Chesser's background prepared him for role
My wife, Mary, and I support William Chesser for Fayetteville City Council, Ward 2, Position 2. We have known William all his life, watching as he grew up on the edge of Markham Hill, the son of Lewis Chesser, a former pastor at the Wesley Foundation and St. James, and Mazie Chesser, a former teacher at Washington and Bates elementary schools. We have witnessed his maturation and education at the University of Arkansas, while he obtained a final MA degree in Anthropology and became a teacher at the Fayetteville Virtual Academy.
William has served on the Planning Commission from 2010 through 2016. We believe this experience has given William a feel for local government and a desire to participate more fully in its growth. We have always found him to be highly intelligent, responsive and a kind person with a great capacity for hard work and responsible leadership, both within his family and among his friends. It is for these reasons we have voted for and highly recommend that you vote for William Chesser for City Council, Ward 2, Position 2.
Jan Gosnell
Fayetteville
Breaux flyer's claims don't reflect record
I recently received a flyer from Harlan Breaux, incumbent candidate for Arkansas House (District 97). He claimed that he was "making healthcare accessible and affordable." He also said he was "creating job opportunities "and "lowering taxes." Like the flyer he mailed in 2016, none of this had the ring of truth.
I took the opportunity to search the Arkansas legislation from the last four sessions. I could not find that Breaux had sponsored or co-sponsored any bills to make health care accessible or affordable in any way. Perhaps, in these days of coronavirus and astronomical medical bills, he thinks this sounds good to voters. But there is no evidence in the legislative record.
Neither could I find proposed legislation to "create job opportunities" or "lowering taxes." Actually, he voted to increase the gasoline tax that we all pay when we fill up the tank. He did vote to lower the tax rate for Arkansans earning more than $80,000 ... but not for the average Arkansan.
As I searched for information on his voting record, I found that he had voted for legislation to require DACA students to pay out-of-state tuition. How strange. Many of these DACA students (students who know no other home than the United States) are studying to become nurses, teachers and other medical professionals. Arkansas has a severe shortage of these bilingual professionals. Why would the Legislature actively hinder their education? That makes no sense, unless you don't want these students to succeed.
I also found that he voted for legislation that would turn our local law enforcement officers into ICE agents. Isn't that the opposite of community policing that we so desperately need? Again, strange.
I did find that Breaux received $27,000 in campaign donations in 2018 including $1,000 from our home-grown oligarch Koch Industries, one of the top polluters of America's air, water, and climate.
You do have a choice in this election! Go with a proven winner, Suzie Bell, a candidate with a history of serving Carroll County residents. However you choose to vote -- absentee voting, early voting, voting on Nov. 3 -- please vote for a candidate who gets things done -- Suzie Bell!
Margy Thompson
Eureka Springs