SPORTS>>Taylor’s big night big boost to Beebe

By JASON KING

Leader sportswriter

Colby Taylor did not disappoint on Beebe’s senior night.

The Badgers senior running back tore through Nettleton’s defense on three long, breakaway touchdown runs, as Beebe remained perfect in the 5A-Southeast Conference with a 41-10 victory over the winless Raiders at A.S. “Bro” Erwin Stadium on Friday.

Taylor rushed for 305 yards and scored twice in the first half on runs of 56 and 53 yards, and saved his biggest run for the final quarter when he broke free for an 87-yard touchdown carry with 7:10 left to play, putting the Badgers up 41-3.

“I don’t know if he’s the fastest kid in the conference or not, but he’s got to be one of the fastest,” Beebe coach John Shannon said. “We feel like that if we can get him in the open space, he’s got a chance to take it to the house anytime he touches it. He did it a couple times tonight, and it was big, because we didn’t have any of those sustained drives like we like to have tonight.

“We had too many mistakes and didn’t move the chains like we needed to move them. Fortunately, for us, he’s got a little speed and was able to take two or three of them to the house, and it made the difference in the ballgame.”

Taylor’s big scoring runs broke the monotony of a strong defensive first half by both teams. His halftime numbers of 12 rushes for 165 yards made up all but 10 of Beebe’s first-half yards.

“I felt like we kind of came out flat in the first half,” Shannon said. “Really wasn’t clicking on either side of the ball very well. We picked it up in the second half and started playing a little bit better.

“We’ve had two or three real big ballgames in a row, and we were worried about a letdown..”

Nettleton, expected by many to be an early pushover, prevented Beebe from controlling the clock in the first half with a jumbo-style defense that stuffed eight defenders in the middle of the line of scrimmage. Taylor adjusted by abandoning his normal off-tackle runs by kicking outside for his scoring jaunts that spanned Nettleton’s entire side of the field.

Junior cornerback Brandon Fuller had the best night defensively for the Badgers with a pair of interceptions, including one at midfield he returned to the Raiders’ 30-yard line with 4:47 left in the third quarter. That set up a seven-play drive Michael Kirby wrapped up with a two-yard touchdown run to put the Badgers ahead 28-3.

Hunter Wyman set the Badgers up with good field position again on the ensuing kickoff when Nettleton fumbled Jordan Goss’s kick and Wyman recovered at the Nettleton 28.

Beebe quarterback Scot Gowen did not waste time cashing in with an option keep for a touchdown to extend the lead to 35-3 following the extra point by Goss.

Junior halfback Jay Holdway scored Beebe’s first touchdown of the second half with a four-yard dive run into the end zone with 8:08 left in the third quarter.

With Beebe’s victory over Nettleton and Batesville’s 18-13 triumph over Greene County Tech, the stage has been set for next week’s 5A-East finale between the Badgers and Pioneers, both unbeaten in conference play.

“We started the year with a goal in mind to win the conference championship, and we put ourselves in position to do that,” Shannon said. “We’ve got to have a great week of practice next week, and hopefully, we can go up there and compete with Batesville and have a chance late in the ballgame to win it.”

SPORTS>>Panthers outlast Pointers, get help from turnovers

By Todd traub

Leader sports editor

Cabot won a shootout at Van Buren on Friday night and kept its 7A/6A-Central Conference championship hopes alive.

Cabot took a back-and-forth, 35-28 victory, grabbing four turnovers and turning two interceptions into points. The Panthers entered the night in a three-way tie for first with Conway and Bryant.

The Panthers finish the season at home against Russellville on Thursday.

Cabot led 28-21 at halftime and shut out Van Buren in the scoreless third quarter that featured Bryson Morris’ interception for the Panthers. Cabot then played Van Buren to a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter to hold off the Pointers.

Jeremy Berry was Cabot’s go-to back on Friday, picking up drive-sustaining first downs to finish with 229 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Ian Thompson came in for Andre Ausejo, who has gotten more playing time in place of injured Spencer Smith, and carried 24 times for 104 yards and one touchdown. Mason Haley had five carries for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Zach Craig was 3 of 5 for 84 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Rod Quinn.

The Panthers finished with 576 total yards as the teams combined for more than 1,000.

Spoon was 18 of 33 for 306 yards and two touchdowns to go with the three interceptions and major college prospect Drew White had over 100 yards receiving.

Things looked bad for the Panthers when the Pointers’ Joseph Snapp returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. After a defensive stop, Van Buren was driving again when Zack Brown intercepted Spoon in the end zone.

Haley later tied it on a 16-yard run.

Van Buren went back in front when Spoon completed a 16-yard pass to Jacob Eason in the second quarter.

Cabot, which has had one turnover the past three games after averaging between 3-4 a game during the first part of the season, had its lone fumble of the night. But Greg Phelps intercepted Spoon and the Panthers drove for Ian Thompson’s five-yard touchdown run that made it 14-14.

SPORTS>>Lady Devils exit tourney

By Jason king

Leader sportswriter

BENTON — Jacksonville’s strong start did not hold up against the Texarkana Lady Razorbacks in the first round of the 6A state volleyball tournament Tuesday.

The Lady Red Devils led early in the first two games before the Lady ’Backs took control of the match to win 3-1 and move on to the second round.

Texarkana came from behind to beat Jacksonville 25-17 in the first game before Jacksonville senior Sierra Davis helped the Lady Red Devils establish the lead again in Game 2 with a string of three consecutive kills.

This time, they held on to the advantage with help from junior Haley Hickingbotham late to win 25-20.

The Lady Razorbacks picked it up for Game 3 and took a 25-13 victory before things fell apart for the Lady Red Devils (7-9) in the final game and Texarkana won 25-5.

“We’ve done a lot of things good,” Jacksonville coach Melissa Reeves said. “Of course, we’re not happy with that last game — we’re not sure what happened — but overall, with everything the kids have gone through, I’m very proud of them. I can’t say enough about them.

“I’m sad for the seniors, but I’m very proud. Our underclassmen, like we told them, this is a learning moment. We will be back, and we will compete next year.”

Defensive player Amanda Simmons gave the Lady Razorbacks (22-10) a boost at the service line in the final game on a string of serves that included three aces and took Texarkana from a 3-1 lead to 11-1 by the time Hickingbotham stepped up for a kill to end the run.

“We had way too sluggish of a start,” Texarkana coach Angela Moody said. “We needed that first game; it just takes us some time to work our nerves out. The older girls just started doing what they needed to — talking a little more lively, keeping the ball in play.”

Jonesboro eliminated Texarkana 3-0 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round.

Jacksonville controlled the tempo throughout Game 2. Davis blocked Texarkana’s Dulincia Keener to tie the game at 3-3.

The senior then scored three straight kills to give the Lady Red Devils a 6-3 lead.

Classmate Tyler Pickett chipped in with a kill to make it 8-6 and scored two aces later to extend the lead to 13-9.

Pickett also set up Hickingbotham with assists on a pair of kills, with a block from Hickingbotham in between to make it 16-12.

Katie Lawrence and Coyja Hood scored late kills to help Jacksonville secure the victory.

Jacksonville also led early in the third game, but Texarkana went on a 10-3 run midway through and held off a late stand at the net by Davis.

“What we had heard is that they compare to some of the teams in our conference,” Reeves said of Texarkana.

“So we prepared that way. We played three great games; we just shut down that fourth game. No excuses — Texarkana came ready to play.

“Once again, I’m proud of where we’ve come and how we finished.”

Despite Jacksonville’s loss, the 6A-East Conference showed its dominance in the first round.

Texarkana was the only 6A-South team to win its first-round game, while Lake Hamilton and Benton advanced on byes.

Lake Hamilton fell to Van Buren, a 7A/6A hybrid team listed as the East No. 4 seed.

Mountain Home defeated host Benton in five games Wednesday to set up the all-East semifinals that included East No. 1 seed Marion. 

SPORTS>>Blue Devils bump Red Devils

By todd traub

Leader sports editor

Jacksonville closed the gap on West Memphis, just not all the way Friday night.

West Memphis set itself up for a 7A/6A-East Conference championship while denying Jacksonville its chance with a 37-13 victory at Jan Crow Stadium.

West Memphis beat Jacksonville 42-0 last year and seemed on its way to another rout with a 21-0 halftime lead. But under first-year coach Rick Russell, the Red Devils came back for two second-half scores, one on Kenny Cummings’ 52-yard fumble return, to at least make a fight of it.

“We were going for a conference championship, that’s what we’ve said all year long and they’re sad that didn’t happen tonight,” Russell said.

“But I’ll tell you what, right now we’re going to take care of Marion and get the highest seed that we can possibly get and then go into the playoffs thinking anything can happen in the 6A.”

Jacksonville is already assured of at least a playoff game, probably a home game and maybe more heading into the finale at Marion.

“Based on the points you’re never 100 percent sure but I’m 99 percent sure we’ll have a home playoff game,” Russell said. “Depending on what we do next week and depending on the season we might even have a bye.”

West Memphis was moved to 7A in the last round of Arkansas Activities Association reclassification and will compete in the 7A playoffs, but under the current alignment competes in the 7A/6A-East and can earn power rating points for a conference title.

“We have a chance to be conference champs, it’s a big deal,” West Memphis coach Lanny Dauksch said.

Whether playing in 6A or 7A, West Memphis has been a force the past several years, averaging 10 victories a season and making regular trips to the postseason.

With that in mind, Russell was pleased with the way the Red Devils (6-3, 4-2) hung in with the Blue Devils, who played most if not all of their starters right up until quarterback Aaron Collins took a knee with two seconds left to run out the clock.

“They’ve always been on the borderline,” Russell said of West Memphis’ swing between 6A and 7A. “And it’s just a dadgum shame the Triple A wouldn’t stick to their guns and put the top 16 in 7A and the next 16 in 6A. You could tell.

“But you could tell our kids had a lot of heart.”

West Memphis led 21-0 at halftime with help from a trick play just before halftime and built that to 29-0 on Quintin Sparkman’s 10-yard run and D.J. Alverson’s conversion with 4:14 left in the third quarter.

Jacksonville’s D’Vone McClure returned the kickoff 18 yards to the Red Devils 28 and scored behind the passing of Logan Perry, who was 5 for 5 on the possession for 73 yards.

Perry completed consecutive passes of four, two and 21 yards, then completed his fourth straight 37 yards to Jamison Williams for the touchdown that cut it to 29-7 with 53 seconds left in the period.

Perry was gunning for McClure when Sparkman intercepted and returned it 57 yards for West Memphis’ final score that, with the conversion, made it 37-7 with 6:46 to go in the game.

Jacksonville’s last touchdown came when Cummings forced and scooped up Deondre Curtis’ fumble and ran it down the right sideline with 3:40 to go.

“We’ve always had trouble over here,” Dauksch said. “I think one time we had an easy time and every other time it’s been a battle. It’s great to be able to win against a good team.”

The first quarter was a scoreless, defensive slugfest in which West Memphis didn’t grab the game’s first, first down until Sparkmon fought for a six-yard gain to the Jacksonville 25 with under 2:30 left in the period.

The drive began at the Jacksonville 40 thanks to Deontae Mitchell’s 27-yard punt return. The Blue Devils marched to the Red Devils 6, then Deondre Curtis scored on a double reverse and made it 6-0, after the conversion run failed, with 11:49 left in the half.

TOP STORY > >Candidates’ final pitch?

By garrick feldman

Leader executive editor

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, who is winding down her Senate campaign far behind Rep. John Boozman, stopped by the Bar-B-Que Shack on Wednesday for the Jacksonville Lions Club meeting, shaking hands and making a last-ditch effort to salvage her troubled political career.

“I work very hard for you,” said Lincoln, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee and should be a shoo-in in a normal year since she has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to Arkansas farmers, Little Rock Air Force Base and scores of other projects.

They were called pork, and every politician worth his salt used to brag about their ability to bring home the bacon. Even Boozman, her Republican opponent who is expected to win big on Tuesday, would send out press releases about the projects he funded for his district in northwest Arkansas.

He says there will be no special appropriations if he’s elected because the voters want smaller and leaner government—even if Arkansas rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars more than it sends to Washington.

Former state Rep. Mike Wilson was standing in the back of the room at the Lions Club meeting when Lincoln arrived. He was shaking his head, a little stunned, that voters would reject someone like Blanche, who’s pumped a lot of dough into the farm economy, including the White River water project at Des Arc and the Bayou Meto project at Scott.

Citing Lincoln’s chairmanship of the agriculture committee, Wilson turned to a reporter and said, “For a state that depends on agriculture, it would be insane to give that up, not to mention what she has done for the air base.”

Lincoln told the club she was the youngest woman elected to the Senate — that was in 1998, when she was 38 — and the second-youngest woman to get on the finance committee.

She’s 50 now, trying to win a third term, and the odds seem insurmountable.

Lincoln, who survived a bruising primary fight with Lieut. Gov. Bill Halter, said she tried to find a middle way in the Senate, but everybody has been beating up on her. A senator told her, “You probably had the hardest year of anybody here. You got it from both sides.”

She said Boozman’s national sales-tax plan would mean “a tax increase for 95 percent of Arkansans.” He would imperil Social Security if he pushed for privatization, she said.

Lincoln, who has campaigned 12 hours a day in recent weeks, hasn’t managed to close the gap with Boozman all year, and there are moments when her voice trails and listeners suspect she has accepted the inevitable.

Lincoln wasn’t the only woman campaigning in the area this week. State Sen. Joyce Elliott, who is fighting an uphill battle against Tim Griffin for Congress in the Second District, was at Camp Robinson on Thursday morning, then visited Jacksonville Towers, which is home to hundreds of seniors.

Lincoln and Elliott trail their opponents by about 20 points, but Elliott seems the most optimistic.

“I’d be surprised if we don’t win on Tuesday,” she told us, smiling.

She said she’s had good receptions in the outlying areas of the district, from Perryville to Morrilton to Beebe. 

People have offered to campaign for her, she said, but Griffin is the better-financed candidate and will win easily.

These two bright women should have coasted to victory, but it will be all guys representing Arkansas in Washington.

TOP STORY > > Two men are facing charges after fight

By joan mccoy

Leader staff writer

Two of the men involved in an altercation Monday night following the forum for mayoral candidates have been charged with the misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct.

Former Cabot Alderman Odis Waymack, named as one of two victims on the incident report filed by police Monday night, and Jack McNally, a candidate for Lonoke County assessor, who is called the suspect on the report, both filed complaints against each other.

Waymack, 77, filed an affidavit for McNally’s arrest on Tuesday. The next day, McNally filed an affidavit for Waymack’s arrest.

Teresa L. Hughes, the district court judge in Beebe, signed both arrest warrants.

Sgt. Brent Lucas, spokesman for the Cabot Police Department, described the incident on Tuesday as a shoving match and said no charges would be filed unless those involved pursued it.

McNally, 53, turned himself in to Cabot police on Wednesday and Waymack turned himself in on Thursday. No fine was collected when the men were arrested. They were released on their own recognizance providing there is no further contact between the two. The maximum fine either will pay if convicted is $265.

H.L. Lang, the Lonoke County justice of the peace who was named as the second victim in the incident report Monday night, said Friday he wants to pursue felony charges against McNally.

Lang said in his statement to police that McNally hit him in the chest. Lang told The Leader the blow aggravated his hiatal hernia and now even turning over in bed or coughing is painful. A hiatal hernia is an anatomical abnormality in which part of the stomach protrudes through a hole in the diaphragm.

A state law allows felony charges to be filed against anyone who strikes and injures a person who is 60 years or older, Lonoke County Prosecutor Will Feland said Friday. But his office has not filed charges against McNally. The only charges are in Cabot District Court, Feland said.

Lang, 63, said the incident report filed Monday night was a little misleading. It implied that he intervened because McNally was verbally abusing Waymack. Lang said he knew there was a lot of animosity between the two men and he knew it was not likely to be resolved. But the forum was not the proper place for a confrontation, he said.

Waymack and McNally have been at odds for at least four years, ever since Waymack asked for a police investigation after he learned that two residents had complained that their property was removed from their yards and they blamed McNally, who was a city code-enforcement officer at the time.

McNally was the campaign manager for Stubby Stumbaugh during his successful campaign for mayor eight years ago. After Stumbaugh was elected, he hired McNally as a code-enforcement officer.

When Eddie Joe Williams took over as mayor in January 2007, McNally’s position was the first to be eliminated. Williams said he had to cut the budget to pay the city’s bills which were behind.

McNally admitted in his statement to police that he was verbally abusive to Waymack.

“I stopped to tell Odis Waymack, ‘You are a piece of dirt,’” McNally said. “Henry Lang told me not to talk to Odis that way. I told Henry to shut up and mind your own business.”

Lang said when he spoke up for Waymack, McNally asked, “Do you want some of this?” and punched him in the chest and then punched Waymack in the shoulder.

Waymack returned the blow, striking McNally in the chest, Lang said.

But McNally says he didn’t hit anyone. After calling Waymack “a piece of dirt” and telling Lang to “mind your own business,” he turned to leave and someone hit him in the head, he said.

Lang and McNally are members of the Lonoke County Republican Committee. Lang said McNally should have apologized for the incident. The economy is bad and confidence in the government is low and such behavior only makes people more disheartened, he said.

“This bullying and harassing is no way to conduct a government,” Lang said. “It’s time for strong leaders with ethics and integrity to step forward. It’s time for the cream to rise to the top and save our government.”

TOP STORY > > Allegiance offers $8M for hospital

By garrick feldman

Leader executive editor

Allegiance Health Management, the firm that has operated North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville under a management agreement, is buying the hospital for about $8.3 million, which would go mostly toward retiring the bond debt on the city-owned hospital.

 The plan to sell the 118-bed hospital will go to the Jacksonville City Council on Thursday. 

The option to purchase North Metro is part of the original management agreement the council authorized and signed in January 2009.  

Although the hospital has lost millions of dollars in recent years, Allegiance has reduced those losses and some months even showed a profit. Allegiance plans to offer more long-term care and other services to make the hospitable profitable.

Mike Schimming, the hospital’s chief executive officer, made the announcement at a meeting with employees on Friday.

He said Allegiance Health Management plans to exercise its option to purchase the hospital in early November.  

Rock Bordelon, president and chief executive officer of Allegiance, made a previous announcement at the hospital board meeting on Wednesday. 

The hospital will continue to be known as North Metro Medical Center and the board will retain ownership of the medical clinics in Jacksonville and Cabot.

Mayor Gary Fletch-er said Friday, “It is important that we keep the hospital open, especially for the air base since they’ve closed their hospital.”

Fletcher said North Metro cannot compete with larger hospitals in the area and must find a niche that still makes quality care available to the community, especially the emergency room.

He said having a hospital in the community is a plus for everyone, including the military, which sees health care as critical when military bases come under review for closures.

“The board and Allegiance look forward to this new stage of growth as we continue to focus on our renewed vision for NMMC,” the company said in a prepared statement Friday.

“This change of ownership of North Metro will assure continuity of care for our community. An advisory committee comprised of members from our current board of directors and medical staff will work with Allegiance to help manage and grow North Metro’s services,” the statement said.  

“The sale of the hospital to Allegiance will ensure that Jacksonville continues to have a fully functioning hospital and emergency room.”

As part of the purchase, Allegiance plans to renovate the emergency room and the old rehabilitation wing. 

Allegiance is also planning to add new services such as acute rehabilitation and adult psychiatric services. Plans also call for expanding surgery, laboratory work and medical imaging. 

The in-patient geriatric psychiatry unit was expanded to 31 beds this summer, and several out-patient services, such as the Wound Center, physical rehabilitation and home health, have seen growth as well. 

Schimming said no personnel or administration changes are planned, and the board and Allegiance expect “a seamless transition.” 

“We will continue to focus on being your community hospital, providing quality health-care and excellent customer service,” Schimming said.  “We look forward to expanding our role in the community and building our partnership with the Little Rock Air Force Base.”

In Arkansas, Allegiance also has hospitals in Little Rock, Dardanelle and Eureka Springs.

EDITORIAL >> Blanche vs. Boozman

Were it not for the little matter of party labels it would be hard to find two members of Congress more intimately yoked in philosophy, style and records than Senator Blanche Lincoln and Representative John Boozman, who find themselves uncomfortably paired against each other in the U. S. Senate race. They have in fact worked in tandem for most of a decade and now must tear away at each other through TV commercials that cast their friend in the worst light.

Lincoln is the more personable one and has a much higher public profile, which explains better than anything else why Boozman is probably going to win. This is not the season for a politician to be well known. People want to take a chance on the person they don’t know. The mood has not served officeholders of either party well this year and Senator Lincoln least of all.

Until recently, Boozman and Lincoln shared a vision about what their job was. It was to get as much federal money as possible for Arkansas. Boozman is on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee and, like the man he imitated, John Paul Hammerschmidt, he has loved nothing better than to announce federal earmarks for projects in his district and to attend the ribbon cuttings. He and Lincoln frequently collaborated on earmarks and she used her position on the Senate Agriculture Committee to channel subsidies and emergency relief to Arkansas farmers.

This year their paths diverged. Owing to public alarm over spending and deficits, Boozman has enlisted in the Republican strategy of renouncing federal spending. Although like Lincoln he voted for the George W. Bush economic stimulus programs, Boozman has opposed any spending by President Obama to bolster the economy. He promises not to seek money for Arkansas again if he is elected to the Senate. On that point at least, Lincoln has not changed. She will continue to fight for federal dollars for Arkansas projects. That is not a winning strategy this year.

Their styles are interchangeable. They waffle on hot issues, going as far as announcing their opposition to bills they actually sponsored. Lincoln has ridiculed Boozman for saying that he doubted he would ever vote for the so-called “Fair Tax,” the 30 percent sales tax on everything a person buys, from a home to a haircut, although he is a sponsor of the bill in the House and had touted it. But Lincoln had done the same on the card-check bill, which would make it easier for workers to win union elections. She voted for and against national health insurance reform and sounds sometimes like she likes it and other times like she hates it. Boozman has supported diverting Social Security taxes into private markets, but he denies Lincoln’s charges that he would ever do such a thing. Both voted for Bush’s unfunded Medicare drug law, which sent Medicare spiraling toward early bankruptcy and now waffle on how the costs are to be brought under control. 

Arkansas has a long history of sending strong-minded people to the United States Senate, from Augustus Garland in the 19^th century to Joe T. Robinson, J. William Fulbright, John L. McClellan, Dale Bumpers and David Pryor. Blanche Lincoln has not and will not make us forget them, and neither will John Boozman. He ranks as one of the least effective members of the 435-member House of Representatives. His stature will not improve in the Senate. Here is an example of his ineptness or torpor: He has advocated the construction of a national museum for U.S. marshals at Fort Smith. It is to be financed partly from the proceeds of a commemorative coin for the marshals. Boozman’s bill authorizing the coin, which needs the signatures of 290 members of the House, languished and died. He reintroduced it this year but it died again because he never got but 110 sponsors. It is a matter merely of buttonholing congressmen and getting them to sign — no one refuses to sign these things — but he couldn’t get it done. Though money bills must originate in the House Lincoln introduced a companion bill in the Senate as a gesture of support for Boozman. She has 56 of the necessary 67 sponsors although the bill’s passage in the Senate would be meaningless.

So how does one decide which to vote for or, in our case, to endorse? Most voters decided long ago, even before the Republicans persuaded Boozman to run against his friend. Determined Democrats, or at least most of them, will vote for her because regardless of how she votes she will caucus with the Democrats in January and not the Republicans. 

            We cast our lot, tepidly, with Lincoln for a different reason. Boozman will vote 100 percent of the time, regardless of the issue and the effect on Arkansas people, with the Republican leadership of the Senate —i.e., Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. 

With Lincoln, you can never be sure. She is the least reliable Democratic vote in the Senate, next to Nebraska’s Ben Nelson. If the economic powers strongly oppose a Democratic position, she will abandon the party and go with them. It is not the kind of independence that we particularly admire, but it does make a difference that she is in the seat. From time to time she will cast a very good vote. 

Senator Boozman could stay at home, the sergeant at arms of the Senate could record his reflexive vote on every roll call, and we could save the expense of the office. 

We will take our chances with a weathervane rather than an automaton.

EDITORIAL >> Broadway our choice

The most useless job in Arkansas is that of lieutenant governor, followed in rank order by his employees. But we spend a lot of money, effort and vain emotion every four years electing him because, potentially, whom we elect can make a little difference. He may amount to something important some day. Three lieutenant governors, Harvey Parnell in 1928, Jim Guy Tucker in 1992 and Mike Huckabee in 1996 later became governors.

So let’s take the election this year halfway seriously. The candidates are state Sen.Shane Broadway of Bryant and Mark Darr, who owns the Mad Pizza Co. at Rogers.

The Constitution assigns the lieutenant governor only one function, which is to preside over the state Senate during the few weeks a year that it is in session. If he misses a few days or a whole year, nothing is amiss because the president pro tempore of the Senate or another senator presides. The lieutenant governor does not vote and cannot influence legislation or the voting. He is supposed to recognize senators without favoritism to make motions and to speak. That is why we pay the lieutenant governor a part-time salary.

Other than preside over the Senate, the lieutenant governor hangs around so that if the governor leaves the state for an extended period he will be around for ceremonial events and to sign proclamations. But here is why the election is important: If something happens to the governor, the lieutenant governor rises to the big job.

No one could argue who is the better qualified for the single constitutional duty of guiding the parliamentary affairs of the Senate. Broadway has done it, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. He was the speaker of the Arkansas House and one of the most effective lawmakers of modern times. He was chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference, an association of Republican and Democratic legislators from 15 states.

But that doesn’t disqualify Darr. He could learn to do it. The Senate would provide a parliamentarian to sit with him and help him follow parliamentary rules.

Darr’s problem has seemed to be that he didn’t know what the lieutenant governor’s job was. He has campaigned on the promise to try to repeal the national health-insurance reform law. Congress does that, not the Arkansas Senate or its parliamentary officer. The lieutenant governor cannot introduce a bill or speak for one.

But what if something were to happen to Mike Beebe or Jim Keet, whoever is the next governor, before he finishes his term? Broadway’s knowledge of state government and the state’s problems is deep and extensive, second only perhaps to Mike Beebe’s. He has shaped the most important legislation of our times, the vast educational reforms of the past decade, the new statewide emergency-trauma system, the tobacco-settlement program, the economic- development initiatives and the tight budgets that have kept Arkansas from plunging to the depths of most states during the deepest and longest recession in 75 years. Darr has uttered a few platitudes — the state government is too big and wastes money — but otherwise he knows the pizza business in Rogers.

Let’s play it safe and elect Shane Broadway.