Issue date: 10/25/02 Section: News

I have seen a lot of government work and not work

I would enjoy the position because I have had an interest in public service.

I want to work and make sure Conway moves in the right direction.

Elections are fast approaching, and on November 5, three of Hendrix's staff members will be included on ballots around the area. Hendrix's Chief of Public Safety Rick Sublett will be contending for the position of Faulkner County tax collector, Assistant Director of the Media Center Adam Weeks will be on the ballot for Conway City Council and Director of Enrollment Communications Lauralee McCool is running for Justice of the Peace.

Sublett, who in addition to overseeing the campus security at Hendrix is a part-time deputy with the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office, is seeking the position of tax collector because the position is a continuation of what he already is doing both at Hendrix and with the Sheriff's Office. The incumbent to the position is not running for re-election. "It was an open seat, and that had a lot to do with [my decision to run]. I believe I would enjoy the position because I have had an interest in public service work," Sublett said.

The position is up for re-election every two years and the duties of the tax collector are, put simply, to collect the taxes - specifically, real estate and property taxes. Once the taxes for the county are assessed, the values are sent to the tax collector's office. The collector calculates the actual value that people will pay using the information from the tax assessor and the set millage rates and sends out bills all the property owners. Eighty percent of property taxes collected go toward education, and the other twenty percent goes to the country government.

Sublett is running on the Republican ticket against Democrat Steve Simon for the position. Sublett feels that his background and experience make him the best candidate for the position. "Taxes need to be collected fairly just the same as public safety duties need to be administered fairly," Sublett said.

At Hendrix, he oversees staff around the clock and has experience in database management, an important skill in overseeing tax collection, because of his duties at Hendrix. In addition, he has a solid knowledge of the city because as a Sheriff's deputy, he has "patrolled the county for years."

If he is elected, Sublett will have to leave Hendrix, as the position of tax collector is a full-time position.

Weeks is running for re-election for his second term as Ward 2, Position 1 alderman on the Conway City Council. Ward 2 is comprised of the northeast corner of Conway, including Hendrix. He is seeking re-election because he wants to serve the city of Conway.

"I see it as my civic duty. Conway is in the middle of some drastic changes and Ward 2 has made a tremendous investment in me. I have worked hard, learned a lot and I am deeply invested in this neighborhood. I want to work and make sure Conway moves in the right direction." Weeks said.

Weeks originally ran for city council because, after the birth of his daughter, he would often push her around in her stroller. The sidewalks in the city were "horrible" and he began to "pay attention to city government." He had never before held a public office, but the dilapidation of the sidewalks and other things related to city government infuriated him so much that he decided to do something about it and ran for office.

"On Old Morrilton Highway [area between Harkrider and Donaghey], there were 226 accidents in a one-year period due to bad planning. It takes a city council with enough gumption to force businesses to consolidate entrances and exits to prevent this sort of thing. Sometimes we are just too afraid to miss a tax dollar [to force businesses to compromise]," Weeks said.

The general responsibilities of the city council are to pass zoning and city ordinances and to see to the budget. Currently, the city is reworking the master growth plan for Conway. The master growth plan is a giant map that delineates how the city council would like to see Conway grow in the future.

"We drew one up 10 years ago and didn't follow it. We need people on the council to make sure Conway grows responsibly. We take an expensive growth plan, done by professional planners, and it's not worth anything if we don't follow it," Weeks said.

As for Weeks's specific plans if he is re-elected, better sidewalks are still on his to-do list. He would also like to see "some sort of program set up to help people who rent property to work with the city to make sure it is up to code...to help weed out bad renters. Rental property tends to be run into the ground, which makes for crime and run-down neighborhoods."

Weeks is opposed by two people, Bennie Battles, Sr. and Leila Plassy, a Hendrix alumna. He feels that he has been a hard working alderman, rewriting the city animal control ordinance to extend its protection against abuse to cats and helping the Pine Street Community seek federal funds to fix dilapidated housing to name a few things.

"What is the motive for running for office is the clear edge of me over Mr. Battles. My motive is purely civic duty. I'm not sure what exactly his motive is...I have nothing against Ms. Plassy. If I weren't running, I would vote for her, but she has no experience—that is my edge over her," Weeks said.

Weeks said his favorite part of being an alderman is that he gets to help people. "Lots of folks don't know who to call in the city to have their concerns addressed. When you can address those needs, its a tremendous feeling," he said.

McCool is the Democrat on the ballot for Justice of the Peace in District 12, which begins on the Old Morrilton Highway and extends north to Greenbrier. She says of her decision to run that she has "always been interested in local government and grew up here."

The seat was held by her brother 12 years ago and after that was held by a friend of the family. She never ran for it before because she didn't want to fight him for the seat, but when he decided not to seek re-election this term, she decided to run. In addition, she had been working for her brother's campaign for state land commissioner. Being involved in the political process made her excited to run for office when the opportunity arose.

The office of Justice of the Peace is a two-year term. The main responsibility of a Justice of the Peace is to serve on the Quorum Court, a body unique to Arkansas, which serves as a sort of city council for those who live outside of the city limits. The quorum court deals with issues of budgeting and road maintenance, among other things. In addition to serving on the quorum court, another important, and perhaps the most well known function of a Justice of the Peace is to marry people. McCool says this is "not really the reason [she] signed up" to run, but will perform marriages as part of her duties to her constituents if she is elected.

One of the main issues in this election is the decision that the quorum court is currently facing of where to put the new county jail. "The current Quorum Court voted to put it on the courthouse grounds, but there is no room," McCool said. "My stance is that the prison should go elsewhere. The current court hasn't done enough to narrow the options [for alternative locations]. There is a property near the animal shelter and the landfill northwest of town, and the city is talking about giving us the land for 99 years for one dollar. With tax cuts on the ballot, it's hard to do anything without knowing what money is there," McCool said.

McCool is opposed by Republican Dan Rhea. She says her biggest edge on her opponent is her experience with and around local government. "Before I came here [to Hendrix], I was a reporter for the Log Cabin Democrat, and I covered lots of [quorum] court meetings. I have seen a lot of government work and not work," McCool said.

If she is elected, McCool will keep her job at Hendrix. "I like politics, but I wouldn't want to do it full time," McCool said.

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