ROGERS -- The state House District 96 race is between a candidate with an unblemished but short record and another whose business experiences includes falling behind on taxes.
Grant Hodges of Rogers graduated from the University of Arkansas last year and is running in his first political race. He has worked in campaigns for conservative candidates to date.
Profiles
Grant Hodges
State House of Representatives
District 96
Republican
Age: 24
Residency: Rogers
Family: Single
Occupation: Full-time candidate
Education: Bachelor of arts, political science, University of Arkansas, 2013
Military Experience: None
Political Experience: None
Damon Wallace
Age: 44
Residency: Garfield
Family: Divorced; two children
Occupation: Owner of Mount Pleasant Sales & Service of Gravette, former emergency medical technician.
Education: Associate’s degree in Respiratory Care, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, 1998.
Military Experience: None
Political Experience: None
Damon Wallace of Garfield is the owner of a business and emerged from the recession owing about $30,000 to the IRS. Wallace included the tax debt on the required statement of financial interest for candidates, which he filed Feb. 27.
The winner of the May 20 Republican primary will face Democrat Tom McClure in November.
Rough experience is better than no experience, Wallace said. Hodges said personal standards are more important than party or policy.
"My values and beliefs reflect those of the district," Hodges said. "I'm a proven conservative who'll fight for District 96. I'm younger and have the energy and passion. I have the integrity and character to be a leader."
He has taken stands on issues, such as opposition to the state's "private option" health care plan, and stuck to them, he said. Wallace has said he would need to study that issue more in light of new data coming in.
"The people in this district believe in and value consistency," Hodges said. "Even if they don't agree with you on every issue, they appreciate it if you know who you are."
A candidate more experienced in life doesn't make decisions before he reviews all the available facts, Wallace said, adding he learned that lesson in business.
"Primarily, it's experience," Wallace said of the difference between him and Hodges. "When various issues come up, having some background in something is always relevant. For instance, when a bill went through the Legislature recently to set up a trauma center system, being an EMT shed a light on things. People argued during that debate that money was needed for things, and as an EMT, I thought at the time, 'Wait a minute. They say they need money for this. They're already doing that anyway.' I remember thinking that when they were talking about needing money for communications between hospitals.
"I'm a single parent who got custody of my kids," Wallace said. "I have a different perspective from his."
Wallace bought an automobile repair business, Mount Pleasant Sales and Service in Gravette, in 2008. He said he erred in offering too much in pay to employees there and the error was compounded when the recession began in earnest that year.
"I didn't want to lay anyone off or to pay them less than I promised," Wallace said. "I didn't want to stop paying my suppliers. So I made the decision to pay the little bit on taxes I could and accept the penalties and interest."
The company's two highest-paid employees later accepted jobs elsewhere, outside the struggling business, and "the economy improved a little bit," Wallace said. "We survived. A lot of businesses didn't."
"Looking back on what I did, I would have hired an accountant," Wallace said. "That's an expense I wanted to avoid with the tight margins you have in business, but it would have saved me some money, in hindsight."
NW News on 04/26/2014