As you read this, early voting is underway and Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. I think we all know that the presidential election will go on after the voting regardless of who wins. But I shan’t concern myself with that race. Trump will carry Arkansas, and our votes won’t move the needle toward winning the White House. I’m concerned with voting where my votes actually make a difference.
Let’s start with our City Council race. Those of you who attended the Candidate Forum sponsored by the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce and ArkansasNewsroom.com, saw three capable candidates running for the Ward 1, Position 1 post being vacated by incumbent Steve Mosely. Barry Brown, Mike Chastain and LJ Wesley represented themselves well and any of them would be a good choice for city leadership.
The other races represented definitely went along party lines. For the House District 69 race, Republican Rep. David Ray and Democrat Kwami Abdul-Bey were both articulate in their presentations but represented opposite ends of the political spectrum with a main point of contention being the LEARNS Act.
The candidates for House District 71 also were comfortable in their comments, again demonstrating a stark contrast between Republican Rep. Brandon Achor and Democrat Cassandra Green. Green, a school administrator, was ultra-critical of the LEARNS Act and pointed out some of its flaws from her perspective.
A few days after the forum, I was disappointed to see that a hit piece against Green had been mailed to my home. It was produced by the Republican Party promoting Representative Achor’s candidacy but primarily tying Ms. Green to national politics and issues irrelevant to Arkansas issues. I’m sure many of you received it. I asked Representative Achor about the mailer, and he claimed it was not produced by his campaign.
But he did point out that Ms. Green had taken a few shots at him, primarily on social media. Obviously, Achor has more firepower than Ms. Green and he is a popular pharmacist in Maumelle, so he most likely will win the race. I would encourage you to learn more about each candidate.
Decide for yourself! You can still watch the forum online. It is stored at ArkansasNewsroom.com or click on the video thumbnail to watch each race.
House District 69 - Rep. David Ray and Kwami Abdul-Bey.
House District 71 - Rep Brandon Achor and Cassandra Green.
Maumelle City Council, Ward 1, Pos. 1 - Barry Brown Mike Chastain and LJ Wesley.
Who is the Biggest Liar?
I have tried to understand Issue 2, but I, like most Arkansans, am weary with it. According to Ballotpedia: “This measure would repeal from the state Constitution the authorization for a casino license in Pope County. Under the proposed amendment, any future constitutional amendments to authorize a casino license in any county other than Crittenden, Garland, or Jefferson counties, the quorum court of the relevant county would be required to call a special election where a majority of countywide voters would be required to adopt the authorization.”
Both sides of the issue have been funded by Indian tribes: one wanting to build a casino and the other wanting you to keep coming to their casino in Oklahoma. I don’t really care.
We have three casinos and that’s enough. Plus, there are several in contiguous states. Or if you just want to get rid of some money, I’ll give you my PayPal link.
I’m voting “4-2” or For Issue 2 to keep the casino from being built and letting Pope County folks do their own election. Whether Pope County citizens want a casino or not doesn’t matter to me. I don’t frequent casinos, nor will I ever.
Answer: Both sides are lying.
Issue 1 is a Needed Bonus for Arkansas Students
The millions spent between the two tribes fighting over casinos has overshadowed another issue that deserves your consideration. I will definitely vote for Issue 1. A vote “FOR” Issue 1 means you support changing the Arkansas Constitution to allow proceeds from the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery to also fund scholarships for Arkansas students at vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. This is a no-brainer.
The Ever-Changing Food Scene
Maumelle Boulevard is now the home of the only Count Porkula since the Little Rock location closed its doors. They say they need a larger location. Odd. Seems you would continue to operate until you found one. There has to be more to the story.
We have a new restaurant called Southern Heaux, a restaurant specializing in “Southern. Brunch” and open only 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but closed on Monday and Tuesday. So far, the online comments have been positive with the usual whiney Maumelle dissension and promises to never go back because everything wasn’t perfect. See their menu and info at www. southernheauxar.com.
Get out there and vote. Or as I’ve always said, if you don’t vote, you lose your privilege to gripe about it.
See you on the Boulevard.
Neal Moore is an award-winning columnist who lives in Maumelle. He is also a freelance writer and public relations consultant.
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Moore on Maumelle: Election Edition ‘24
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Election Day Looms
As you read this, early voting is underway and Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. I think we all know that the presidential election will go on after the voting regardless of who wins. But I shan’t concern myself with that race. Trump will carry Arkansas, and our votes won’t move the needle toward winning the White House. I’m concerned with voting where my votes actually make a difference.
Let’s start with our City Council race. Those of you who attended the Candidate Forum sponsored by the Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce and ArkansasNewsroom.com, saw three capable candidates running for the Ward 1, Position 1 post being vacated by incumbent Steve Mosely. Barry Brown, Mike Chastain and LJ Wesley represented themselves well and any of them would be a good choice for city leadership.
The other races represented definitely went along party lines. For the House District 69 race, Republican Rep. David Ray and Democrat Kwami Abdul-Bey were both articulate in their presentations but represented opposite ends of the political spectrum with a main point of contention being the LEARNS Act.
The candidates for House District 71 also were comfortable in their comments, again demonstrating a stark contrast between Republican Rep. Brandon Achor and Democrat Cassandra Green. Green, a school administrator, was ultra-critical of the LEARNS Act and pointed out some of its flaws from her perspective.
A few days after the forum, I was disappointed to see that a hit piece against Green had been mailed to my home. It was produced by the Republican Party promoting Representative Achor’s candidacy but primarily tying Ms. Green to national politics and issues irrelevant to Arkansas issues. I’m sure many of you received it. I asked Representative Achor about the mailer, and he claimed it was not produced by his campaign.
But he did point out that Ms. Green had taken a few shots at him, primarily on social media. Obviously, Achor has more firepower than Ms. Green and he is a popular pharmacist in Maumelle, so he most likely will win the race. I would encourage you to learn more about each candidate.
Decide for yourself! You can still watch the forum online. It is stored at ArkansasNewsroom.com or click on the video thumbnail to watch each race.
House District 69 - Rep. David Ray and Kwami Abdul-Bey.
House District 71 - Rep Brandon Achor and Cassandra Green.
Maumelle City Council, Ward 1, Pos. 1 - Barry Brown Mike Chastain and LJ Wesley.
Who is the Biggest Liar?
I have tried to understand Issue 2, but I, like most Arkansans, am weary with it. According to Ballotpedia: “This measure would repeal from the state Constitution the authorization for a casino license in Pope County. Under the proposed amendment, any future constitutional amendments to authorize a casino license in any county other than Crittenden, Garland, or Jefferson counties, the quorum court of the relevant county would be required to call a special election where a majority of countywide voters would be required to adopt the authorization.”
Both sides of the issue have been funded by Indian tribes: one wanting to build a casino and the other wanting you to keep coming to their casino in Oklahoma. I don’t really care.
We have three casinos and that’s enough. Plus, there are several in contiguous states. Or if you just want to get rid of some money, I’ll give you my PayPal link.
I’m voting “4-2” or For Issue 2 to keep the casino from being built and letting Pope County folks do their own election. Whether Pope County citizens want a casino or not doesn’t matter to me. I don’t frequent casinos, nor will I ever.
Answer: Both sides are lying.
Issue 1 is a Needed Bonus for Arkansas Students
The millions spent between the two tribes fighting over casinos has overshadowed another issue that deserves your consideration. I will definitely vote for Issue 1. A vote “FOR” Issue 1 means you support changing the Arkansas Constitution to allow proceeds from the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery to also fund scholarships for Arkansas students at vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. This is a no-brainer.
The Ever-Changing Food Scene
Maumelle Boulevard is now the home of the only Count Porkula since the Little Rock location closed its doors. They say they need a larger location. Odd. Seems you would continue to operate until you found one. There has to be more to the story.
We have a new restaurant called Southern Heaux, a restaurant specializing in “Southern. Brunch” and open only 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but closed on Monday and Tuesday. So far, the online comments have been positive with the usual whiney Maumelle dissension and promises to never go back because everything wasn’t perfect. See their menu and info at www. southernheauxar.com.
Get out there and vote. Or as I’ve always said, if you don’t vote, you lose your privilege to gripe about it.
See you on the Boulevard.
Neal Moore is an award-winning columnist who lives in Maumelle. He is also a freelance writer and public relations consultant.