Outgoing Gov. Mike Beebe addressed the annual meeting of the state Chamber of Commerce for the last time as governor, reflecting on his time in office, urging the business group's members to work together and thanking them for their support.
Beebe, who leaves office at the end of the year, is in the final weeks of his second term.
"I had to come mainly to say what a labor of love the last eight years have been," he told the group at its luncheon meeting in downtown Little Rock. "The ability that I have been afforded by our people, the opportunity that's only been given now with Gov.[-elect Asa] Hutchinson to 46 people in the history of our state, you can't minimize that. And I can't say thank you enough."
Beebe told the several hundred chamber members and business leaders in attendance that most have been an "integral part of my life."
"You all need to know that we've done all this stuff together," he said. "And I hope you will continue to work together. Because that's how we make our state a better place to live. That's how our children and our grandchildren have an opportunity for a better life. That's how things get done."
Also speaking at the meeting was Heritage Foundation chief economist Stephen Moore, who called President Barack Obama's economic recovery programs "very questionable" and said fewer government regulations and reduced taxes would lead to greater prosperity.