Arkansas Blog

I'm hearing that Jane Dickey minions are burning up the e-mail and phone lines this afternoon telling Little Rock Board members to give her another 7-year term on top of the previous 11 years. Opponents of Dickey need to be equally persuasive so that Board members will have no choice but to do the right thing- tell Dickey thanks for your past service, but we need a change in direction on the Central Arkansas Water Board, someone who will look out more for the interests of 400,000 ratepayers. A handful of wealthy developers are only too happy to make money overbuilding in the Lake Maumelle watershed, even if it despoils the primary drinking water supply of 400,000 central Arkansans, and Dickey is only to happy to oblige them.

Please e-mail or call LR Mayor Mark Stodola and every LR Director before 4:00 p.m. today and urge them to vote against Dickey's reappointment. Here is the contact information:

Mayor Mark Stodola mayor@@littlerock.org

Director Stacy Hurst shurst@littlerock.org
Director Michael Keck mkeck@littlerock.org

Director Erma Hendrix board@little rock.org
Director Ken Richardson board@little rock.org
Director Bard Cazort board@littlerock.org
Director Doris Wright board@littlerock.org
Director B.J. (Brenda) Wyrick board@littlerock.org
Director Dean Kumpuris board@littlerock.org
Director Gene Fortson board@littlerock.org
Director Joan Adcock board@littlerock.org

As you can see, only Directors Stacy Hurst and Michael Keck have unique e-mail addresses. You can send an e-mail to the other 8 Board members at the same e-mail address, but remember to include each of their names in your salutation. You can leave a phone message for all of them at City Hall by calling 371-4510.

If you are a customer of CAW, both the quality and cost of your drinking water depends on you taking action before it is too late. Make sure your voices are heard.

Anyone in Central Ark making book or giving odds on Dickey's reappointment?

Your use of the term "minions" is arrogant and condescending. Many people who know and respect Jane are sending in emails to the board because we trust her to do the right thing.

JEGauntt,

Did Ms Dickie vote to to disregard the winning condemnation of Waterview Estates and PAY Developer Ferguson $1,000,000.00 AND let him build in Critical Area A?

If so I would be using much more derogatory terms to label those so called "minions".

Snatching DEFEAT from the jaws of VICTORY is a perfect description I heard in referring to the unbelievable actions of OUR CAW board members.

Jeg, if you trusted her to do the right thing, then you should now be sorely disappointed. Ignore professional advice to allow a few million dollar homes in the most vulnerable part of the watershed? Settle a lawsuit CAW had already won? Risk the quality of our water in favor of development? Fail to recognize the conflict in serving on a public board while also serving as an attorney for a client with business before the same board? How can you possibly describe this as "doing the right thing"? Either you are a fool or your last name is Ferguson.

BULLETIN - Dickey withdrew herself from the appointment.

Also,
Did Ms Dickie vote roughly 3 years ago NOT to let CAW bid on the land that developer Dehaven is now trying to force CAW pay TWELVE TIMES his cost?

These two items either point to ineptitude or not dealing with the ratepayer's interests in mind.

Once again "minions" is VERY tame.

So who's up next year?

Jim Harvey has my vote. (If I had one.)

Jim has spoken at a number of meetings of various organizations I belong to over the years. If I remember the timing correctly, Jim retired from CAW and the board quickly un-condemned the Ferguson land and paid the million bucks.

I understand Jim Harvey is very interested in the appointment, and was very involved in the Techra Tech study that we ratepayers paid for then had the Board disregard.

For those with limited vocabularies, the terms "minions" and "fool" are derogatory terms that represent ad hominem attacks. They serve no purpose in a discussion of issues. Your world must be a very strange one if everyone with an opposing view must be attacked personally.

I think that showed some class on her part.

Man, don't you *know* that folks like S. Hurst, J. Dickey and L. Hardin *just* hate the idea of blogs and e-mail? That's three cut down to size in just a week or so. The lash around here is mighty.

"Settle a lawsuit CAW had already won?"

I case is never won till all appeals have been exhausted. It's very common to settle a case, especially if you are not sure how the appeal might go. I think that case could have still been appealed if my memory serves me correctly.

Make that A case

I wish it was class on her part, Reallawyer, but I suspect it had more to do with a count of the board votes. I'd bet her pal on the board tipped her off, she surmised withdrawal was better than public defeat.

But whatever, I'm toasting this great moment with a tall glass of LR tap water on the rocks.

"Minion" is a derogatory term that represents an ad hominem attack????

From Wikipedia: Minion may refer to:

Minion is a term for favourites or protégés, especially those of a monarch or prince at a royal court. Unlike a henchman or lackey, although of subordinate rank to his patron a minion is likely to be of noble birth or to be raised to the nobility, and is more of a companion and confidant to him than a servant or bodyguard.

Sounds to me like "minion" is more a term of respect. Maybe that blog should have referred to "henchmen" or "lackeys" if it was aiming for derogation or ad hominem.

Helluva victory for the AT Blog, I'd say.
I went toe to toe against JD years ago, altho she fought from behind others. She didn't win, but I didn't either. She is , or was, even more powerful now so it's a big win for the bloggers. BUT they will not appoint Jim Harvey. Keep the full court press on, or it will be someone who will vote no differently than Mizz Dickey would have.

Give the LR Board credit for recognizing the nominating process is flawed. And, give them credit for passing a resolution authorizing Mayor S to work with Admiral Hays to fix it. Kudos. The process should be open to nominations from outside the CAW commission and the final board vote should be taken in the sunshine. I hear through the grapevine that Dickey only had two votes on the Board. Her withdrawal is a testament to vote counting and to good judgment.

"...especially those of a monarch or prince at a royal court."

Now THAT describes these ultimate insiders to a "T!" Sanford's got it right, and changing the process will provide cover for the same ol', same old... DO NOT expect reform of the LR power structure any time soon; it's monolithic and self-feeding/perpetuating.
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to: Citizen Home, it may come as a surprise to many on this blog that there was NO VOTE at all to prevent CAW or Jim Harvey from bidding on the sod farm property three years ago or any other time because Jim Harvey did not present that option to the CAW Commission for a vote. If you doubt it, check the CAW minutes.

Also, Citizen Home, you don't need to vote for Jim Harvey for commissioner because, apparently, Max, Kate Althoff and Barry Haas have already selected Harvey as the next commissioner. They may want to ask Harvey WHY he didn't present the auction bid to the commission for a vote.

ARK. BLOG: He has an answer. He says he was advised against it by the then-commission chairman. But, yes. Let's have him discuss that issue in public before the commission and hear what their recollection is as well.

Wish I could can & preserve all you folks who fought Miz Dickey & the minions, I'd send you off to D.C. to overturn that gawd damned FISA crap law that pryor and whats her name will vote for.

Max, your response surprises me because I have seen correspondence from Harvey in which he admits: 1. that he did not present the bid plan to the commission, 2. that he was not prohibited by the chair or any other commissioner from presenting the purchase to the commission for a vote and 3. that Harvey would contact you, Max, and tell you that.

ARK. BLOG: I hope he does. He told me contrary in a phone conversation.