Local issues share national stage in Arkansas
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. -- Voters here, like in most places, will be thinking about the economy, the Iraq war and health care when they go to the polls Nov. 4. But in Mountain Home, they'll also be thinking about a proposed hike in the 8% sales tax to pay for an indoor swimming pool in Cooper Park.
The pool's a big topic in this small Ozarks city of 11,000. It's an example of how national issues can influence local concerns and of how people across the USA will have more on their minds than presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain when they go to vote.
Mountain Home Mayor David Osmon, elected in 2006 in a city where municipal elections are conducted on a non-partisan basis, proposed the pool idea last year. Now it's on the ballot, right there with choices for president — as well as for City Council, county judge, sheriff and a statewide question of whether Arkansas should have a lottery.
Some residents, such as Howard Richert, 70, say they're not willing to pay extra and feel the addition to the city's outdoor pool is a luxury in difficult times.
"Too many people are living day-to-day," Richert said. "It's hard enough to pay for groceries. It's nice to have all this stuff if the economy was different."
Then there are the people on the other side. Linda Vornheder, 64, wants the pool and is willing to pay the higher tax. "People with chronic illnesses, like arthritis, will benefit from the low-impact exercise," she said.
Economy, war top issues
Mountain Home residents, along with residents across the state, might talk a lot about local issues, but they are well acquainted with national politics and the way Washington works. It hasn't been that long since Democrat Bill Clinton, from down the road in Hope, went to the White House. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the state's former first lady, tried to get there herself this year.
And former governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, won the Iowa caucuses this year.
While residents talk in the city's coffee shops and antique stores about the pool and other local issues, they're also eager to see how the next president will handle the big picture.
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