Thursday, February 23, 2006

Arkansas Republican Lt Governor Candidates

The Washington County Republican Women held a forum of the Lt Governor Candidates, Chuck Banks, Jim Holt, and Doug Matayo. The candidates had opening and closing statements and a number of questions asked by a moderator.

Chuck Banks called himself a Ronald Reagan Republican and says he brings experience and electability.
Jim Holt said he has experience as well as being trained in critical thinking.
Doug Matayo said that he was pro-life, pro-gun and was for shrinking and streamlining the government.

Lt Governor is considered by some to be a step down in Arkansas' politics, what did they think of that? Banks stated that when it comes to a job you make it what you want it to be. Holt said it was another way for him to serve. Matayo wanted to use the office to do more economic development for the state. He'd also use the office as a bridge between the governor and the legislature.

The candidates were asked about eminent domain within Arkansas. Doug Matayo stated that there were areas within the current legislation that needed to be tighten up. Parts of the TIF legislation needed to be clarified. Banks echoed what Matayo said and Holt commented on judges over-reaching.

Of the three candidates I was most impressed by Doug Matayo. He was very knowledgeable, has more political experience, and had very clear objectives. I was least impressed with Jim Holt. He has no clear idea what he wants to do as Lt Governor(other than putting in cameras) and he come across as being full of himself. Chuck Banks is a real nice guy and he seems like he's a real charmer. He's a little weak on ideas, but I'd chose him over Holt.

I talked to Doug afterwards and asked him about economic development in Arkansas. He said we needed to lure industry into the state, to make manufacturing incentives. Arkansas needed to update and go global. He mentioned a white paper by The Murphy Commission, An Arkansas Policy Foundation Initiative Here He said he supported the ideas within the paper. I asked him about illegal immigration to which he responded that the current laws needed to be enforced. It's too bad that he didn't vote no on HB1525.

As I left I was given a hand-out which, when I spoke with the woman, I was under the impression it was by the American Family Association. Later, when I looked at the hand-out, on the very last page at the very bottom of the page was the web site for Jim Holt. The paper was a list of bills that Holt voted against and Matayo voted for. I think Jim Holt should make it plain that it's his campaign that's distributing this hand-out instead of the AFA.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It appears the AFA is a front group for Jim Holt.

Interesting blog keep up the good work

Anonymous said...

I agree with the impressions you got form the Lt. Governor candidates.

I would disagree with your issue with Matayo and the scholarships. That is a complicated issue, and at first I agreed with you. But when looking further into it, the point of the matter deals with minor children who are unable to commit immigration laws AND the state has already commited to educating them in the primary and secondary levels AND they will probably live here in Arkansas in the future.

If a child has been accepted into the school system and has excelled, I think it it inconsistent to then say they can not pursue their education post high school.

The immigration issue is being messed up at the national level, I am proud of the arkansas legislators who attempted to make things more consistent here at home.

Anonymous said...

I would certainly disagree with you that Chuck Banks is a nice guy.
He protected Dan Harmon, the renegade former prosecutor from Saline County, who years later was convicted of the same crimes Chuck Banks held a press conference and cleared him of. He also shut down the federal investigation on the deaths of Kevin Ives and Don Henry and received a federal judgship nomination in return. Nice? NOT.