FAYETTEVILLE [KFSM] - Incumbent Republican Charlie Collins is facing Democratic challenger Candy Clark in the race to win the state House District 84 seat in Fayetteville and parts of eastern Washington County.
Collins said one of the issues he wants to focus on in his campaign is allowing staff and faculty to carry guns on college campuses with the proper permit, to help prevent campus shootings.
"These crazy killers know that they can go there and start shooting our young ones, our loved ones, that it's going to be a period of time before law enforcement or someone else can come and disrupt their plan," Collins said.
Clark said she thinks allowing guns on campus is the wrong approach. As of 2013, public universities in Arkansas can vote on whether to allow their teachers to carry.
"To put guns on campus is I think to invite disaster. Instead I think you need solid wooden doors that lock from the inside. You need intercoms, and you need trained security campus police," Clark said.
She said if she's elected, she wants to focus on helping raise minimum wage in Arkansas from $6.25 to $8.50. The issue is set to be on the ballot this year.
"If you give people more in the paycheck -- and we are talking middle class, lower class, the people that need the money working on an hourly wage -- they're not going to stuff that money in the bank. They're going to go out," Clark said. "It's going to go back into our economy."
Collins said higher wages means a higher skill set for workers, which he said will disqualify those who may not the experience.
"The way we are going to take people that are in the lower wage jobs and help them get the skills to get higher wage jobs is to give them the opportunity to earn while they learn, and when you're doing that you just don't get paid as much, because you just can't offer as much," Collins said.
The incumbent said he is in favor of a $141 tax cut package that he said would encourage economic growth and job creation. Collins sponsored the bill that would reduce each of the income tax brackets by .1%, meaning those with the lowest income would get a 10% break in taxes, and those with the highest income would get a 1.4% reduction in taxes. Clark said she is weary of the bill.
"Tax cuts are a wonderful thing to throw out especially in an election year, I believe in cutting taxes but also think you need to do your research, do your homework and make sure you know the consequence that those tax cuts will have on essential services," Clark said.
As citizens of Fayetteville, Collins and Clark also commented on Ordinance 119, which would create a civil rights administrator for the city. The issue is set to go before voters later this year. Collins said he would vote against the ordinance, while Clark said she supports it.
Early voting for the November general election begins Oct. 20. Voters can cast their ballot at six locations in Washington County. Election day is Nov. 4. For more information, click here.