Our response to being labeled "Aginners"

"For" and "Aginner" Politics in Little Rock - response to interview with Kristin Netterstrom of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette

by Mr. Jim Lynch

KRISTIN:

I write this message as a follow up to our conversation of earlier today at Barrow and Kanis Rds.  Somehow our conversation veered to the topic of "aginner" politics and I briefly summarized my viewpoint about the unfairness of this criticism aimed at Little Rock's grassroots groups and their members, including myself.

I have attached a Voices Page "Guest Writer" piece that the ADG published in August, 1999.  I wrote this article after an ADG opinion columnist (at that time) wrote a column in July, 1999, implicitly labeling me as an "aginner."

The attached ADG article enumerates the "For" positions through 1999 in my experience in LR politics.  I can add the following "For" positions since 1999, as follows:

Year 2000  --  "For" the Little Rock School District Millage increase

Year 2002  --  "For" the countywide one cent sales tax to be allocated in four equal shares (25%) to infrastructure for city governments in Pulaski County, for the CAT bus system, for County Jail addition, and for UALR/Pulaski Tech general programs.

Year 2003  --  "For" LR City Hall's $70 million bond issue (multiple projects)

Year 2007  --  "For" yet another increase in CALS property tax millage

Year 2007  --  At Mayor Stodola's request I personally appeared and made a "For" statement at a press event leading up to the August 2007 voter approved ordinance for stronger Mayoral powers

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I hope you will reflect on how difficult it is to make the grassroots successful especially when the hopes and aspirations of the grassroots folks are in conflict with the hopes and aspirations of officialdom. LR, relatively speaking, is not all that large and the "network of friends and acquaintances," many of whom side with officialdom, is not always easy to transcend even among the grassroots folks.

To repeat my peroration in the ADG article, I am proud of the grassroots work done in the last 20-25 years in LR.  I think, regardless of the outcome of specific elections, referendums, etc., LR is much the better for the competition of ideas and viewpoints.  We have a healthy, vital community.  As I noted earlier today, sometimes it takes more than one election to arrive at the most widely accepted solution. (I noted several arena elections among LR, NLR and Pulaski County government) and also at least three jail tax elections (1990, 1997 and 2006).

Contrary to what the Mayor and others in officialdom want voters to believe between now and September 13th, there is no circumstance that demands $500 million to be invested in the city treasury.  Bryan Day said it best at the Coalition of LR Neighborhoods meeting last Saturday morning  --  "This is all about money  --  nothing else."

Somehow I had hoped the conversation would be otherwise  --  balancing the east-west growth issues, the lack of re-development in the older neighborhoods, the exporting of good city jobs to the suburbs, the possibilities for greater cooperation (and lower government costs) among county and city governments in the metro area.  Our Vote "NO' Committee emphasizes that the Research Park ought to be regionally financed.  The benefits clearly extend beyond the LR city limits.  No one seriously disputes this notion.  But, the conversation among officialdom has yet to happen, apparently, because the politics of LR-NLR, etc. are just too difficult, I suppose.

Mayor Stodola and Bryan Day are, at the same time, right and wrong. The Sept. 13th election is certainly about money  --  lots and lots of public money, a total never discussed before in the city's long history.  They are wrong about their casual but intentional sidestepping serious city policy issues begging for new ideas and reform.

They are not interested, it seems.  But many others are  --  and we just happen to be in the grassroots !