By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Proposed new state House and Senate districts were presented during a public hearing Tuesday at East Arkansas Community College, and predictably, not everyone is happy with where they'll be if the maps are adopted as-is.
Gov. Mike Huckabee did not attend, citing his wife's recent surgery. The other two members of the Board of Apportionment, Attorney General Mark Pryor and Secretary of State Sharon Priest, were on hand. Legal counsel Butch Reeves represented the governor's office.
Pryor chaired the meeting, and said the process is important.
"Arkansas is the only state in the Union that does apportionment this way," said Pryor. "Every state does it in one way or another, but Arkansas is the only one that does it this way. Most use the legislature, some have a special commission. But under the Arkansas Constitution, the governor, who is the chief executive officer, the secretary of state, who is the chief elections officer, and the attorney general, who is the chief legal officer for the state, all sit down after the census, and they re-draw all the districts."
Pryor said the two maps on view are drafts only.
"These are not ingrained in stone," he said. "There's nothing about these that isn't on the table and subject to change...We totally understand that there will be some people who would like to see some changes...and for some very good reasons."
Pryor said the population in Arkansas has shifted. Most of the growth has been in central, north and western parts of the state. The optimal population for House districts is 26,734, while the optimal population for Senate districts is 76,383, give or take about 5 percent.
Priest repeated that the districts have not been finalized.
"We anticipate changes in them," she said. "I think it's good for our state that we have an increase in growth, but it creates some challenges, particularly in areas of the state that lost population."
Reeves said there is an effort to keep cities and counties whole. He also said there is an attempt to preserve communities of interest.
In the period for remarks, several people spoke. Frank Barton, city Clerk of Marion, said he believed Senate districts 16 and 17 districts could be redrawn in such away to keep Crittenden County whole. He said the plan as presented ignores traditional political boundaries, and he said not only is Crittenden County divided, but also St. Francis and Lee Counties.
"Those counties could remain intact," Barton said. "It's pretty convoluted."
Eda Claire Slabaugh, mayor of Parkin in Cross County, also spoke, and said her town had been included in a House District that was mostly in Crittenden County.
"I would just like to appeal to you, to please keep Parkin in Cross County," she said.
Doddridge Daggett, attorney from Marion, stated that the drawing of Senate Districts 16 and 17 amounted to racial gerrymandering. He said that was against the law.
Reginald Robertson, a lawyer from West Memphis, disagreed, saying that race could be considered, as long as it wasn't the only consideration.
Also during the discussion, there were objections to the drawing of Senate District 5, which reaches from Phillips County to Jefferson County.
Other concerns were voiced concerning prison populations, which are used in drawing the districts, even though the prisioners cannot vote. There was worry that in areas of low population, a prison might skew the numbers.
Ben McGee, a former House member, stated that at least for the present, race has to be considered in drawing districts.
"It's important for young people to be able to elect someone who looks like them," he said, and later added, "In 10 or 15 years, maybe it'll be time to look at color blind districts. But the time is not yet."
Holly Baxter of Forrest City, who also teaches in Wynne, said that voting should be easy, and urged that St. Francis County be left in one district as much as possible.
LeRoy Dangeau of Wynne, a House representative, presented a version of the House districts which would leave Parkin with the rest of Cross County.
Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant said no one would be completely pleased with the outcome.
"All I can say is try to do the best you can," he said. "You can say gerrymandering here, gerrymandering there, but as I look at the Senate districts, all of them are all over the place. I know how difficult it is."
Reeves said the final district maps should be complete by Labor Day.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
Two variances crossed the first hurdle toward approval Tuesday afternoon with a vote by the Forrest City Planning Commission.
Commissioners agreed to Eugene Turner's request for a 10-foot side setback variance to allow for the placement of a metal canopy at the rear of his home located on South Rosser Street. Turner was represented at the meeting by his son, Mark Turner.
Commissioner Danny Capps questioned the removal of an electrical wire he noticed at Turner's residence while reviewing the property for the variance. Mark Turner said the wire had been moved to an area away from the canopy.
Glenn Ford also received a variance approval. Ford requested a 10-foot variance to place a 30-feet-by-20 feet carport at his home located on North Grant Street.
Turner and Ford must get final approval for their requests from the city council at its Aug. 7 meeting.
On another matter, Derwin Sims, representing Diacom Corporation, had requested placement on the agenda to discuss a preliminary plat approval with commissioners, but canceled his meeting with the group. Sims was expected to request the plat approval for nine lots on three acres adjacent to the second phase of Southfork Estates on Brookside Drive.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City School District has received a grant of $40,424.80 for telecommunication.
The money, called an E-Rate grant, is from a program which provides discounts to schools and libraries for the cost of education technology. The discounts cover the cost of telecommunications, Internet access and internal connections needed to bring information directly into classrooms.
"This helps offset the cost of phone lines for computers," said Pat Flanagin, finance director for Forrest City schools.
Flanagin said more grants are hoped for in the near future.
The grant was announced by U.S. Rep Marion Berry.
"This is a tremendous opportunity," Berry said. "With our nation's growing dependence on computers, we must be sure that no student is left behind in the Information Age. Six out of ten jobs in the next millennium will relay on high-technology skills. This grant will help us prepare our children for the competitive global economy of he next century and give them the tools they need to learn. Many schools in the First Congressional district already have benefited from the E-Rate program and we must continue to give our schools access to vital technology."