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Clemmer fifth to run for House |
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Wednesday, 16 January 2008 |
Ann Clemmer said she wants to practice what she teaches.
Clemmer, a political science instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has announced as a Republican candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives District 29 position.
She is president of the Saline County Republican Women and is the fifth candidate to announce for the District 29 seat.
The seat is held by Rep. Janet Johnson, D-Bryant. Johnson, 60, cannot run again because of the state’s term-limits law.
Clemmer, 49, lives in the Salem community. She said education is key for the economic development of this area and the state.
“Education has been the source of economic growth for Saline County,” she said.
“We’ve got to offer a quality public education to the rest of the state. We’ve also got to promote affordable opportunities for college and vocational education after high school.”
The cost of higher education “is getting further out of reach for more Arkansas students,” Clemmer added. “Middle class families are facing an inordinate struggle to make college a reality.”
Clemmer is the third Republican to announce for the District 29 seat. The others are J. Brett Hooton, 24, and Bud Lidzy, 44, both of Bryant.
Two Democrats have announced. They are Scott Smith, 34, of Bryant and Mike Beckwith, 47, of near Benton.
Media outlets around the state frequently call upon Clemmer for her political expertise on state and national politics. Clemmer has been a panelist for AETN’s Arkansas Week” program and is a regular contributor for public radio (KLRE/KUAR) program “Arkansas Viewpoint.”
Clemmer was the 2006 election night analyst for Fox 16 for both the primary and general elections, and is a frequent consultant for that station and other network affiliates in Little Rock.
Her political expertise and experience will be an asset in serving Saline County in the Legislature, Clemmer said.
“With a term-limited Legislature, experience becomes even more crucial,” she said.
“There isn’t much time for on the job training. I have the knowledge and experience to hit the ground running. I can go toe-to-toe with the big boys. I’ve been doing it all my life.”
Clemmer grew up on a farm in Mississippi County. Before going to UALR, she owned and operated a small business. She later ran an off-campus resident center for the what is now Arkansas Northeastern College.
“Living in the Delta made me acutely aware of the need for Arkansas to have a competitive two-party system, which certainly was not the case in East Arkansas,” Clemmer said. “It was a big shock when I came to Saline County in 1992 to see real two-party competition.”
After years of volunteering, Clemmer ran as a Republican National Convention delegate in 1996 and won. She has attended five national conventions as a volunteer and observer.
Next year, Clemmer will have three children in college.
“I’m pretty well informed about the costs of college,” she said.
“I’ve paid the bills. In the classroom, I witness firsthand the difficulty students have in doing college work while trying to hold down multiple jobs to pay for the experience.”
Clemmer has three daughters: Taylor Bennett, 22 a senior at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway; Lauren Bennett, 19, a sophomore at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia; and Caitlin Bennett, 17, a senior at Bryant High School. |
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