All of a sudden the hottest race on the ballot is commissioner of state lands, the least important of all elected offices. You have to wonder, what is that all about?
Young L. J. Bryant — he’s 23 — has run a raucous campaign, promising to shake up the little land office with bold technology and criticizing his opponent, Monty Davenport of Yellville, as a stodgy old man with no ideas and no sophistication in modern technology. Bryant has told everyone, liberal or conservative, realtors and nonprofits, what they want to hear. The right response to such campaigns is, beware!
Last week, there was a dustup over an Internet website that put out filth about Davenport. It’s called greedymontydavenport.com.
When it was traced to Bryant’s computer he denied having anything to do with it and suggested that it was probably Davenport who created a sleazy website about himself so that people would blame it on Bryant. The unsophisticated Davenport had suddenly developed technological wizardry.
The land office, which disposes of tax-forfeited lands, doesn’t need razzmatazz or gimmicks but sober, calm stewardship. That would mean Monty Davenport.
