Firefighter to run for House seat

Capitol needs more working-class representatives, he says

A firefighter announced Wednesday that he'll run for the Democratic nomination for a North Little Rock state House seat.

Matthew Stallings, 33, of North Little Rock plans to vie for the House District 38 seat now held by Rep. Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock.

Stallings advocated during the General Assembly's legislative session early this year for Act 973 -- called Crump's Law -- to give firefighters diagnosed with cancer six months of paid sick leave.

Wing was one of eight House co-sponsors of the bill that became Crump’s Law.

Stallings hopes, if elected, to focus on issues that affect the "working class," according to his campaign announcement.

"I'm running for office because I believe we need more working class people at the State Capitol," Stallings said in a news release. "The working class in Arkansas needs a Representative. I will never stop fighting for Arkansas' workers because I am one."

Wing, who was first elected in 2016, said Wednesday that he will run for a third term. Wing is a television producer.

Stallings, a Texas native, came to Arkansas initially to play baseball at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and in 2009, he began working at the Little Rock Fire Department.

He has served at the Arkansas Professional Fire Fighters Association as its political director. Stallings said the next legislative step for first responders is addressing mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder in those fields.

He also said he wants to address prescription drug prices and make investments in pre-kindergarten, after-school and summer programs, "so that every kid, regardless of ZIP code, has a shot at success."

Wing, who has interacted with Stallings in his capacity at the firefighters association, spoke positively about Stallings.

Wing, 52, said he has focused during his first two terms in office on economic development and civility in politics. He said he has been grateful to work with constituents to help address problems they face.

"It's an honor to serve and be able to represent folks," Wing said. "There are people who need a voice to speak for them, and those are the kinds of phone calls I get on a regular basis."

Stallings said he knew Wing to be "a good man" who supported the firefighters association's legislation.

"But there's just going to be some things where we differ on policy," Stallings said, pointing to his support of raising the state's minimum wage.

Stallings said he supported the state's version of Medicaid expansion -- called Arkansas Works -- that provides health insurance to about 250,000 Arkansans. However, he said he opposes tweaks to the program like adding a work requirement, which puts unnecessary "hurdles" in the way.

On abortion, Stallings said he and his wife personally choose life, but he wouldn't want to impose his beliefs on someone else.

He said abortion is acceptable in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at stake. He said he didn't know how that could be legislated.

"I don't necessarily like the idea of getting into legislating morality," Stallings said.

Stallings also said he opposed education vouchers that allow families to use public dollars on private-school tuition. He said private schools and charter schools have a place, but public money should remain in public schools.

Wing and Stallings are the only two publicly announced candidates for House District 38. The district covers part of North Little Rock and Sherwood.

The party filing period will be from noon Nov. 4 until noon Nov. 12. Next year's primary election will be March 3, and the general election will be Nov. 3.

State lawmakers are paid $41,393 a year in salary, while the House speaker and Senate president pro tempore make $47,277 a year. In addition, legislators are paid per diem and mileage for attending legislative meetings.

Metro on 09/26/2019

CORRECTION: State Rep. Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock, was one of eight House co-sponsors of a law enacted earlier this year that gives firefighters diagnosed with cancer six months of paid sick leave. An earlier version of this article didn’t include Wing’s co-sponsorship of the bill.

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