Campbell challenges Malone’s record at political forum

A Monday political forum was an agreeable discussion among Republican candidates that taxes are too high, governments spend too much and the newly approved federal health care bill is bad.

And then Fort Smith City Director Gary Campbell used his two-minute closing statement to inform forum attendees that his opponent, Rep. Stephanie Malone of Fort Smith, did not record a “Yes” or “No” vote on 90 of 828 voting opportunities during the 2009 General Assembly.

The forum was sponsored by the Fort Smith League of Women Voters, and included the following candidates — all Republicans — in their respective Arkansas legislative races.
• Arkansas House District 63
Sen. Denny Altes
J.R. Dallas

• Arkansas House District 64
Fort Smith City Director Gary Campbell
Rep. Stephanie Malone

• State Senate District 13
Jake Files
Rep. Frank Glidewell
Jim Medley

Also participating in the forum were Michael King and Dickie Lee Robertson. Both are Democrats in the Sebastian County Quorum Court District 10 race.

Campbell said Malone, an employee of the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, did not vote 55 times and voted present 35 times, including voting present on three bills she co-sponsored. Campbell said his research shows that legislators on average had 40 non-votes and 4 present votes.

Campbell said after the forum that one of Malone’s present votes was on the appropriations bill (SB 438) for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission that included the $50 million quick action closing fund Gov. Mike Beebe subsequently used to help bring Mitsubishi to Fort Chaffee. Mitsubishi plans to build a $100 million wind-turbine assembly operation and employ up to 400 by early 2012.

“A present vote ends up being a no vote if it’s a close vote,” Campbell said.

Prior to the 2009 legislative session, Beebe also used the fund to help bring the $80 million Mars Petcare plant and up to 200 employees to Fort Chaffee.

“All I was trying to do today was to distinguish between my record of voting and what she hasn’t done,” Campbell said, who added that in the more than 15 years as a city director he has missed less than 10 meetings.

Malone said after the forum that she voted present on SB 438 because it contained a provision to create the “Minority Business Loan Mobilization Revolving Fund.”

“The Minority Business Loan Mobilization Revolving Fund shall be used to promote the development of minority business enterprises in the State, increase the ability of minority business enterprises to compete for state contracts and sustain the economic growth of minority business enterprises in the State,” according to language in the bill.

“If I vote ‘present,’ it’s because I didn’t necessarily agree with everything that was lumped into the bill,” Malone said. “Of course I support that (quick action closing fund), but instead of voting no against that, I just voted present.”

Malone said voting present is not considered indecisive among legislators, saying she is “very aware of every vote I made down there.”