Springdale rivals tout experience, inclusiveness

SPRINGDALE -- Springdale's state House District 89 race pits a Republican who is an experienced former county elected official against a bilingual Democrat who thinks he can do a better job of representing everyone in the district.

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Jeff Williams

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Irvin Camacho

Latino and Marshallese voters in the district have felt excluded from full participation in state politics, said Irvin Camacho, the Democrat in the race.

Arkansas House of Representatives

District 89

Democrat

Irvin Camacho

• Age: 24

• Residency: Springdale

• Employment: Mortgage specialist, Arvest Mortgage Co.

• Education: Attending the University of Arkansas

• Political experience: None

Republican

Jeff Williams

• Age: 53

• Residency: Springdale

• Employment: Owner, Williams and Associates Property Tax Management of Springdale

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in microbiology, University of Arkansas

• Political experience: Washington County assessor, 2011-15; Springdale City Council, 2003-04

"I feel that if elected I'd break the cycle and represent all members of the community," he said.

Speaking English and Spanish fluently would help him connect with more people in the district, he said. Camacho isn't running as the Latino candidate, but as the one who can best represent everyone, he added.

Representing the district effectively requires experience, said Jeff Williams, the Republican in the contest. He also challenged the idea that fluency in languages is required to represent a diverse district. He served as a community liaison in Iraq for the U.S. Army Reserve, where he once defused a situation in which Iraqi civilians were accidentally hit by U.S. mortar fire, he said.

The two face each other in the Nov. 8 general election, with early voting beginning Oct. 24. Each seeks to replace state Rep. Micah Neal, R-Springdale, who is not seeking re-election.

Camacho has not run before for elective office, but is chief organizer of the annual Springdale Peace Walk rally against gang violence. Camacho is also active in community efforts to register Latino voters and get legal assistance for immigrants.

Williams served two terms as Washington County assessor before an unsuccessful bid for county judge. Before that, he served on the Springdale City Council. He has been active with all residents of the community in these duties, he said.

"When you go into the home of someone who doesn't speak English, you'll often find a 12-year-old child of theirs who does," Williams said.

Camacho was born in Salinas, Calif., of parents who benefited from an amnesty program during President Ronald Reagan's term in office, he said. He believes all residents in the district have much more in common than they do in competition with each other, he said. Downtown business development and schools are two areas of common interest, he said.

A state representative must make choices and balance issues within the budget, Williams said. That takes a knowledge of government, he said. He has worked with lawmakers in legislative sessions, he said. Also, lawmakers must acknowledge that other areas of the state have different priorities than their home districts.

"When you're making decisions that are going to impact approximately 3 million people, hundreds of thousands of families and tens of thousands of businesses, that experience is essential to making the correct decision," Williams said.

A major legislative priority for Camacho is approving cheaper, in-state college tuition for children who were brought into the United States by their parents and lack legal resident status.

Williams cited the legal objection to this that was also cited by former Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, and legislators who have opposed it. There is a federal law requiring that any benefit a state offers to a noncitizen must also be offered to all U.S. citizens.

The practical effect of in-state tuition for immigrant children in Arkansas would be to open all state colleges and universities to in-state tuition to the legal residents of any state. Camacho said the existence of that law did not stop California and other states from offering in-state tuition with few adverse consequences.

NW News on 10/08/2016

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