The three Republicans vying for their party’s nomination to represent part of northeast Arkansas in the state House of Representatives disagree about legislative priorities and how the district should be represented.

Dr. Cole Peck of Jonesboro believes that economic growth should be the focus, and he wants to offer his private business experience to the Legislature.

Jonesboro City Council Member Bobby Long wants to present a conservative voice on issues like gun rights, immigration and taxes.

Mayor Jon Milligan of Lake City said that he wouldn’t focus on any set issue but instead seek to accurately represent the wants and needs of people in House District 53.

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The district has been represented by Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, since 2015. Sullivan isn’t running for reelection, opting instead to challenge Sen. John Cooper of Jonesboro in the Republican primary for Senate District 21.

The district is comprised of the small cities and towns in eastern Craighead County, and it also includes a sliver of Jonesboro.

The winner of the March 3 Republican primary will face Jonesboro Democrat Shawn Only in the November general election.

Milligan, 50, is in his 10th year as the mayor of Lake City, where he served on the City Council before being elected chief executive. He worked in an auto body shop with his father before entering public service.

Milligan is married with three with children.

He said that part of his decision to seek legislative office centered around taking a mayor’s perspective to the Capitol in Little Rock.

“Mayors understand what cities go through, what cities need and don’t need,” Milligan said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean, if I win, I’ll agree with everything [the Municipal League] says. I’ll still represent the people, but I do bring that perspective.”

Peck, 44, is a emergency physician, and he runs a health care business that operates urgent-care clinics. Peck said he also has a real estate business. He is married with three children.

Peck in 2018 lost to Sullivan in the District 53 Republican primary.

He said he decided to run because he cares about the people for the district and wants to make a difference. He added that economic growth was his main priority.

“I’ve been blessed in my professional career in the private sector,” Peck said. “I want to take what I’ve learned in the private sector and apply it to the public sector.”

Long, 53, began serving on the Jonesboro City Council in 2016, and he is the human resources director at a Jonesboro mental health counseling agency. He is married with two children.

He said he is running to “bring a conservative voice” to a number of issues at the state Capitol.

“I’ve been able to stand up for the people of Jonesboro, and I think I know what people of the district want from their representative,” he said.

HIGHWAY TAX

Long has been a vocal opponent of tax referendums on the local and state level; he opposes Issue 1 on the November ballot, which would indefinitely extend the state’s 0.5% sales tax dedicated to road funding.

The tax, which Arkansans approved in 2012, would expire in 2023 if Issue 1 fails.

Long said he’ll vote against the tax because he thinks that inefficiencies and funding cuts can be found in state government to make up the lost tax revenue. Long said, for example, that Arkansas has too many state employees per capita, and it could save millions simply by reducing its employee rolls even slightly.

Additionally, he said the Department of Transportation doesn’t have adequate legislative oversight to ensure the money is spent properly.

“I’m not against highway money going to municipalities and counties; I’m just against where it’s coming from,” Long said. “There’s other ways to provide that. Like I said, if we get our state more efficient, we wouldn’t have to raise taxes.”

Milligan, on the other hand, said he supports Issue 1 because if that dedicated sales tax goes away, the budgets of cities and counties would be significantly harmed. Lake City, for instance, would lose almost $50,000 annually, which is a major hit for a town of about 2,000, Milligan said.

He said many of the road improvements Lake City had made in recent years wouldn’t be possible without the revenue from the road sales tax.

“I know the big thing is taxes, and everyone wants lower taxes,” Milligan said. “But I’m for Issue 1 because of the strain [of losing the tax revenue] would put on street departments.”

Peck will vote for Issue 1, he said, and if it fails, he said the General Assembly must devise new ways to fund bridges and roads. He said he was glad the matter was being referred to voters.

“I’m going to vote ‘yes’ because I think we need to invest in it,” Peck said. “I think you need good roads for a strong economy.”

ARKANSAS WORKS

Peck said he has, from the beginning, opposed “Obamacare,” the nickname for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that overhauled the U.S. health care system in 2010.

However, he said the state’s version of Medicaid expansion, called Arkansas Works, tries to make the best of it, and it should remain in place until the federal law is changed.

Under Arkansas Works, state and federal funds are used to provide private health care coverage for about 246,000 low-income Arkansans.

Milligan said he would have opposed the state expanding Medicaid when the Legislature voted to implement the “Private Option” in 2013. However, he said the system is now part of the fabric of the state’s health care system, and he hasn’t seen a viable alternative plan.

If Arkansas Works went away, Milligan said there would be a major strain on rural hospitals.

Long said that Medicaid expansion has been unsustainable from the start. He said he supports dissolving the program, and focusing care on those who truly need it.

All three candidates said they supported imposing a work requirement on able-bodied adults who receive coverage under Arkansas Works.

Arkansas had implemented such a requirement, but it has been struck down by federal courts.

OTHER ISSUES

All three candidates said they opposed voucher programs that would allow families to use public dollars to pay for private tuition. Each said they feared such a program would harm public schools.

All three candidates also said they oppose abortion, describing themselves as “pro-life.”

Long said that people should vote for him because he’s not afraid to say where he stands.

“I want people to vote for me because they know how I would vote on certain issues,” he said. “Both my opponents want to stay 30,000 feet in the air and not get specific. I’m OK getting specific because I want people to know where I stand. Second, I have a voting record of standing up for the people.”

Milligan said Republicans should support him because he’ll listen, and he has a track record of representing the public effectively.

“I’ve been mayor starting 10 years now,” he said. “I’ve worked with taxpayer money. I’ve got all the contacts. I communicate like I said I would. I think you could ask the people how much I care about our community. At the end of the day, I have to communicate. I’ll sit down and listen to [constituents], and I’ve proven that I can do that.”

Peck said voters should cast their ballots for him because of his background and goals.

“I have the mission,” he said. “The mission is economic growth to lift everybody up. I’ve worked hard my whole life. I’m the only one in this race that has been a job creator. I know what it means to bring jobs here. I know what it means to do a pro forma, to borrow money from the bank, to do a business plan, to work hard, how taxes and regulations can affect a business.”

Early voting for the primary began last week. The general election is Nov. 3.

State lawmakers will be paid $42,458 in addition to mileage and per diem for attending legislative meetings. State representatives are elected to two-year terms.

Photo by hand out - secretary of state / Arkansas Secretary of State

Councilman Bobby Long (Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Photo by hand out - secretary of state / Arkansas Secretary of State

Mayor Jon Milligan (Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)