There’s no shortage of knowledge and experience among the three Democratic candidates seeking the nomination for Arkansas House of Representatives’ District 10 post, which encompasses portions of Jefferson, Cleveland, Drew, Grant and Lincoln counties.
Retired University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Associate Director Dorothy Hall of Sheridan, Jefferson County Judge Mike Holcomb of Sulphur Springs, and Star City Mayor Gene Yarbrough are seeking the Democratic party nod in the primary election Tuesday.
The winner will meet Republican Charles Roberts in the Nov. 6 general election.
Yarbrough sees himself as the best-qualified candidate because of “my experience as mayor of Star City for 21 years.” He said Holcomb and Hall have “good, solid backgrounds,” but “I like to think that I have the desire to do more.”
A former educator, Holcomb is a vice president of the County Judges Association of Arkansas and served two terms on the county quorum court before being elected to his current post in 2006. “I ‘m not making promises,” said Holcomb. “I’m talking about what we’ve done in Jefferson County during my administration. I’ve got a proven record on economic development.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Hall, the Extension Service’s first female associate director, said her “roots run deep” in the region and she’s ready to utilize her experiences in “developing and conducting programs” designed to boost youth and economic development and to enhance families.
Holcomb said he can summarize the district’s primary needs in one word – “funding.” Holcomb said that while the region has steadily been shrinking in population, it can’t advance if it continues to “keep getting a little bit smaller piece of the state’s financial pie.” Holcomb also wants to help lead efforts to keep teachers in the state by giving them needed incentives, including more affordable insurance.
“Everything comes back to the economy,” figures Yarbrough. “We need jobs, education enhancements and health care improvements in the district. I want to see people better able to afford insurance and also getting motivated and active in improving their own health. As I said, it all comes back to the economy.”
Hall grew up working on a family farm, of which she assumed management after her father was disabled. “I was only 14, but there I was, carrying out the daily instructions from my father and overseeing the work to be done,” she related in illustrating her familiarity with completing tasks before her. She said if she’s elected, she’ll focus on jobs, the economy and increasing efficiency in state government.
Hall said she’s lived and worked in rural Arkansas, and since the district is primarily rural, she’s well-suited for the representative’s seat. “I have spent my professional career focusing on Arkansas’ rural landscape and it’s people.” she said.
Yarbrough said he thinks lignite mining “could become the biggest thing ever” in the region. He believes city/county/state partnerships are a must for economic development and he would like to champion efforts to help the district maintain its leadership in agricultural and timber interests while “making gains on technical training.”
“I’ve been county judge during the toughest time since the Great Depression, and we’ve put up a new jail and court building, given our employees a couple of raises and haven’t had a single layoff,” said Holcomb. “I’m ready to serve at the state level.”