Files, Glidewell to debate; reimbursement figures create controversy, confusion

Fort Smith voters will get two chances to hear Jake Files and Rep. Frank Glidewell debate prior to the June 8 runoff in the Arkansas Senate District 13 race.

The debate may see Glidewell firing back at Files for what Glidewell believes was an unwarranted attack by Files and Jim Medley on his legislative salary and expense reimbursements.

Files was the top primary election vote-getter in the three-way race that also included former State Rep. Jim Medley. Files unofficially ended the primary election with 2,553 votes (39.81%), Glidewell ended with 2,391 votes (37.28%), and Medley with 1,469 votes (36.73%). Medley has since endorsed Files, and is asking his supporters to get behind Files in the runoff.

The GOP runoff winner will be the next Arkansas Senator representing Fort Smith because no Democrat filed for the seat.

Progressive Arkansas said Friday it has received agreement from Files and Glidewell to debate at 7 p.m., June 1 at Second Street Live! (101 N. Second St., in downtown Fort Smith).

Also, the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a debate between Files and Glidewell for Noon, June 1, at the Fort Smith Holiday Inn City Center.

The GOP primary between the three candidates took a decidedly nasty turn when Glidewell was attacked by Files and Medley over what they thought was a 2009 high per diem collection and a Glidewell-proposed resolution that would allow U.S. voters to check a ballot every two years indicating their approval or disapproval of Congressional job performance. The resolution, if it ever were to become U.S. law, would boot incumbents who have served more than six terms if more than 75% of Americans said they disapproved of Congress’ job performance.

Files and Medley made use of a report from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette which showed Glidewell collecting $47,797 in “per diem, mileage and expense reimbursements” in 2009. However, the newspaper report raises several questions.

A May-December 2009 reimbursement report from the Bureau of Legislative Research show Glidewell collecting just $11,787. His legislative salary for the year was $15,700 and his role as vice chairman of the House Revenue and Taxation committee allowed him to collect $1,500 a month. Those three items bring Glidewell’s annual salary and reimbursements total to $45,487.

Margie Davis, fiscal officer with the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, explained that there are three pools of funds from which a legislator may be paid. The first pool is from either the House or Senate and pays the legislator during a legislative session. This report will likely include allowable expenses between the January-April period not shown in the legislative research report.

The Arkansas Legislative Council pays legislators for their travel, per diem and other expenses during non-legislative periods. Also, Arkansas Legislative Audit pays non-session travel and expenses for legislators who serve on audit committees. (The City Wire will seek more reimbursement information this week from the other funding pool sources.)

Following are three statements from Files, Glidewell and Medley. The first is a note Medley sent to The City Wire to explain his endorsement of Files. The second statement is Files’ response to Medley’s endorsement. The third statement is a response by the Glidewell campaign to the endorsement and to previous statements by Files and Medley. The statements have not been edited.

• ENDORSEMENT NOTE FROM JIM MEDLEY
If Fort Smith voters want a State Senator that is articulate, energetic, a proven record of introducing common sense legislation, who has conservative family and business values, then Jake Files should be our choice.

If you want someone who claims to be fiscally conservative, but takes in nearly $50,000 in annual per diem and travel, then Mr. Glidewell may be your choice. Don’t take my word for his extravagance, go to "Google" on your computer and type in "Arkansas Legislators 2009 per diem and travel.

If you want a person who says he believes in our U.S. Constitution as written, but proposes to destroy our State’s right to chose and replace our two U.S. Senators and four Congressmen by amending our Constitution to allow all states to vote them out of office, then Mr. Glidewell may be your man. For verification, see the Times Record front page by Jeff Arnold on Thursday, May 13, 2010 and Friday, May 21, 2010.

Riding around your neighborhood on your golf cart campaigning may be cute, but it doesn’t help you write legislation for Fort Smith or help you to present bills in legislative committees nor explain them on the floor of the House and Senate. Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas. We deserve to have representation by our State Senator that can write, understand, explain and convince other legislators to vote in favor of legislation that is in the best interest of Fort Smith. I encourage the people of Fort Smith to vote to elect Jake Files as our new State Senator on Tuesday, June 8, 2010.  May God bless and guide us all.

• JAKE FILES ENDORSEMENT RESPONSE
I appreciate Mr. Medley’s endorsement, and I agree with him that Fort Smith needs new effective leadership in Little Rock. I am fully committed to making a difference in Little Rock, and I hope Mr. Medley’s supporters will be open to hearing my views and supporting me. I think it is critical that we have credible legislators who are able to articulate a message and carry substantive legislation that will benefit Fort Smith and all of Arkansas. I have a proven record of results, and I am excited about the opportunities that we have here in Fort Smith for growth.

On the Constitutional amendment: I am hearing from voters every day who are tired of political games and ready for real results. This ridiculous resolution is a waste of time and energy and further hurts our legislative delegation’s credibility. I would hope that Mr. Glidewell would be getting the same message and renounce this effort and work on something that actually makes a difference for Fort Smith.

• STATEMENT FROM GLIDEWELL CAMPAIGN
I was disappointed to hear Mr. Medley’s continued negative attacks on me, even after his defeat on Tuesday. I enjoyed the time we spent together serving in the legislature, and considered him a good friend. I was surprised to hear him make such comments. He seems to be upset that the voters did not chose him to be their next State Senator; almost four days later and he is still rambling on.

To my knowledge, Mr. Medley’s career has been one of a highly paid CEO for a government subsidized business he runs; hardly the type of person whom you would think would be confused about government compensation. As the head of such type of organization, he never had to deal with the realities that a real small business owner deals with, such as making payroll and other matters that folks in the private sector must deal with on a daily basis. His cushy job, which continues to pay him 172k per year, plus a 28% match for FICA, insurance, retirement, etc., at the expense of tax payers, has isolated him from the effects of the recession and the difficulties that working families have had to deal with. Now if that’s not a highly paid government bureaucrat I don’t know what is.

Mr. Medley’s is entitled to his comments as to my effectiveness as a legislator. I would point to my accomplishments in obtaining funding for U of A Fort Smith, Ben Geren Park, our local Boys and Girls Clubs, the Senior Centers, Crisis Center for Women, our public libraries, the Sebastian County Drug Court and more. Also, being named by the Democratic leadership as vice-chair of the powerful Tax and Revenue, or any other primary committee, is an accomplishment Republicans are not often assigned to in Little Rock. The citizens of Fort Smith have known me for all my life as an honest, hard working man who stands up for the interests of all, not just a special few. I don’t compromise the ethics that elected me to broker crooked deals in Little Rock for a few dollars in local pay-back, enough said.

Mr. Medley and Mr. Files continued obsession with the proposed voter empowerment discussion continues to amaze me. Americans are disgusted with the actions taking place in Washington, from Obamacare to the record high deficits; our country is being destroyed by those elected to represent the people. My proposal was never introduced in the legislature; it was merely an idea to bring about discussion of what could be done in dealing with the bureaucratic mess we have in Washington. My time in Little Rock was not spent shopping the idea around. Seems Mr. Medley and Mr. Files fit more in line with the established special interests and big government than I do, with Medley sponging off the government for his career and Mr. Files campaign support from the special interests and power players of Downtown Ft. Smith.

Mr. Medley and Mr. Files have yet to apologize for the lies they told at a recent debate, stating that I was paid $47,000 in per diem during 2009. The only per diem I was paid in 2009 amounted to $11,787, not the $47,000 that Files and Medley spent 90 minutes discussing. Attached to this email is my official per diem as issued by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research. This wasn’t the first lie stated about me by Mr. Medley, and likely won’t be the last.