The Republican primary for the Arkansas House of Representatives seat in District 32 pits two retirees concerned about education and income tax against each other.
The seat in District 32, which covers parts of west Little Rock and Pulaski County, is being vacated by term-limited Republican Allen Kerr.
Pat Hays, 55, is a retired attorney who has lived in Little Rock since 1982. She is a graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., and the W.H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Hays has also served on the Little Rock Civil Service Commission and with the Autism Society of America.
Jim Sorvillo, 65, is retired from advertising, a graduate of Florida’s St. Petersburg College and has lived in Little Rock since 1969. Sorvillo is a former employee of the Arkansas Democrat.
Sorvillo is a youth sports coach, a board member of track club Christian Competition Inc. and was a Pulaski County justice of the peace from 2011-12 before seeking election to the state Senate. He lost that race to Democrat David Johnson.
Sorvillo and Hays both attend Fellowship Bible Church and are married with children. Sorvillo has 12 grandchildren.
Hays and Sorvillo both consider education top priorities and want to ensure parents’ ability to choose which schools they want their children to attend.
Hays is a proponent of vouchers to attend private schools and charter schools, which she says give parents more options.
She has two children, one of whom will attend new charter Quest Middle School next year.
Sorvillo also wants to emphasize more discipline in schools, many of which have poor environments for learning because of student behavior, he said.
Hays said education is her biggest priority, and she wants to get feedback from district residents before forming more of her platform.
The candidates also agree that the state should examine lowering income tax for people and businesses.
Hays called lowering taxes a core Republican issue, saying “taxes need to be lower to spread economy and grow businesses.”
She said the economy would benefit from taxpayers having more money to spend.
Sorvillo echoed Hays’ opinion on lower taxes, noting that sales-tax revenue would increase to offset lower income tax revenue at the state level.
Sorvillo and Hays agreed on a third issue in opposing the private option. Sorvillo said the expansion of Medicaid in Arkansas under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act puts the state at too big of a financial risk.
Sorvillo also laid out additional priorities. He said he has run for the state Legislature twice because after his two years on the Quorum Court, he realized county crime and jail problems can only be solved at the state level.
“People don’t realize that it’s a state issue,” he said, noting that jails are overcrowded with state prisoners.
In particular, Sorvillo wants the state to pay a higher reimbursement rate to county jails for holding state prisoners, which he said is several dollars too low per day. To achieve that goal, Sorvillo mentioned cutting other parts of the state budget as well as spending surplus money on jail reimbursements.
With the extra money, the Pulaski County jail could open its remaining 160 beds that are not yet staffed, he said.
Sorvillo also wants to reduce county jail and state prison overpopulation by creating a contract with another state to hold many of Arkansas’ prisoners, although he’s not sure whether other states have the room or are willing to enter such a deal. He said he would explore the issue.
The state discussed a similar issue in 2011 after Gov. Mike Beebe asked the Arkansas Board of Corrections to look into the feasibility of entering into such contracts. After noting drawbacks, including added hardship on relatives wanting to visit family members in prison, an agreement didn’t happen. But Sorvillo said he thinks the issues can be “worked out.”
Sorvillo also is in favor of more rehabilitation programs for first-time offenders run by nongovernmental entities, possibly with government grants.
Also running for the District 32 seat is Democrat John Adams, 37.
Adams is an attorney at First Federal Bank. He is a Little Rock native, a graduate of Catholic High School, Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School.
He was an assistant attorney general from 2009-2011.
Adams is interested in expanding pre-kindergarten access and establishing workforce development programs in schools and for graduates.
He’ll face the winner of May 20’s Republican primary in the November general election.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 04/20/2014