The legislative session has ended and the state's new governor, Asa Hutchinson, can now catch his breath and actually begin setting a course for the next four years.
The pragmatic Hutchinson was blessed with two moderate legislative leaders--House Speaker Jeremy Gillam and Senate President Pro Tem Jonathan Dismang--and was able to accomplish most of his legislative objectives. Life would have been far more difficult if one of those legislative leaders had been a firebrand from his party's divisive Tea Party wing. Hutchinson, Gillam and Dismang found themselves outflanked down the stretch by the far right, leading to a week of unwanted national publicity for Arkansas. Going forward, Hutchinson will have to focus on recruiting like-minded business conservatives to run for the Legislature in 2016. At times, this will necessitate the unpleasant political task of recruiting people to take on unruly incumbents in the Republican primary.
Much of Hutchinson's time for the rest of the year will be consumed with ensuring the efficient day-to-day operation of state government. He will be looking for ways to solve the problem of prison overcrowding, trying to rein in growth in Medicaid spending, instituting education reforms, etc. But there will still be time for what best can be described as special projects. In a state of fewer than 3 million people with few entertainment stars and no NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League baseball franchises, the governor is the most high-profile figure with the possible exception of the head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Hutchinson can use that bully pulpit during the interim between legislative sessions to send strong messages.
I remember a meeting that then-Gov. Mike Huckabee was having in his office one day with a couple of analysts from the state Department of Finance and Administration who were getting deep into the weeds on an issue. Huckabee stopped their presentation and uttered a line I'll never forget: "I don't need this much detail. You must know one thing. You're the ones in research and development. I'm in sales and marketing." It was the best description of an effective governorship I've heard: Keeping your eyes on the big picture and then going out and selling the public on things that truly will change the state for the better.
Since he became governor in January, Hutchinson has set up a number of task forces. Here are two other causes the governor can take on now that the legislative session has concluded: Improving the plight of Pine Bluff and the restoration of downtown Hot Springs to its former glory. The political benefits are obvious. Hutchinson grew up in the far northwest corner of the state and has spent most of his career in Washington, D.C., Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas. By focusing on two of the most important cities in the southern half of the state, he can send a message that he's a governor for all of Arkansas.
Pine Bluff's population decreased from 57,389 in the 1970 census to 49,083 in the 2010 census. The city has been forced to endure a spate of bad publicity in recent months as several old buildings along Main Street have collapsed. The good news came when Simmons First National Bank, headquartered in downtown Pine Bluff, offered to partner with the city on a downtown redevelopment effort.
George Makris, the Pine Bluff native who serves as Simmons' chief executive officer, says his rapidly growing company is "committed to Pine Bluff, and we feel like this plan shows that. We have 450 associates working in this city, and with our growth potential, more will be coming. But we have to create the right kind of business environment to do that." Hutchinson can use his bully pulpit to focus attention on Pine Bluff. He also can convene a working group of high-level state government officials to ensure that the resources of the state are focused on helping Pine Bluff overcome its problems.
As for Hot Springs, its downtown corridor was once the showcase of Arkansas and one of the most famous stretches of street in the South. The corridor has been allowed to deteriorate badly during the past 40 years, but there has been a renewed interest in downtown Hot Springs since the February 2014 fire that destroyed the oldest portion of the empty Majestic Hotel.
Too many visitors to Hot Springs have had their trips sullied by dated, musty hotel rooms and huge structures such as the Medical Arts Building that stand empty. As is the case with Pine Bluff, Hutchinson can use his position to shine a light on the problems in downtown Hot Springs, recruit investors and create an internal working group to coordinate the state response.
Jon Roberts, a Texas-based consultant hired by Hot Springs to come up with an economic development plan for the city, puts it this way: "A healthy downtown makes a city more competitive in the pursuit of new businesses. This is because prospects often see the state of a downtown as a reflection of whether a community values investment and excellence. Moreover, companies realize that in the competition for talent, a community that offers a higher quality of life and a stronger sense of place finds it easier to recruit and retain the workers it needs to remain successful."
In Arkansas, no one is in a better position to deliver that message than a governor.
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Freelance columnist Rex Nelson is the president of Arkansas' Independent Colleges and Universities. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.
Editorial on 04/15/2015