Beebe: Delta aid no call for ill will
Posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Gov. Mike Beebe said Monday that Northwest Arkansas shouldn't begrudge the Delta any additional assistance that state government may provide.
"They frankly deserve the same quality of life, the same opportunity and the same chance at the American dream that you all enjoy in Northwest Arkansas,"Beebe said.
The new Democratic governor spoke to about 300 people from regional chambers of commerce who were in Little Rock for "Northwest Arkansas Day,"a semiannual show of unity at the state Capitol. The delegation had lunch with Beebe and planned to spend the evening at a reception, entertaining and lobbying legislators from throughout the state.
Beebe's speech hit on a theme he's been repeating for a couple of years now, that the state should be working as a whole no matter the differences in regional economics. He's made similar remarks in parts of the state that are struggling economically - charging them not to be jealous of more prosperous regions.
"We are in this together. We are one family, we are one state, we are one people. When some of us do well, we all should celebrate that,"he said. "Conversely, when some of us hurt, we all should hurt as well."
He said struggling Delta towns may need more state help in the coming years, though he didn't offer details.
"If we can get them going a little bit more as an engine, if we can get them enjoying some of this prosperity, you don't have to row your oars quite as hard,"Beebe said.
He pointed out that his budget calls for increases in funding for higher education, which will send more money to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.
He said he knows the community college needs more funding than he's proposed.
"This doesn't get them where they need to be, but it's a huge, huge step,"Beebe said.
Becky Paneitz, the community college president, said after the speech that she's pleased with Beebe's attention to the region but said she'll continue to fight for more funding for the college.
She said the Beebe proposal would take the college from 57 percent of what it needs - according to a higher education funding formula that institutions agreed upon - to 68 percent. It would represent about a $ 1. 8 million increase to about $ 10 million in annual state funding, she said.
She said 68 percent is better, but that percentage won't hold for long.
"Our concern is that we continue to grow, so we just keep falling behind,"she said.
Beebe told the group that legislation to cut the state sales tax on groceries had won committee approval earlier in the day, an announcement met with polite applause. Several in the audience have said they'd prefer tax cuts targeted to businesses, such as elimination of sales taxes on manufacturers' utility bills.
"And for those of you who are tepid in your clapping, and for those of you who didn't clap at all, let me harken back to what I said earlier: We are in this together,"Beebe said. "It may not help you as much as it helps somebody else, but to the extent that it helps the least of us, it ultimately helps all of us."
Beebe assured the crowd that he wants to help the region with more highway money and assured them that his new appointment to the Arkansas Highway Commission, Cliff Hoofman of North Little Rock, shares his philosophy.
"The only thing that can stop this economic engine of Northwest Arkansas is if it implodes from a lack of sufficient resources for infrastructure that is so necessary for growth,"Beebe said. "I don't want you to think I just said that during the campaign and I've forgotten it."
Chambers of commerce in Northwest Arkansas used to host separate events during the legislative session but have been teaming up for several years now.
Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, said the unified front gives credibility to the arguments that regional economic developers make for help from the state.
"It gives us an opportunity to show people like Gov. Beebe and his staff that it's a very solid message that comes out of Northwest Arkansas,"Webb said.
He said he liked what the governor said about the Delta, where economic development efforts involve a complicated set of circumstances.
"Just because it doesn't affect us doesn't mean we shouldn't support it,"Webb said.
He said he and others like Beebe's continued push for more of the state's highway funding to "follow the cars,"or go to more congested areas, instead of being divided up evenly based on geographic region.
"It's still not going to be a quick fix, but he's very much on the record now,"Webb said.
Beebe recognized Sen. Dave Bisbee, R-Rogers, for his years of service in the Legislature. The state's term limits law will prevent Bisbee, the senior member and de facto leader of the Northwest Arkansas delegation, from serving another term in the Senate.
This will be his last regular legislative session.
The crowd gave Bisbee a standing ovation.
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