Green Party nominee joins District 39 race
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2008
There’s another surprise in the House District 39 campaign this year: the Green Party of Arkansas unexpectedly nominated a candidate to oppose former Rep. Dwayne Dobbins of North Little Rock.
Dobbins said late Saturday he wants to run a positive campaign and refuses to be ashamed for stepping down from the Legislature in 2005 after prosecutors said he fondled a 17-year-old girl.
Richard Carroll, 51, of North Little Rock, a boilermaker for the Union Pacific railroad, called the Green Party on Friday after reading an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article about Dobbins’ lack of opposition. Dobbins filed just before the deadline in March, surprising Democratic party leaders who expected his wife, Sharon, to run for re-election.
No Republican is on the ballot.
Dobbins, 45, resigned from the Legislature as part of a plea agreement that reduced a felony sexual assault charge to misdemeanor harassment.
State Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney said he felt betrayed by Dobbins’ actions and would try to find someone to oppose him.
Dobbins declined to comment on his own party’s opposition to his candidacy. He thanked his supporters for remaining loyal.
Pleading guilty “had an impact” on his life, he said. “But I don’t look at it as a negative. I refuse to hold my head down.” He pleaded guilty, he said, “because sometimes innocent people go to prison. I took the advice of my lawyer. I can’t live in the past.” Although active in union politics, this is Carroll’s first run for public office. Carroll, a graduate of Catholic High School in Little Rock, is married with five children. He has worked for Union Pacific since 1993.
The Green Party also nominated Rebekah Kennedy of Fort Smith to oppose U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor. Kennedy ran for attorney general in 2006, getting 33, 386 votes — or 4. 4 percent.
She said she’d be happy to tally 3 percent against Pryor, but she would love to top 10 percent.
Party treasurer Mark Swaney said this year’s slate of candidates is the party’s largest so far.
Aside from Carroll and Kennedy, the Green Party has nominated Abel Tomlinson, 27, of Fayetteville for the 3 rd Congressional District; Deb McFarland, 55, of Guy for the 2 nd Congressional District; and Joshua Drake, 39, of Hot Springs for the 4 th Congressional District.
Nominations for the state House of Representatives, aside from Carroll, include Conrad Harvin for District 33; Gene Mason for District 42; Brian Barnett for District 50; Mary Boley for District 68 and Wendy Crow for District 90.
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