Photo: Steve Parsons
A race has developed for the District 3 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives that covers northern Baxter County and eastern Fulton County.
Steve Parsons of Lakeview has filed for the position as a Libertarian. Earlier this week, Republican Stetson Painter of Mountain Home filed for the seat now held by Rep. Nelda Speaks who announced she would not be seeking reelection in what has been District 100. Following the redistricting process, the Arkansas House and Senate districts have been renumbered.
In making his announcement, Parsons says he received his party’s nomination for the seat at its convention in Little Rock Sunday.
He says he chose to run because “voters deserve another choice besides the two parties with a stranglehold on politics; those two parties have an abysmal record at controlling the size of government, government spending and taxes.”
Parsons says his campaign is about less government and more freedom. This means less government intrusion into personal decisions, such as whether one uses a seat belt or smokes marijuana. This also means less government intrusion into business operations, such as decisions regarding hiring, compensation and benefits.
Persons says he hopes to canvas local businesses to see which state restrictions have the biggest impact on their opportunities to thrive and grow.
Persons moved to Lakeview in 2016 with his wife, Dr. Susan Parsons. He has a Ph.D. in economics and is a virtually retired consultant with former clients around the world. He was an adjunct professor teaching the economics of technology to graduate students in engineering at Washington University in St. Louis for over 20 years.
Parsons says if elected, he will donate his entire salary to local charities – one-half to Baxter Regional Medical Center and the other to local charities suggested by his constituents.
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