2 detail issues in District 97 race

EPA rules, jobs seen as priorities

The race for the District 97 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives pits the incumbent, a lawyer, against a retired musician who has not previously held political office.

Bob Ballinger, a Republican from Hindsville, was elected in 2012 to the seat, which represents portions of Madison, Carroll and Washington counties. He ran unopposed in the primary election.

His opponent — Charles “Sonny” Carter, a Democrat and Eureka Springs resident — ran for mayor of Eureka Springs in 2010 but was not elected.

“Jobs are No. 1, of course, because it’s tough all over,” Carter said when asked about issues important to voters in the district. “And equal rights for women is very important for me. They deserve equal pay, and they deserve equal rights and shouldn’t have anyone telling them what to do with their own body.”

As a legislator, he said he would support an equal rights amendment, though he added that he wasn’t sure if such an act would be more appropriate at the state or national level.

He also described his commitment to a local issue.

“One thing that has come up here recently is trying to get a women’s shelter for Carroll County,” Carter said.

While he said Ballinger

has offered some support for the project recently, “I’ll continue with it,” Carter said, vowing to seek state funding to support a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Ballinger said “most people are concerned about their personal economy.”

“The other thing, if you are a farmer right now, is EPA federal regulations,” Ballinger said, referring to the Environmental Protection Agency.

As a state legislator, “we can make sure, from a state level, we’re not adding anything on top of it,” Ballinger said.

Proposed water- quality rules could potentially hurt farmers, he said. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is considering regulations that would treat “standing water as essentially a navigable stream,” Ballinger said.

“Every farm and every farmer could be put in a position where they could be fined at any time,” Ballinger said, adding that he opposes activities being “overregulated.”

Asked about accomplishments while in office, Ballinger said he helped the Eureka Springs School District avoid a loss of funds. In 2013, Gov. Mike Beebe supported a proposal designed to shift money away from eight school districts, including Eureka Springs, as part of a reconsideration of the state’s Uniform Rate of Tax for property.

“A lot of the media kind of treated them as a rich school district,” Ballinger said, referring to Eureka Springs. But he noted that more than half of all students in the district qualify for free or reduced- price lunches.

He described how he worked with a coalition of state legislators to support the funding staying with the school district.

“By building the right coalition, we were able to go down and beat it,” Ballinger said, referring to the proposal that died in the House Education Committee.

Another i ssue, mentioned by both candidates, is opposition to a proposed electricity transmission line that would run through the area.

Some l ocal residents have been vocal in opposing the project, saying it would harm the area’s natural beauty and detract from a vital tourism economy.

“My hope is t hat it won’t ever be built,” Ballinger said. He questioned whether a project the size of what’s been proposed is necessary, adding that if transmission lines need to be built “there are a bunch of other places that would be more suitable” than the proposed route.

Carter said he wants to look into how a company like Southwestern Electric Power Co. can be stopped “from using eminent domain in the wrong manner.”

He added that he would look into recruiting renewable- energy companies to the state.

Carter has criticized Ballinger for accepting campaign donations from corporate interests, which include a $250 contribution from AEP, parent company of Swepco, in 2012.

Ballinger said he has declined subsequent contributions from AEP “even though it’s been offered.”

“I want my constituents to know I stand with them,” Ballinger said. He has raised about $26,525 in campaign contributions, according to an Oct. 14 filing with the Arkansas secretary of state’s office. Contributions include $ 1,000 from poultry farming company Montaire Corp.

Carter has raised about $4,475, according to an Oct. 13 filing with the secretary of state’s office.

Carter disclosed in his statement of financial interest that he owes “$ 5,500+” to the state’s unemployment office. “I consider this claim to be bogus and will always dispute it,” Carter wrote.

In an interview, Carter said the dispute began when an injury forced him in 2010 to quit a part-time job while he was receiving unemployment benefits. He did not notify the unemployment office of a change in his employment status, he said.

“I reported every penny I made on that job,” Carter said, adding that the job he left without notifying the state “didn’t even amount to enough to pay my electric bill.”

He said he would not accept contributions from corporations.

“These corporations are buying our elections, and I don’t think that’s something that should ever be for sale,” Carter said.