By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Democrats have two choices for House District 49 in the May 20 primaries — Kieth Williams, a former superintendent of Beebe Public Schools who now works fulltime at Harding University, and Johnny Wheetley, a former county extension agent who for the past 20 years has worked as an independent agricultural consultant.
The winner will face Jonathan Dismang, the Republican candidate, in November.
Williams teaches classes in school finance and school facilities in addition to his duties as director of educational leadership, but he says if he wins in the Democratic primary, he will cut back on his duties, and if he wins in November, he will cut back even more.
“Serving in the legislature is a near fulltime responsibility,” Williams said.
Williams, of Beebe, describes himself as a very conservative Democrat.
“I’m pro-life,” Williams said. “I’m very strong on family. I’m opposed to foster parenting for gays and I’m opposed to a state lottery.”
Since Williams’ background is education, he says that is an area that also holds a strong interest for him. But as he has campaigned, he has learned that the volunteer firefighters who protect homes in small cities and rural areas often have trouble raising enough money to operate.
“That’s why you see them holding bake sales and fish fries,” Williams said.
Williams said a uniform method of collecting fees needs to be established.
The 20 or so firefighters who staff most volunteer fire departments devote long hours to training so they are prepared when they are called, he said.
“For the time they put in and their commitment, I think they deserve some assistance in that area,” he said.
Williams said he also has an interest in protecting the rights of landowners who lease their property to gas companies. The industry is so new in the area that it is too soon to tell what problems might surface, he said, so the property owners need people looking out for them at the state level.
Wheetley, of Judsonia, said he became interested in state government while trying to get legislation passed requiring mandatory licensing of independent agricultural consultants. But it was his interest protecting his area from the problems he sees with the growing natural gas industry that made him decide to run for office.
“My theory on it is that the community should benefit from it,” Wheetley said. “If the community doesn’t benefit and we lose our natural resources, what have we gained?”
Wheetley says the severance tax on the gas will help roads all over the state, but schools should also benefit and there should be money, for example, for senior citizens programs.
Mineral rights are complicated, especially in Arkansas, where control of the minerals underground supersedes ownership of the ground they are under, he said. Land owners have leased their mineral rights for less than they could have gotten for them, which is a problem for them. But everyone, not just land owners, could be affected by the problems that accompany drilling and operating gas wells that could number as high as six or eight to a 624-acre section of land, Wheetley said.
The damage to roads from increased traffic and heavy equipment will be significant, he said. Dust on county roads will be worse because of the traffic. But the real problems could come in 30 or 40 years after the gas is no longer profitable and the big companies leave all those wells behind, he said.
There needs to be a plan to ensure that the state doesn’t become an eyesore because of the drilling and there should be a plan to invest some of the money the state gets from the gas companies in businesses developing renewable fuels that will be here after the gas is gone, Wheetley said.
