As mayor of Conway, I have been proud to watch our city grow into the technology center of Arkansas. With our three great colleges, we attract many of the best and brightest scholars and entrepreneurs. These creative and hardworking individuals have fueled our city's growth and have helped Faulkner County become the 72nd fastest growing county in the United States.
Just recently, our city has become the new home of Metova, Big Cloud Analytics, and Eyenalyze. Last year, Conway became home to tech companies lnuvo and Privacy Star. Better known are Conway's successful efforts to recruit Hewlett-Packard and to grow the startup that became Acxiom.
I am asked, often, about Conway and our appeal. And the answer is simple.
I attribute the growth of our city and its economy to the quality of our work force. We offer potential new employers a highly educated and skilled work force because Conway continues to attract individuals and families who desire to work in 21st Century professions.
Successful modern businesses actively encourage and recruit a diverse work force. As of now, 450 Fortune 500 companies set higher standards of nondiscrimination for their hiring practices and work environment. This 90 percent includes nondiscrimination for sexual orientation. Sixty percent of the Fortune 500 companies also include gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies.
Nondiscrimination standards help companies recruit and retain the best employees. Organizations that guarantee the right to self-expression allow their employees to realize their full potential, which leads to increased worker productivity and creativity. Companies do not expand or relocate where their employees cannot or will not live.
Make no mistake: This is about economic development.
Working with industry leaders, the people of Conway and our city government, I am constantly looking to create new competitive advantages for our city. To compete in the 21st Century economy, we must seek to be inclusive and open to a diverse work force that will drive innovation and economic growth.
Further, I believe in the American ideal of democracy--layered and local. The deeper into the layers you get--the more local--the more government represents the will of the people. Senate Bill 202 and its companion House Bill 1228 remove the right of self-determination of cities and counties in Arkansas and limits our citizens from determining what is best for our community.
This greatly diminishes our local rights as citizens.
These bills sound innocuous enough, but they destroy local control. They are a shortsighted reaction to Ordinance 119 in Fayetteville. Just as the city government of Fayetteville and its citizens were able to decide the direction of their city, so should Conway and every other community in our great state.
The state Legislature should respect cities' and counties' right to make decisions for our own communities, not remove this right altogether. Cities have the unique ability to be innovative and responsive to changing economic and sociological conditions. While our City Council meets twice a month, the state Legislature meets once a year. Local government needs to be able to move quickly and efficiently if we are going to keep up with the changing pace of industry in the 21st Century.
This is about local self-determination. Let's tell the Capitol to leave local control in local hands.
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Tab Townsell is mayor of Conway.
Editorial on 02/16/2015