SPRINGDALE -- Three Republican primary candidates are claiming three kinds of experience in the race for Springdale's state House District 88.
Clint Penzo notes he's the only candidate in the race who has held elective office.
Republican Primary
Arkansas House
District 88
Isaac Foley
Age: 24
Residency: Springdale; moved back to the district last year
Employment: Left as political director for the Republican Party of Arkansas headquarters in Little Rock to be a full-time candidate
Education: Bachelor’s degree in political science, University of Arkansas
Political Experience: None
Phillip Humbard
Age: 57
Residency: Springdale; lived in the district 23 years
Employment: Retired; former president of ESI, an engineering firm in Springdale
Education: Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, University of Arkansas
Political Experience: None
Clint Penzo
Age: 40
Residency: Springdale; moved back into the district last year
Employment: President, Penzo Real Estate; owner of Penzo Roofing and Penzo Custom Homes
Education: Bachelor’s degree in earth sciences, University of Arkansas
Political Experience: Tontitown City Council, 2013-15
Rival Isaac Foley said he has the most experience dealing with the state Legislature, citing his time as a Republican Party official.
And Philip Humbard touts his experience as an engineer with multimillion-dollar public works projects, including the system that brings many Benton and Washington county residents their drinking water.
The winner of the March 1 primary faces no Democratic opposition in November. If no candidate wins a clear majority in the primary, the two with the most votes will compete in a March 22 runoff.
Rep. Lance Eads, the Republican incumbent, isn't in the race. He opted to run for the state Senate after Sen. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, decided against seeking re-election.
District 88 is one of two contested primaries for the state Legislature in Benton or Washington counties that has three candidates. There are seven contested legislative primaries in the two counties.
"Springdale raised me, and the values of Springdale are what I want to represent," Foley said.
Foley left Springdale in 2014 and moved to Little Rock to be a political director at the state Republican Party headquarters. He moved back to Springdale late last year.
He said he wears his grandfather's Jones Truck Lines tie when campaigning. Members from both sides of his family worked for the company, and his parents are longtime business owners in Springdale. He became active in politics to help promote the conservative views of his home city, he said.
"I was party liaison to the state House of Representatives, so I've worked directly with lawmakers there," Foley said. "I already have the relationships that the other candidates would have to build.
"There is a learning curve to being a state representative and I've been through it," Foley said. "Springdale is the fastest growing area of the state, and we need our fair share of the taxes that are paid."
Penzo has more experience in common with the people he would represent, he said.
"I've had a diverse work history from being a physical therapist with stroke victims to a first-responder to waiting tables, landscaping, building homes and selling real estate," he said. "I know what it's like to have to work to grow a business up from nothing.
"I'm the only one running who has any political experience," said Penzo, who served one term as an alderman in Tontitown.
Penzo was raised in Springdale, he said, and lives in Springdale now, moving back after an unsuccessful bid for Tontitown mayor.
"When I'm out speaking to people, I find too many who are thinking of leaving the state when they retire and going to Texas or Florida because of our income tax," Penzo said. "We need to do something so people can afford to live here. Also, abortion is a huge issue for me. I oppose it and believe the people of a state ought to decide, not the federal government."
Humbard said he knows and works with people throughout the district. He said he designed many of the subdivisions in the district as an engineer for, and then president of, Engineering Services of Springdale. He retired last year and has the time to devote to the office if elected, he said.
"There's a lot of good causes you can get involved in, but you have to set priorities," Humbard said. "What the people in this district need are good jobs and the wages that go with them. Everything else is just a band-aid solution. To get that, we have to have education and workforce training."
Humbard was the chief engineer on the Two-Ton water project, a $40 million pipeline that brought water to western Benton and Washington country residents. More recently, he was chief engineer on a $72 million project to bring water from Bull Shoals lake to much of Boone, Newton and Carroll counties, he said.
"I know how to read a budget and stick to it," he said. "I know how to work with federal and state agencies."
NW News on 02/09/2016