The three candidates running to be county judge for Pulaski County have identified recycling, the Lake Maumelle Watershed zoning ordinance and the condition of county roads and bridges as key topics other than public safety in their race for votes on Nov. 4.
Democrat Barry Hyde, 58, is a former three-term representative in the Legislature and majority owner of the construction company he founded, Hydco Inc.
Republican Phil Wyrick, 65, also a former three-term representative in the Legislature, is a past director of the state Livestock and Poultry Commission as well as a rancher and part owner of the business, Esquire Marble Co., which he co-founded with his father.
Libertarian Glen Schwarz, 60, is a petitioner and publisher of the alternative newspaper The Emerald City of the South.
Schwarz, who said he doesn't want to be a "one-issue guy," is proposing permanently re-establishing the recycling drop-off centers closed in June by the Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District, a state agency that cited financial constraints.
Schwarz said he could build the recycle bins himself, if he had to, and haul them away to a recycling facility with a pickup, which he didn't think would cost the $135,000 per year that the district was paying for the centers.
Hyde said he would also like to expand recycling opportunities for residents in the unincorporated area of Pulaski County, but he doesn't have a plan yet. After public safety, Hyde said recycling is the issue he gets the most questions about.
"[That's] just a bullet point right now," he said.
Hyde and Wyrick both mentioned the Lake Maumelle watershed as an issue to keep an eye on as county judge.
Wyrick supports continued protection of Lake Maumelle as a drinking source.
Hyde has proposed forming a stakeholder committee that would regularly review the effectiveness of the county's new zoning ordinance in the lake's watershed.
Hyde and Wyrick also support looking into ways to mitigate flooding problems in east Pulaski County.
Hyde said he wants better maintenance of rights of way on county roads and better monitoring of drains to keep blockages from causing floods.
Wyrick said the county needs better responses to disasters, including a willingness to service private roads. He noted the county's initial hesitation this spring to place trash bins and pick up debris after the April 27 EF4 tornado.
Public Works Department officials have said the county cleared private roads of debris to make way for emergency vehicles immediately after the storm but otherwise did not believe they had the legal authority to do work on private roads.
Wyrick said he would ask the Quorum Court to approve service on private roads after a disaster.
Wyrick also mentioned wanting to work with Little Rock to develop North Loop and South Loop roads in the southwest part of the city that he said would be a "major artery" between Saline and Pulaski counties. Wyrick lives adjacent to Loop Road but said he would not stand to benefit from the development in his lifetime.
Metro on 10/08/2014