Huckabee Remained Bold On More Than Education

Gov. Mike Huckabee took a lot of strong stances during 2003. Here’s a quick glance at three that made less headlines than the state’s continuing struggles to reform education:

• Huckabee saw his new economic development bill become law, which will make the state more competitive with neighboring states that often go after the same businesses and industries as Arkansas.

In February, Toyota Motor Corp. chose San Antonio over Marion to build an $800 million vehicle assembly plant that would have employed 2,000.

Huckabee said at the time that he was confident the state would receive its own auto manufacturing plant in the near future. It hasn’t yet, but Arkansas has landed some promising Japanese auto parts suppliers.

Denso Corp. has plans for a facility at Osceola that will employ 500, and Sakae Riken Kogyo chose Wynne to build a plant that will eventually employ 250.

• He appointed the state’s first woman chief justice, Betty Dickey, his chief legal counsel, to replace W.H. “Dub” Arnold, who resigned to return to private law practice.

• Huckabee continued to arouse the ire of some by granting clemency to some prisoners. He also said the state needs alternatives to the practice of placing nonviolent criminals in prison to help stem costs. It costs $42.59 a day to house someone in prison but just $1.85 a day to keep them in a community correction program.