want less regulation, which has hamstrung everyone. One of the best examples of that is being forced to have ethanol in the gasoline you buy. That hurts the poor and the middle-class more than anyone else because the poorer you are, the bigger the share of your money that goes to food. Ethanol takes more of your money and makes the food you buy cost more.”

He supports efforts by the state, including Gov. Mike Beebe, to get an exemption from the federal ethanol requirement.

Hernandez said the biggest need facing the district is for affordable health care.

“In particular, our community clinics need more space and more people,” she said.

She supports the proposed expansion of Medicaid to about 250,000 Arkansans.

“I support Gov. Mike Beebe on that point,” she said.

The future of the Medicaid expansion and of the rest of federal health care reform is far from certain, Neal said.

“I don’t think I know what’s going to happen on Medicaid, and I don’t think anyone else does either because we have to elect a Congress and a president,” Neal said. “Depending on what happens, it may not get funded and not happen anyway. If the Democrats and (President) Obama get elected, we may not have a choice.”

Hernandez said the second biggest concern on the district voters’ minds is education, both in public schools and beyond. She supports allowing students who were brought into this country as children to be eligible for in-state tuition rates even though they are not able to show legal residency in the United States.

“It’s not the kids’ fault they were brought here,” she said.

Hernandez was born in El Salvador and entered the country legally with her parents at age 13. Her family moved to Rogers when she was in the 10th grade, she said.

Neal said his interest in education in Springdale was direct. He has children in the local school district.

“I’ve grown up in Springdale,” he said. “I love where I’m from and don’t want to be anywhere else. My vested interests are my kids and my family business that’s been here 68 years.”