Listen, if they speak; few will be in local venues

The voting registration deadline ended on Monday, so the voting “pool” for participants in the May 24 Preferential Primary is set.

The forever changing landscape in politics – even here in Arkansas – is changing.

Once, candidates roamed the courthouses, coffee shops, farmers markets and events like parades, fairs, athletic events and city celebrations in search of votes and voters.

Today, where are the candidates?

Oh, there are a few mega events, like the Chicken Peeling and Shrimp Picking in Springdale, where the majority party flexes its muscle in a tightly controlled “see me” event with few, very few real stump speeches.

And a few other venues like the Political Animals Clubs across the state – at least one in each corner of Arkansas – offer a smattering of political discourse.

But even the Political Animals Clubs require a fee to attend, advance notice and then those running for office don't always show. Recently, a slated bill of all the candidates for Lt. Governor set to present themselves here in NWA. The leader of the pack, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, just decided not to show – casting a shadow over those who did and the program itself.

But AG Rutledge has never been a team player and once again proves the point of a barrage of mind-numbing TV ads can elect anyone – personality, integrity or not.

The average voter, wanting to at least meet the candidates, shake their hands and ask them a simple question, is once again, forgotten by these modern media types.

All chatter in political circles is about exposure online, Facebook and Instagram posts, trending contacts and mail pieces per voter.

Not about the number of Rotary, Lions or Kiwanis Club meetings one has visited.

Not about how many times they have been to Madison, Washington or Carroll counties.

And certainly not about who is going to the Gravette Days Parade next month.

Oh, there are a few candidates who still get into a parade line up and ride on the backs of convertibles or in a large Hummer waving out the window to those gathered along the sidewalks. And once in a while, tired of waiting for the parade to move along briskly, the exceptional candidate will step out of the vehicle and walk the parade route shaking hands and waving at voters on the other side of the street.

But few will make an event where they may encounter the public at large or heaven forbid, see their opponent at the same microphone where they are asked to speak.

Part of the problem, even in the Preferential Primaries coming up this May, is the division within the political parties as we know them. It seems the real ‘retail' of in-person politics is dead.

Candidates cannot, it seems, be civil to one another in person.

This stems from an ugly formula of being mean, underhanded, spreading falsehood, untruths, and distortion of their opponents' views on web sites, flyers sent through the mails and slick dodges of the central theme upon their own campaigns.

It's easy to say your opponent is “not tough on abortion,” and “supported a bill to killing babies,” on a flyer sent under the name of a contrived political action committee.

And it is even easier on TV to say such outlandish accusations in a 60-second advertisement sponsored by a group no one has heard of – ever.

Criticism of TV and radio ads and their content are also to easily lie about and to be levied in a Facebook

Peter Christie was a good mayor.

Ms. Hutchinson can scour my April 13th letter to the editor from the first word to the last, and nowhere is there even a hint

of my opinion of Mayor Christie, or his performance as a mayor. I only wrote to correct some incorrect allegations.

Again, I would kindly ask Ms. Hutchinson to stay with the facts, and please, in my case, accurate or inaccurate, not to put words in my mouth.

Mary Green Bella Vista

Who, what, where, when, why

Having worked at a small town newspaper years ago, I remember hearing the wise old editor admonishing young reporters with, “who, what, where, when, and why.”

In the April 13 issue of The Weekly Vista, a headline on page 8A reads “Resident homes needed for

APT, WAPT players.” After reading the entire article, and even re-reading it, I still don't know what sport these players play.

Living in Bella Vista, I wonder if they are golfers but there's no “G” in the acronym. There's no picture to show what they play. My question is, “what” are the players going to be playing?

I suppose I could google

it but a stubborn streak in me reminds me that I sub$cribe to the paper to read it, so I shouldn't need to google.

Kathy Herrick Bella Vista

Mayoral hypocrisy

Am I the only one that finds the recent article in the Vista filled with hypocrisy

when the Mayor has sat idly by, not responded to questions, and allowed Carroll Electric to butcher the beautiful trees along the roadways of Bella Vista?

‘Mayor talks Tree City USA designation'

So sad that we have lost such beauty!

Danny Glover

Bella Vista