Campaign Focus : House District 85 hopefuls differ mainly in age
Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/240001/
Candidates for the House District 85 seat say they favor decreases in property taxes and how much public assistance the state gives to illegal immigrants.
Bill Witty, a Democrat, and John Burris, a Republican, are running for the seat held by the term-limited Rep. James Norton, R-Harrison.
The district includes Harrison and most of Boone County.
The race pits Witty, a former banker who runs his family’s used car business, against Burris, a substitute teacher in the Bergman School District. Both candidates live in Harrison.
Burris said he’d work to increase the homestead tax credit to $ 400. The credit was increased $ 50 during the 2007 legislative session to $ 350.
Witty would give property tax breaks to businesses, people who own farmland and homeowners.
He’s concerned about the 10 percent annual increase in property taxes businesses can face due to countywide reappraisals. Witty said a freeze on the property taxes of homeowners who’ve lived in their house for at least five years “might be in order.”
The state already freezes taxes on the homes owned and occupied by people who are over 65.
“I want to see a more substantial and significant reform that would include some safeguards for all properties and possibly help our baby boomers who are not yet 65 and want to invest in real estate other than just their homes to know there are limits to how high their property taxes will rise,” Witty said.
Neither candidate has sought political office before.
Burris, 23, said he learned about political processes as campaign manager for Gunner DeLay, a candidate for attorney general in 2006. Burris didn’t have an opponent in the May GOP primary election.
Witty, 46, said the Demo- cratic primary race in which he defeated Mark Steven Fowler was more of a “beauty contest” than about disagreement on key issues.
Burris and Witty said the issues of illegal aliens in Arkansas and the state’s ban on unmarried couples being foster parents are ones that interest Boone County residents.
Witty doesn’t want the state to create laws regarding illegal aliens that won’t be supported by the federal government.
Witty is against providing state assistance to illegal immigrants, including lower in-state college tuition. Among the services he includes the Arkansas Department of Health provides to illegal immigrants are treatment for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, immunizations and prenatal care.
“We’ve got to be tougher about it, but we don’t need to take on the burdens that the federal government is not willing to take on themselves,” Witty said.
Burris said he’d “work hard to make sure illegal citizens don’t receive state services.”
“In order to benefit from government services, you need to be a citizen of that government,” Burris said. “If a family is in a tragic car accident and someone from another country is hurt, we have to take care of that person. We should provide them the care they need, but should they receive our state welfare or food stamps or unemployment benefits ? No, you should be a citizen.”
Among the issues on the Nov. 4 ballot is a measure that would establish a law to ban unmarried couples who live together from serving as foster parents or adopting children.
The state Department of Human Services on Thursday discontinued its ban on unmarried cohabitating couples being foster parents.
Burris said he supports the ballot issue banning unmarried people from being foster parents.
“Kids develop better and are more stable in a two-parent household,” he said. “A gay foster parent ban is a step in the right direction.”
Witty said he supports a ban on unmarried couples being foster parents. He spoke specifically against gay couples raising foster children.
“I don’t think gay anything is very good,” Witty said.
Witty touts himself as the veteran in the campaign, saying Burris’ youth works against being a good state legislator.
“I’m banking on the biggest issue being that he’s been in college for the last four years, and I’ve been putting someone through college,” said Witty, whose daughter is a senior at Hendrix College in Conway. “It’s living and knowing what it takes to live when you reach my age. I’m hoping that that’s the difference voters see.”
Burris, who’s a few credit hours short of a bachelor’s degree in history from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, concedes he doesn’t know what it’s like to pay for another person’s education.
“But I know what it’s like to pay for my own,” Burris said. “I understand the value of hard work. Your experience prepares you for life, and Bill certainly has lived longer. I respect that, but I’ve managed a statewide political campaign. I know this process. We need someone who’s prepared himself for this seat.”