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To the Editor:
With early voting under way and election day fast approaching, here are a few last thoughts on consolidation. In a recent mailing to Caddo Valley voters, those opposed to consolidation raise two issues: trust and representation.
First, consider trust. The opposition provides no evidence that Arkadelphia government cannot be trusted. They merely present a cartoon implying Arkadelphia will treat Caddo Valley like the U.S. government treated Native Americans.
But what about evidence for trust in Caddo Valley city government?
Even though just a few years ago a city employee was convicted of embezzlement, the Water Department has not been audited in at least five years. Wouldn’t a city that wants to rebuild trust do yearly audits of all departments to make sure every penny is accounted for?
For several months, bacterial testing for the water supply was not completed and our sewage treatment plant has been out of compliance with our permit. Wouldn’t a city that wants trust in the safety and reliability of its water supply take care of those details?
For several months many water bills were based on guesses rather than meter readings. Past due charges are allowed to accumulate instead of leading to water shutoffs. Wouldn’t a city want its citizens to trust that all pay a fair share for services?
Ask volunteer firefighters what happened to accumulated funds when the city council took over their budget. Wouldn’t a city want to build trust in its budget processes?
Poll workers appointed by the city for this election have no experience or training in local elections and are known opponents of consolidation? Wouldn’t a city want its voters to trust that they can vote with confidence and without fear of intimidation? Fortunately, other trained workers will be present and early voting is available.
Which city government is worthy of our trust? The evidence is clear.
Second, opponents of consolidation claim “there is no guarantee that any citizen of Caddo Valley would be elected to represent us in the Arkadelphia City Government.” That’s right. Neighborhoods are not guaranteed that their ward’s representative will come from their particular neighborhood. But the assumption behind their objection is that elected directors do not represent all the people in their wards. What if a director from Caddo Valley were elected? Would he or she care only about the interests of Caddo Valley and not the rest of the ward? Let’s hope not. Representation for Caddo Valley does not require that a director live in Caddo Valley.
Finally, it appears that opponents are starting rumors to produce fear and distrust. For example, some are saying that if consolidation passes, Arkadelphia is planning to take the fire engines and equipment in the Caddo Valley station and replace them with something of less quality. The Arkadelphia city manager and fire chief are willing to go on record that this is absolutely false. Their desire is to enhance the abilities of all fire stations, including the Caddo Valley station, to respond to fires.
I urge citizens of both cities to vote on the basis of facts and evidence. Do not be fooled by rumors or baseless accusations. When you check the facts, you’ll see that they support a vote for consolidation. Let’s work together for a better future.
Byron Eubanks
Caddo Valley
To the Editor:
With early voting under way and election day fast approaching, here are a few last thoughts on consolidation. In a recent mailing to Caddo Valley voters, those opposed to consolidation raise two issues: trust and representation.
First, consider trust. The opposition provides no evidence that Arkadelphia government cannot be trusted. They merely present a cartoon implying Arkadelphia will treat Caddo Valley like the U.S. government treated Native Americans.
But what about evidence for trust in Caddo Valley city government?
Even though just a few years ago a city employee was convicted of embezzlement, the Water Department has not been audited in at least five years. Wouldn’t a city that wants to rebuild trust do yearly audits of all departments to make sure every penny is accounted for?
For several months, bacterial testing for the water supply was not completed and our sewage treatment plant has been out of compliance with our permit. Wouldn’t a city that wants trust in the safety and reliability of its water supply take care of those details?
For several months many water bills were based on guesses rather than meter readings. Past due charges are allowed to accumulate instead of leading to water shutoffs. Wouldn’t a city want its citizens to trust that all pay a fair share for services?
Ask volunteer firefighters what happened to accumulated funds when the city council took over their budget. Wouldn’t a city want to build trust in its budget processes?
Poll workers appointed by the city for this election have no experience or training in local elections and are known opponents of consolidation? Wouldn’t a city want its voters to trust that they can vote with confidence and without fear of intimidation? Fortunately, other trained workers will be present and early voting is available.
Which city government is worthy of our trust? The evidence is clear.
Second, opponents of consolidation claim “there is no guarantee that any citizen of Caddo Valley would be elected to represent us in the Arkadelphia City Government.” That’s right. Neighborhoods are not guaranteed that their ward’s representative will come from their particular neighborhood. But the assumption behind their objection is that elected directors do not represent all the people in their wards. What if a director from Caddo Valley were elected? Would he or she care only about the interests of Caddo Valley and not the rest of the ward? Let’s hope not. Representation for Caddo Valley does not require that a director live in Caddo Valley.
Finally, it appears that opponents are starting rumors to produce fear and distrust. For example, some are saying that if consolidation passes, Arkadelphia is planning to take the fire engines and equipment in the Caddo Valley station and replace them with something of less quality. The Arkadelphia city manager and fire chief are willing to go on record that this is absolutely false. Their desire is to enhance the abilities of all fire stations, including the Caddo Valley station, to respond to fires.
I urge citizens of both cities to vote on the basis of facts and evidence. Do not be fooled by rumors or baseless accusations. When you check the facts, you’ll see that they support a vote for consolidation. Let’s work together for a better future.
Byron Eubanks
Caddo Valley
