Medley formally enters state Senate race for Fort Smith district

State Rep. Jim Medley, R-Fort Smith, formally announced Thursday (Aug. 13) he would seek the Arkansas Senate District 13 position now held by the term-limited Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith.

Former state Rep. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith, and state Reps. Frank Glidewell, R-Fort Smith, and Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, have expressed an interest in seeking the District 13 Senate seat.

Medley, who also is term-limited after serving three terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, is the CEO of Fort Smith-based Area Agency on Aging. Medley also is a former member of the Fort Smith Board of Education, and former member of the Board of Directors of the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce.

In the statement, Medley cited as accomplishments his lead sponsorship of bills that delivered state funds for Creekmore Park, Kelley Park ball fields, the Evans’ Boys Club, the Nancy Orr Girls’ Club, the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center, the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas, the Don Reynolds Cancer Support House, Fort Smith PTAs, American Legion Post 31, the Fort Smith Fire Department, the Fort Smith Police Department and the U.S. Marshal’s Museum.

“Jim was lead sponsor of a bill requiring the State to pay city and county bills within twenty days and affirmed his opposition to new taxes by opposing both the Severance Tax and the Bingo Tax,” according to a statement from Medley’s campaign. “ Representative Jim Medley’s extensive knowledge of governmental processes, service to the citizens of Fort Smith, and passionate concern for the future of the State of Arkansas is the foundation Jim is prepared to bring to Arkansas State Senate District 13.”

The statement also noted that Medley is a hunter and member of the National Rifle Association, supports the rights of the unborn, is a supporter of the new intermodal authority and “believes that additional education at any level will greatly enhance a person’s ability to hold a better paying job.”

Medley’s campaign is managed by The Amelia Group, a consulting company owned by Sandy Pyle and her son, K. Michael Pyle.The campaign expects to have a Web site by early September.