Problems challenge JP 3 hopefuls to find solutions
Blight endemic to wholesale parts of the area bound by the District 3 justice of the peace lines concerns both candidates seeking the Garland County Quorum Court position.
Being almost entirely within Hot Springs’ city limits, its problems are largely beyond the influence of its JP. It’s a limitation acknowledged by Democratic candidate Denise Marion and Republican hopeful Rick Myrick.
The quorum court has no authority over matters unrelated to county affairs. The part- time legislators comprising the policy-making board draw an annual salary of $5,150 to primarily levy taxes on county residents, appropriate money for county government and pass ordinances affecting residents outside the city limits.
District 3 is situated in western Hot Springs, with Lake Hamilton forming its western boundary and Central Avenue bounding its eastern edge. It reaches as far north as Blacksnake Road and as far south as Leonard Street and Woodlawn Avenue. The seat is being left open by Marilyn Ridge, the two-term Democrat who won the position by narrowly defeating Clint Bailey in 2010.
Marion, an academic, retired college instructor and documentarian, said many of the constituents she hopes to represent were reluctant to open their doors
when she canvassed the area. She said unsafe roads along with dilapidated and abandoned homes create the matrix for crime and fear to flourish.
“Safety’s the primary concern,” she said. “People were afraid to open their door to me. The amount of needs that need to be met is just so apparent. There’s no safe place to walk or check your mail. It prevents the community from developing.
“People don’t feel safe because of the traffic on those roads. They promote crime by creating isolation. Whatever leverage I have, I will use to help people in those neighborhoods.”
Myrick, a retired teacher who owns Myrick Contractors, said many of the homes are more than 80 years old. He said closer coordination with city inspectors can identify the structures not up to city building codes.
“It’s not about leverage,” said Myrick, whose company built Springwood Townhomes and the Spring Ridge Apartments. “It’s about awareness, getting with the inspectors, meeting them there and closely examining the buildings’ structural integrity to see if there are safety issues.”
Myrick, also the owner of Myrick Properties and Holdings, said his experience in facilities management will be useful in designing policies that promote efficiency at the New Garland County Detention that is set to open in mid December. He said he could also help identify a use for the present detention center.
He said that, if elected, knowledge gleaned from conversations with several current JPs and County Judge Rick Davis will straighten his learning curve.
“I won’t come into the position blind,” said Myrick, who taught and coached in the Hot Springs and Texarkana school districts. “That will give me an advantage on Jan. 1 to hit the ground running and be part of a team that helps transition us to the new jail and make sure the facility is run in an efficient and effective manner.”
Marion said she is an exponent of the “waste not, want not” adage and will winnow out areas of inefficiency. She said her master’s degree in water resource management from Oregon State University gives her an insight from which the recently formed bilateral Community Water Committee could draw.
The panel combining JPs and directors from the city board was formed to find a compromise for the water supply issues dividing city and county officials.
“The most cost-effective and the longest-lasting solutions are ones where everybody has buy-in, and it’s good for everyone,” she said. “Establishment of the joint county-city group will be productive, and I hope to contribute to find a solution that’s not going to cost an arm and a leg. Because from what I’ve seen knocking on doors, there’s not a penny to scratch from this district.”