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Conway known for growth, politics Sunday, Aug 3, 2008 By David J. Sanders Conway arguably is becoming the political center of the state, unlike the days when it was simply a quiet, nondescript college town whose mere mention conjured up thoughts of the country music star who mined the place for half of his stage name - the late Conway Twitty. As background, Conway is gaining population by leaps and bounds, as is all of Faulkner County. It has a mix of white- and blue-collar workers and is home to three colleges that are among the fastest growing and (for various reasons) most talked about in the state. Acxiom, a company built on culling consumer data, which now partners with almost any company who wants to know what coffee people drink, clothes they wear, and church they pray in, started in Conway. Over the past 10 years, 6,000 new jobs have found their way up Interstate 40 from Little Rock. The area has turned into a consumer Mecca, with its endless strip mall centers and restaurants, plus a Starbucks on every corner. So, it is only fitting that the city and county known for hard work, intellectual capital and a nearby deposit of natural resources, would emerge as an important region in state politics. Most recently, the area has produced what will be the costliest state Senate race with incumbent Republican Gilbert Baker, who enjoys significant local support, facing off against Democrat Joe White, who happens to enjoy the support of Gov. Mike Beebe. The area is also home to state Rep. Robbie Wills, who, thanks to his popularity with his colleagues, will be the speaker of the state House of Representatives come next January. Ironically, those who have polled this area of the state point out that despite the GOP meltdown in Washington, Republicans still enjoy an advantage in terms of party preference. Both Beebe, a Democrat, and Baker are very popular, however. Voters there like low taxes, less government at the state and federal level and they don't like abortion or people who don't read the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for what it is. Republican John McCain enjoys a sizable advantage over Democrat Barack Obama, as voters there aren't swooning over his message of change and hope. That brings me to an interesting political contest in Conway in which the candidates are not only running against each other, but running against the area's prevailing political winds. The District 45 House race features Democrat Linda Tyler and Republican Bill Fechtelkotter. Tyler, who is widely considered to be a liberal both by Democrats and Republicans and cut from the same cloth as the incumbent (and term limited) state Rep. Betty Pickett, won a contentious Democratic Primary after a recount against a more moderate to conservative opponent, who was considered the favorite. She's less like Wills and more like the handful of Democrats in the Legislature who wear their left-wing advocacy as a badge of honor. Then there is Fechtelkotter, the Republican. After visiting his campaign Web site, emblazoned with the words "Start a movement" and "It's your moment," I thought I was looking at Barack Obama's long-lost white brother. Not only has Fech, as I'm told he likes to be called, ripped off Obama's logo by adding a couple mountain peaks to the rising sun and campaign photo poses, but he has stolen Obama's lofty (and empty) rhetoric about change. This apologetic and self-described "green" Republican even has a campaign song that plays on his Web site (www.gofechgo.com) with "inspiring" lyrics, which contain the oft-used phrase, "This is my time, this is my moment." I'm not sure what folks there will make of him or his opponent. I suppose the center of Arkansas' political universe can produce a few alien types. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
