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TRACY PENNARTZ
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 65
Democratic Candidate
Formal Announcement of Candidacy -- February 7, 2006
Ladies and Gentlemen, Business Associates, Friends and Neighbors, and Family --
I am very proud to have ya'll here today for the formal announcement of my
Democratic candidacy for State
Representative -- District 65 which covers the north side of
Fort Smith.
As an Arkansas native and a resident of Fort Smith for more than 25 years, I
have seen our community grow from a large town, to a city, and now to its
current status as a regional economic hub.
This robust transition brings with it new challenges and opportunities for our
community and its leaders. Especially so now, in the 21st Century.
I believe I am well qualified to be one of your elected leaders, serving you in
the House of Representatives during the upcoming 86thGeneral Assembly. My
professional background and record of community, civic, and public involvement
has honed the skills needed in a public servant.
Skills such as listening to the concerns of individuals and families, ferreting
out facts from fiction, developing policies on community boards, advocating for
fair and equitable treatment, helping others to achieve, working as a team
member and leader, negotiating win-win deals, and addressing problems and
collaboratively designing pragmatic solutions.
You may well ask what I would value as your State Representative? My values are
not uncommon. They are a reflection of yours -- honesty, integrity, hard work,
and a sense of honor and service to our families and community.
As your State Representative for District 65, I would be steered by a
three-pronged approach:
1) Citizen-Sensitive Representation,
--which means I listen when you call, and respond to the
best of my ability;
2) Striving for Collaborative Relationships that focus on Achieving Results,
--which means forming working relationships that get things
done;
and
3) Gaining an Equitable Share of our State's Resources for
Fort Smith
--which means advocating and securing our fair share of
general revenues for the north side Fort Smith.
What will be some of the statewide issues affecting us? I believe that the 86th
General Assembly will be faced with setting policy and passing legislation that
deals with such issues as:
• Refining Funding for Public Education
--So we have an equitable and adequate public education system on a statewide
basis,
• Affordable Health Care
--physical and mental healthcare
• Strengthen Private Property Right
• Jobs Creation through Economic Development
• Crime & Punishment
--Protecting our kids from sexual predators
--Stopping the revolving door for violent and hardened criminals
• Ensuring Fair Taxation
--as applied to individuals, businesses, and
organizations;
--The central question being “Is everyone being
taxed fairly so that no sector is bearing an
undue burden of taxation?”
• Financing the Statewide Transportation Infrastructure
--How do we best finance the upgrading and
expansion of our highways and byways?
As your District 65 State Representative, I would also be
alert to how State initiatives might impact local and regional
Issues such as the
• Infrastructure Development
--Water Usage and Water Resources,
--Adequate Drainage and Sewer Systems,
• Upgrading of the F.S. Police Dept. Communications system,
• Tourism which will be enhanced by the securing the U. S. Marshal’s Museum,
• Riverfront Development and its social and economic impact on downtown Fort
Smith, and
• Expanding Funding for the Fort Smith Drug Courts.
I invite each of you to help me make the ideas that I have
expressed here today a reality. I ask for you support and your
VOTE of Trust in the May 23rd Primary Election and the
November 7th General Election.
As your State Representative for District 65,
I have ample guidance from Luke 12:48 -- "Much will be required
of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be
demanded of the person entrusted with more". These words
have as much impact on me today, as when I first heard them
from my mother’s lips.
In closing, I would be remiss if I did not thank each of you for
being here today. It has been a pleasure for me to make the
formal announcement of my Democratic candidacy for State
Representative, District 65, in your presence, but mostly, mostly
it's been a privilege!
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