Several House candidates in central Arkansas said they want to focus on very specific issues if they are elected, from energy independence to vocational training to worker safety.
On Nov. 6, Arkansans will elect members of the state House of Representatives. Who they pick will help to decide whether the Republican Party will have a majority for the first time in more than 135 years, or whether the Democratic Party will retain control of the chamber.
Here’s a thumbnail look at six of the 21 races where incumbents aren’t seeking re-election. It is generally considered easier for a party to win an open seat than to defeat an incumbent.
DISTRICT 72
District 72 is in Faulkner County. It includes the area east of Donaghey Avenue in Conway and the Interstate 40 corridor from Lake Conway to past Exit 124. It includes Hendrix College and part of the University of Central Arkansas.
Democrat Steve Magie, 59, of Conway said his experience as an ophthalmologist prepares him to address health-care problems. He is also the past president of the Arkansas Medical Society.
“We need a physician, we need a doctor in the House advocating for patients, for health care,” Magie said.
Magie called expanding who qualifies for Medicaid “the right, moral and just” thing to do.
“I don’t think Arkansas has any choice but to expand the Medicaid program,” Magie said. “Our rural hospitals are bleeding red ink because of uncompensated care.”
Expanding the state Medicaid program to serve about 250,000 more Arkansans is backed by Gov. Mike Beebe. Making Medicaid available to more people is allowed under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Magie sought a House seat in 2010, losing with 45.6 percent of the vote.
Republican Rocky Lawrence, 53, of Conway said he is not in favor of the healthinsurance exchanges required by the federal law and does not want to expand Medicaid.
“Hopefully with a Republican majority we’d be able to impede that,” Lawrence said.
He said he wants to cut taxes as a way to create jobs.
“Anything we can do to getgovernment out of the way of the private sector I believe best enhances our economy,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence, a real estate agent, said he wants to “be an advocate for the people versus a government-driven system.”
Prior to selling real estate, Lawrence was a Faulkner County sheriff’s deputy. He resigned in September 2011 while campaigning to be Faulkner County sheriff amid allegations that he used a law enforcement database to look at the criminal background and financial history of his opponents, their families and friends.
“They made some issues about improper use of a computer, I said at the time I’d done nothing wrong and I stand by it,” Lawrence said. “I knew it was just an attempt to discourage me from running for sheriff. I knew what their game was and I was not going to participate.”
Special Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley, who was appointed to decide whether to press charges, decided against pressing charges against Lawrence on May 1, 2012.
DISTRICT 15
The district includes part of Grant, Hot Spring and Jefferson counties. It includes Sheridan, White Hall and Poyen.
Democrat Charles Tadlock, 73, of Sheridan said he would work to maintain the state employee retirement system and “make sure we deliver on the promises we made to our teachers and state employees.”
Tadlock is a retired junior high school principal.
He also taught social studies and coached football and track.
“I want to see the state continue the progress we’ve been making and certainly I don’t want us to go back any,” Tadlock said. “I always encouraged my students to be involved in public service ... that’s always stuck with me.”
Republican Ken Bragg, 62, of Sheridan said his background with local government and decades in forest management prepared him. He is a regional manager for Resource Management Service.
“I feel like that’s an important part of government,managing limited resources,” Bragg said.
Bragg said he would focus on developing the state’s energy resources, including biomass, timber, lignite and natural gas.
“I still think there is a lot of potential for development of those resources,” Bragg said.
DISTRICT 31
The district is west of Little Rock. It includes the southern half of Lake Maumelle and includes Ferndale.
Democrat Tommy Formicola, 53, of Little Rock said his 28 years in the health-care industry will be good preparation as the state discusses setting up health-insurance exchanges, how to deal with a projected $350 million Medicaid shortfall and whether to expand who qualifies for Medicaid.
“I see the shortcoming in our health-care system, I see the great things in the healthcare system. I think there’s going to be a lot of debate in the next three or four sessions and I think that’s something someone with health-care experience can help with,” he said.
He is a district sales and operations manager for Medtronic. In 2006, Formicola sought the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional District, but lost the primary election with 22.7 percent of the vote.
Republican Andy Davis, 37, of Little Rock said he is more focused on simplifying business regulations and lowering taxes.
“I would like to simplify things for people who are working day to day,” Davis said. “Anything we can do to make it a little more transparent with which taxes are paying for what is good.”
Davis owns a company that designs, maintains and sells waste water systems. He is licensed by the state Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers under the name Mark A. Davis. He has not been disciplined by the board.
“I was tired of asking why isn’t there more people like me in the state Legislature,” Davis said.
DISTRICT 38
The district is in Pulaski County. It includes North Little Rock north of Interstate 40. It includes the Mc-Cain Mall area and the North Hill Country Club. It stops at Spriggs Road before reaching the North Little Rock Municipal Airport. It includes Pike Avenue.
Democrat Patti Julian, 57,of North Little Rock said she has a “solid understanding of what the people of this district are like and what they want and need.”
Julian is a former attorney and stay-at-home mother. She said she would focus on education and economic development.
She said although the state is required by law to provide money for an adequate education, “I would certainly like to see it be better than adequate. We have come such a very long way. We’re obviously doing something right.”
She said the state should also consider increasing teacher pay and providing more training.
Republican Dean DiMichele of North Little Rock did not return phone calls and e-mails.
DiMichele owns a management company that holds a franchise for several Mc-Donald’s locations.
DISTRICT 39
District 39 includes Maumelle and Interstate 40 from Pike Avenue in North Little Rock to the southwest corner of Camp Robinson. Part of Camp Robinson is in the district.
Republican Mark Lowery, 55, of Maumelle said he wants to see religious organizations play a larger role in the state safety net.
He also said he wants more restrictions on abortion, such as requiring parental consent for teens seeking an abortion and requiring women to undergo an ultrasound, hear the fetus’s heart beat and undergo a waiting period to reflect.
“This is not just a blob of tissue, it is a human being,” Lowery said.
Lowery teaches communications at the University of Central Arkansas. He was registered as a lobbyist from 2004 until March 15. According to filings with the secretary of state, he lobbied for the Professional Insurance Agents of Arkansas, the Arkansas Rental Dealers Association and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
“I am very familiar with the Legislative process,” he said.
He said Arkansas needs to be realistic about living within its means.
“It’s not enough to say there is a balanced budget when we know there is going to be a $400 million Medicaid shortfall next year,” Lowery said.
He was referring to the as much as $400 million Medicaid shortfall expected to hit the state in July 2013 when the Medicaid Trust Fund runs out.
Lowery said he also wants to lower the state income tax rate.
Democrat Kelly Halstead, 37, of Maumelle said she thinks the tax code may need to be reviewed but she would want to know how the state will make up that revenue.
“Do revisions need to be made? Possibly,” Halstead said. But “without an actual plan to make up for the loss of the sales tax that’s not something I can support.”
She is an attorney who focuses on real estate and construction litigation. She runs her own firm, was licensed in 2000 and has had no disciplinary action taken against her by the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct.
Halstead said she wants to help remove the sales tax from groceries and improve education, but didn’t have specific plans for how to do that.
“I don’t pretend to have all of the answers but I’m always open to listening and researching to find what the right answer is,” she said.
DISTRICT 40
The district includes northern Pulaski County and east Faulkner County. It also includes Cobb Lake, Lake Conway, part of the Little Rock Air Force Base, Big Rock Hill, Cato and Mayflower.
Republican Roy Douglas House, 58, of North Little Rock said he wants a review of the activities of state agencies and regulations to see what can be eliminated, such as regulation of massage parlors, barbers and beauticians.
“Nobody ever died of a bad haircut. We are regulating activity that does not need to be regulated,” House said. “Every law that the state has ever passed has an enforcement cost.”
House said while people may want to cut taxes, they need to understand that less tax revenue for the state means fewer services state government can provide.
He is a retired Army JAG colonel who spent 38 years in the military. He has been licensed to practice law in Arkansas since 1996 and has had no disciplinary action taken against him.
He also worked for Republican U.S. Congressman Tim Griffin as a district representative for military and veterans affairs.
“It’s a duty. Since I was a child, since I joined the military, I have always been taught that we were also supposed to use the experience and gifts we have to the benefit of others,” House said. “I have no political ambitions in the future, this is a matter of service to my community and to my state. I won’t lie to them, I’ll tell it the way it is.”
Democrat Steven Mc-Neely, 47, of Jacksonville said he wants to improve worker safety, possibly by creating additional penalties for employers when an employee is injured because of a safety violation.
He is an attorney who represents injured workers. He has been licensed since 1996 and has faced no disciplinary action.
McNeely said the Legislature should work to improve vocational training and encourage enrollment in existing programs.
“We’ve got to use the wheels we’ve already got. Some of this just has to do with mentality,” McNeely said.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 19 on 09/23/2012