Senator Blanche Lincoln in the Village for candidate forum

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln and State Senator Joyce Elliott voiced what they will do for the voters of Saline and Garland Counties.

Senator Blanche Lincoln assured supporters and worked hard to win over Halter supporters at Friday night's democratic candidate forum.

Pat O'Brien, Johnny and Mrs. Hoyt and Dawn Creekmore.

Pat O'Brien has been successful as the circuit and county clerk for Pulaski County but now he is running for Secretary of State. The office of Secretary of State does not impact the state's education, health care or economy so O'Brien did not have as much opportunity to speak as did the other candidates. He pledged to make state government more open and transparent through high standards and accountability.

Candidate for District 31 State Representative Debbie Murphy is a Pulaski County resident. Her involvement with the education of her two children has brought her face to face with education issues.

For over 20 years, Murphy has worked hard in her community to make it a better place to live, work and raise a family. She was on the Governor's Task Force on Gifted and Talented Education, a board member of the Pulaski County Special School District and has worked closely with the Humane Society and the Baptist Health Foundation.

She believes, "we must better educate our young people in order to sustain long term growth making our children ready to compete in the economy of the future."

Government transparency is of vital interest to Murphy, "we should be confident that our elected officials are representing our values and beliefs. That's why I support live, online video feeds for all committee meetings."

Like all the candidate at the forum health care is in the top three issues discussed. Murphy said, "instead of just treating diseases, we must work to prevent them entirely. Educating both students and parents in proper nutrition is key."

District 30 Representative Johnny Hoyt and his campaign manager wife are running for re-election. Hoyt lives in Morriltton and is a former education administrator. He has a track record of positive education initiatives.

"Education is important but economic development is also important so we have good jobs for our graduates." Hoyt noted a phenomenal new statistic in Arkansas education. "Arkansas is now 10th in the country in education, moved up from 48 or 49."

Hoyt is not a supporter of mandates in the classroom. He believes teachers need to "buy into policy. Teachers are on the front line trying to educate."

District 22 Representative Dawn Creekmore is running for re-election. She is a strong proponent of education. Her two children are now in college bring the cost of higher education to the forefront.

Her daughter is considering teaching in a rural school for a couple of years to offset the cost of her education. Creekmore wants to see more opportunities for affordable education and wants to see more of our students graduating.

State Senator Joyce Elliot is running for U.S. Representaive from the second district. There is a post of her presentation.

Of course, the star of the evening was U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln. She was late to the proceedings and apologized. She said she had been detained in Washington, D. C. trying to get a child nutrition bill passed before the weekend. The bill is still pending.

Lincoln is all about making opportunities for Arkansas and Arkansans. Her voting record is 85-percent along party lines and 15-percent with Republicans in an effort to benefit the state.

Lincoln was eloquent in her attempts to win over any Halter supporters in an effort to unite the party for the November election, just 99 days from today.

She said it is going to be a though election year but she is "road tested." Lincoln is a seventh generation Arkansan. She is from a farm family.

As far as the economy is concerned, Lincoln is for cutting back runaway spending. The difference between her approach and that of her opponent is that she is for surgically cutting the budget and her opponent is for hatcheting it. She said the Department of Defense should not be immune to budget cuts. There is room for cuts just not across the board cuts.

Lincoln told the audience she is about finding common ground. She represents all of Arkansas, not just one party.

When asked why we are still in Afghanistan, Lincoln said, "I support President Obama's approach, we are there timely and temporarily." She added she had wanted to bring home the troops from Iraq sooner.

She is proud of the special contingent of Arkansas soldiers sent to Afghanistan to teach agricultural methods. She said another Arkansas contingent is readying to continue this mission.

Lincoln received several much deserved standing ovations during her appearance in the Village.