Carter’s up for karaoke, not farming

Sunday, January 13, 2013

— When Open Arms children’s shelter needed help creating a new fundraiser, board members knew to go see state Rep. Davy Carter first.

Soon Carter, a Cabot Republican and the incoming House speaker, was dressed as Neil Diamond, singing “Sweet Caroline” and leaping off the stage at the shelter’s first Halloween karaoke contest.

“He was electric. The crowd was just going wild,” board member Rhonda House said. “I can count on Davy and Davy’s support whether it’s performing and making a fool of himself for charity or attending a meeting. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Carter won the contest, and Open Arms, which provides emergency housing for children, raised $23,000 in 2011. In October 2012, Carter won the People’s Choice category after singing — and dancing — to “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble. The shelter raised $28,000.

House, who says she’s either an independent or a Democrat, said that after a decade of working with Carter and the charity, she has faith in him.

“I know his heart, and he has such compassion for those that are less fortunate. Whatever Davy chooses to do in the future, you know I will be a full supporter of his,” House said. “Davy exemplifies the way politicians should be today. He can see the broad picture and work for the good of the people he serves.”

Legislative colleagues also called him thoughtful and open-minded, traits that could come in handy as Carter takes control of a nearly equally divided House chamber Monday.

Republicans control the chamber with 51 seats. Democrats hold 48 and there is one Green Party member.

Carter said the House’s makeup will require that the parties work together. He said he entered the speaker’s race because he wanted to see that happen.

“Arkansas has a wonderful opportunity to show the world that we can be a leader in coming together across party lines in governing. The majority of Americans are a little bit frustrated with the nature in which Congress is governing, and we can be a leader there and we are going to be,” he said.

The House held a special election after Republicans won a majority and installed Carter over Speaker-designate Darrin Williams, a Democrat from Little Rock.

Some observers said Democrats felt more comfortable working with Carter than the other Republican candidate, Rep. Terry Rice of Waldron, and banded with a handful of Republicans to select Carter.

After the vote, several Republican members expressed anger at the move, but they seem to have gotten past any frustration or anger, Carter said.

House Republican leader Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs supported Rice. He said he doesn’t know if members are still upset by the result, but he expects that they will put aside their feelings.

“Personalities or events like the speaker’s race really don’t have a place as we move forward,” Westerman said. “At the end of the session he will have earned their respect.”

Carter paused for several moments when asked if he thought Rice or Williams would have been able to manage the closely divided chamber together.

“I’m not quite sure how to answer that,” Carter said. “I do know from my perspective I’m going to give it all I’ve got. I recognize that the timing of my entering the speaker’s race was a little unique, but it’s no different, beyond the timing part, than any speaker … that has been elected in the past.”

During the speaker’s race, a story circulated that Gov. Mike Beebe played a role in Carter’s ascension, something the governor denies.

Beebe has said that Carter reminds him of himself.

“He’s just a bright, thoughtful, good representative of his district and frankly the kind of thoughtful and deliberate legislator that you would want to see, and I think he’s a leader,” Beebe said.

House Democratic leader Greg Leding said he liked Carter as soon as the two met.

“He always struck me as someone who was very reasonable and entered a debate open to other things. He might have already kind of had his mind made up, but he’s at least willing to listen to the other side and examine things in a thorough and fair manner,” Leding said.

DIDN’T TAKE TO FARMING

Carter was raised on a cotton and soybean farm near Marianna, where he said he learned how important agriculture is to Arkansas. Carter said he knew at a young age that he wouldn’t follow his parents into farming.

“I don’t know why, I just never really wanted to [farm],” Carter said. “The older I get, sometimes I question my decision. I certainly appreciate growing up there and having the pace of life and the positive things that come from that, like my parents were always around. The older I get, the more I appreciate the things that came along with that.”

Carter said he wasn’t especially adept at handling farm equipment.

He said he wrecked two highboy spray rigs within two weeks. He flipped the first into a ravine while turning. The other was run over by a truck in the rain on Arkansas 1 while he was on it.

After attending Lee Academy High School in Marianna, Carter enrolled at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro. He earned a degree in corporate finance in 1997.

“I just kind of leaned that direction. I was always good at math in high school, always loved numbers and it just felt like that was kind of the natural fit for me,” Carter said.

He met and married his wife, Cara, in college.

After college, they returned to the Delta, living in Marion and Marianna while he worked at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas. He earned a certificate from the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking in 2003.

After a few years, Carter began commuting between Marianna and Little Rock to attend night classes at the W.H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I had a newborn at home, so we did that for a semester, I think, and then decided that this wasn’t going to work. I was gone too much,” Carter said.

They moved to Cabot so he could be closer to law school. Carter said he selected the town after flipping through a directory of Arkansas banks while scouting for new places to work.

“I did not know one person in Cabot. It was just a godsend that I took that exit and came here,” Carter said.

He became assistant vice president and loan officer at Community Bank (now Centennial Bank) in Cabot. Carter left his position at the bank Jan. 10, citing the demands of the speaker’s job.

Carter said law school stoked an existing interest in politics. He graduated in 2005 with honors.

He said a reasoning method taught by former Dean John DiPippa taught him to weigh both sides of an issue.

“You learn that things aren’t necessarily always black and white all the time. It’s not that way much of the time,” Carter said. “It makes you weigh and balance. I keep going back to that experience. We’re making laws for people to live by. It’s something you don’t take lighthearted.”

DiPippa said Carter stood out to him as well.

“He struck me as somebody who was exceptionally earnest,” DiPippa said. “Generally law students are going to be intelligent. There are just certain people who take their intelligence and are eager to use it.”

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

Carter defeated a primary opponent when he first won the seat in 2008 and faced no Democratic opponent that year.

He was unopposed for reelection in 2010 and 2012.

Carter was named a “Rookie to Watch” by his colleagues in a 2009 Democrat-Gazette article. Members of both parties said it was because he is unusually thoughtful and open-minded.

When Democrats still held a majority in the 2011 session, Carter was the only Republican to be chairman of a major committee. He led the House Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Carter has been the lead sponsor on 22 bills since being elected. Four became law.

He said he’s always viewed his role as stopping bad legislation and watching over the budget.

“We’ve got a lot of laws already,” Carter said. “There’s a lot of important things that state government does, but at the heart of everything we do up there, it’s about managing the state’s money.”

He said he expects that his focus will be on Medicaid and the state budget as the session unwinds.

“Medicaid is going to drive a lot of other issues, including the tax-policy debate,” Carter said. “We’re making decisions this time that are going to affect Arkansans for a long time in the future, so that’s where my focus is.”

Davy Carter Age: 37 Date of birth: March 31, 1975 Birthplace: West Memphis Current town of residence: Cabot Education: Lee Academy in Marianna, 1993; bachelor’s degree in corporate finance, Arkansas State University, 1997; certiÿcate in banking, Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking, 2003; University of Arkansas at Little Rock W.H. Bowen School of Law, 2005.

Religious affiliation: Baptist Legislative post: House Speaker-designee.

Business/political experience: Arkansas House 2009-present. Executive vice president/ general counsel/chief lending officer at Centennial Bank in Cabot 2009-Jan. 10.

Family: Wife, Cara, three children.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 01/13/2013