Letters to the editor
Posted on Saturday, October 4, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/69765/
Vote, vote, vote for Jim Halsell
Oct. 7 will be the last chance to cast your vote in the Fayetteville school board run-off election between Conrad Odom and Jim Halsell. If, like me, your polling place is inconvenient, go to the Washington County Courthouse and participate in the early voting. But vote. If you have school-aged (or younger ) children and reside in this district, vote. If you have school-aged (or younger ) grandchildren and reside in this district, vote. If you are a registered voter and reside in the Fayetteville School District, vote. (I think that just about covers it. ) But there is just one catch. You need to be an informed voter. This brings me to the second, and yes, perhaps the main reason I am writing this letter.
Over the years, I have attended and participated in public input meetings for proposed elementary school rezoning / closings, and more recently, the Future of Fayetteville High School Select Committee input meetings. This is where I first came to admire Jim Halsell. At such meetings (when tensions tended to run high ) I found Jim to be the calm, informed voice of reason. He asked questions about LEED certification of school district architects. Among other things, making sure we had a cutting-edge, energy efficient high school was important to him. Jim has the ability to see the big picture, but understanding all the while that the big picture has a lot of little details that need to be considered. Because of his direct involvement as president of the Washington Elementary School’s PTO, and as a WatchDog Dad, he has seen first-hand the challenges faced by teachers, administrators, parents and students. He has worked for a more enriched learning environment at that school by cooperating with the University of Arkansas School of Architecture Department and heading up an impressive outdoor classroom project. With a great deal of experience, currently as vice president in the mortgage lending business, you can rest assured that Jim Halsell is acutely in tune to the financial impact a millage increase will place on us all. Further, his degree in Business and a Masters in Communication from the UA give me the assurance that he is qualified not only to make sound financial decisions, but to communicate them effectively and accurately to this community. Jim has taken the time to provide a Web site, www. jimhalsell. com, so that you may be informed of his views on the issues. Cast your vote on or before Oct. 7 — for Jim Halsell, that is. He’s got the kind of experience we need.
Dian Bacon
Fayetteville