Pat Hays just can't tell the truth...

Bubba keeps saying Mayor Hays spent $100,000 on travel. NOT TRUE This amount is for the entire city council and he knows that.

Who is stating an untruth? Records from the City’s own Finance Department were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and they clearly show exactly what was spent on Mayor Hays’ travel - $100,000. So, is Mayor Hays actually saying that his Finance Department is giving out information that is “NOT TRUE”????

This information is readily available at Bubba Lloyd’s Campaign Headquarters on JFK Boulevard. Or, any citizen may make their own FOIA request for copies of these records from the NLR Finance Department. Then decide what’s NOT TRUE.

Bubba says the City has spent $3 Million on the USS Razorback. NOT TRUE. The city has spent less than $200,000 and this was required in sales tax revenue spent by tourists. He hasn’t told you that millions of dollars have been donated and thousands of hours volunteered by Arkansas Veterans to care for this national treasure.

“The City has spent less than $200,000…”

Again, records obtained from the NLR Finance Department to substantiate Bubba’s claims of what has been spent on the USS Razorback. These records are readily available at his campaign headquarters or may be obtained through the FOIA from the NLR Finance Department.

“…and this was recouped in sales tax revenue spent by tourist.”

Let’s take a very close look at this statement. How about this scenario? (And we’re being very, very generous.) Let’s say 20,000 people visited the sub in a year and spent an average of $50 each (that’s $50 for every young adult, middle aged adult, senior citizen, teenager, small child and toddler who might have visited the sub). That means their visit to the sub generated $1,000,000 in expenditures in the city. The city gets 1% in sales tax. This would mean the city would receive $10,000 in sales tax revenue from those 20,000 visitors who spent $50 each. Somehow we doubt that the sub attraction is operated on just $10,000 a year. Not True AND misleading!

“…millions of dollars have been donated…” If this is the case, why hasn’t Mayor Hays provided a list of these donors? Now what is NOT TRUE?

“…thousands of hours volunteered by Arkansas Veterans to care for this national treasure.” If thousands of hours have been volunteered, then ask yourself why it is necessary for the city employees from the Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments to spend so much time working on the sub. And, why does the Mayor find it necessary to put Greg Zomer on the City’s payroll, and why it is necessary to add other city employees to work at the sub and museum?

Bubba says Mayor Hays is responsible for the electric rate increase. NOT TRUE. That’s like saying Mayor Hays is responsible for gasoline prices doubling. Bubba also hasn’t told you that Mayor Hays fought to keep the rates lower that Little Rock for 18 years.

What’s the old saying, “The buck stops here?” Well, the buck should stop with Mayor Hays. As Mayor, he controls the budget for the entire city, including the Electric Department. And, that includes what goes OUT form the Electric Department. Ask yourself where the Mayor got all of that money to spend on his pet projects? In the past, his cash cow has been the Electric Department. He did NOT save for a rainy day. So when fuel costs started to rise, there was nothing held in a reserve account to get the Electric Department over a period for rising fuel costs. Then, what had to happen? PAT HAYS RAISED ELECTRIC RATES TO ADJUST FOR THE INCREASED FUEL COSTS. This rate increase could have been delayed, or at the very least, been significantly smaller, But no matter… Pat Hays got to SPEND, SPEND, SPEND. And, the NLR Electric Customers got the shaft.

Bubba has promised the Police and Fire Departments a salary increase. MISLEADING. He cannot do this without a tax increase or by cutting vital city services. Bubba hasn’t told you that Mayor Hays gave the Police and Fire Departments 18 salary increases, that Mayor Hays built the Police Force from 134 to 200 officers, has opened 4 police sub stations, a new police administration building, training academy and 3 new fire stations.

Bubba Lloyd has NOT promised salary increases to the Police and Fire Departments. But, don’t take his word for it. Check yourself and call them. Bubba Lloyd HAS promised to work with the Police and Fire Departments to make them the best departments in the State. And, Bubba DOES want our finest to make as much money as is possible. The only way to keep the best is to create good working conditions and pay a good wage for a good job. What’s wrong with wanting to have the best of the best?

“Mayor Hays have the police and fire departments 18 salary increases.” Guess that’s something to be proud of…considering Pay Hays has been Mayor 20 years. What Mayor Hays fails to mention is that most of these increases were cost of living increases…sometimes as little as 1%! So, for example, if a police officer makes an annual salary of $30, 000.00 he received an annual increase of $300.00 (or $25 per month). WOW!!

One last thing…if Mayor Hays has been so great for the Police and Fire Departments to work with, why are these two groups throwing their support behind Bubba Lloyd?

Bubba Lloyd has not told you his qualifications to govern the city. MISLEADING. Bubba Lloyd has not told you that he demanded the city council spend well over $200,000 to move planned electric lines off his property to attempt to increase the value of his property at tax payer expense. That is more than the city spent on the submarine!

FIRST OF ALL, we’re not exactly sure what this statement has to do with Bubba’s qualifications to be Mayor of the City of North Little Rock.

Bubba Lloyd has not told you that he demanded the city council spend well over $200,000 to move planned electric lines off his property to attempt to increase the value of his property at tax payer expense.

Take a look at Resolution No. 72888 passed July 28,2008. Here’s the title: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE A RELOCATION AGREEMENT AND RIGHT-OF-WAY CONVEYANCE FROM THE CITY OF NORTH LITTLE ROCK TO ENTERGY ARKANSAS, INC.; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Bubba Lloyd was OPPOSED to this Resolution. Specifically, Main Street Argenta and Smarthouse Way Central Business Improvement District No. 27 negotiated with Entergy Arkansas for the relocation of electric power lines that inhibited the proper development of the Smarthouse Way property. This was NOT Bubba Lloyd’s property…it was Smarthouse Way property. The Mayor and his friends wanted to move the power lines TO Bubba Lloyd’s property…and THEY DID...over Bubba Lloyds objections…creating a depreciation in the value of his property.

WE DO NEED A LEADER…NOT A SPENDER WHOSE EGO IS OUT OF CONTROL. IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE. BUBBA LLOYD BRINGS ENERGY, INNOVATION, FRESH IDEAS AND LEADERSHIP.



Dear Neighbor:

You've seen my signs and my postcards talking about the things I want to change in city government. I want to tell you more about the positive things I foresee for our city.

First and foremost, I want North Little Rock to be a great place to live, not just a nice place to visit. I want to concentrate on improving the quality of life by creating a safe environment for all citizens, especially our children and seniors.

I’ll convene an advisory task force of representatives from the AARP, the Retired and Senior and Volunteer Program, the Area Agency on Aging and the North Little Rock Office of Volunteerism. The task force will advise me on what the city can do to encourage the development of affordable housing and assisted living for our seniors, create senior walking and exercise programs at convenient locations, and provide reading racks of information to help seniors find the services they need at senior centers, libraries, the Community Center and City Hall.

I’ll concentrate on public transportation, focusing on those routes and schedules that will:
 - Help seniors and those with disabilities retain their independence
   by taking them to the places they really need to go; and
 - Get low-income workers to their jobs on time.

I’ll make information on public programs available to everyone and encourage the efforts of public service organizations, food banks, Meals on Wheels and churches. We’ll ensure that North Little Rock children get the nutritious meals they need so they can concentrate on their school activities. We’ll also ensure that seniors don't have to choose between food and medicine. Our staff will be trained to link callers with programs and services. I’ll pursue grant funding from federal and private sources to supplement the efforts of local agencies.

I’ll encourage the development of Neighborhood Watch groups and other efforts that stimulate the concern of neighbors for one another. I’ll use the city’s website and newsletter to foster community awareness and volunteerism.

I’ll bring to the job years of business experience, abundant exposure to the political process and the love for North Little Rock of a lifetime resident.

I’ll listen to your concerns rather than traveling all over the world at your expense. I need your help and your vote to make North Little Rock an even better place to live.

Regards,

Bubba Lloyd



Dear North Little Rock Voter:

I want you to know how honored and humbled I am to have received the endorsements of the North Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, the North Little Rock Firefighters and the retired North Little Rock Police and Fire Association in my race for mayor.

For too long, our city’s priorities have been badly skewed. Mayor Pat Hays has spent your hard-earned tax dollars on rusting submarines and empty trolleys rather than investing these funds in the heroes who protect our homes and places of business.

That’s the reason I’m running for mayor – to return some sanity to city government. Pat Hays seems to have forgotten the men and women who work so hard for us – not just the police officers and firefighters, but the men and women who keep our streets paved, keep the electricity on, haul our trash away and provide so many other vital functions of city government.

I’m proud to be from North Little Rock. But like so many of you, I’m disappointed in the priorities of the current mayor. In a Lloyd administration, the priorities will change. Our police officers know that. Our firefighters know that. That’s why I’ve received their endorsements.

I want to focus on our city. I don’t care to have my photo in Esquire. I don’t want to take countless out-of-town trips. I had much rather be visiting with people in places like Rose City, Indian Hills, Lakewood, Dark Hollow and Levy to hear their concerns than hanging out at your expense in a fancy hotel in some so-called sister city in a faraway land or Key West, Florida.

I gave the police officers my word. I gave the firefighters my word. And I give you my word – if I’m elected your mayor, the priorities at City Hall will change. No more excessive travel. No more aging submarines and rusting boats bought with your tax money. No more ignoring the jail crisis. The first priority of any city government should be to protect its citizens. And the last time I checked, no foreign navies were steaming up the Arkansas River to attack us. Rather than adding to our ship collection, let’s give the police and fire departments the resources they need.

We can’t stand four more years of Pat Hays. It’s about priorities. It’s time for change.

Regards,

Bubba Lloyd



Press Release

"We need to improve the morale of our city employees. They work hard, and they deserve more respect for their efforts than they have received in recent years."

Walter “Bubba” Lloyd, Jr. filed as a candidate for mayor of North Little Rock on Monday, calling on incumbent Mayor Patrick Henry Hays to authorize funding for a new fire station in the east part of the city without closing any current fire stations.

“The firefighters of this city have been clear in saying that we should not be closing any fire stations,” said Lloyd, a North Little Rock businessman.
“But the mayor seems intent on going down this dangerous path. This is yet another example of an incumbent who has been in office far too long, forgetting the real needs of the citizens of his city.”

Lloyd said that if Hays does not take this action now, it will become Lloyd’s first official action as mayor in January.

“We have a mayor who has lost touch with the people,” Lloyd said. “I hear it all over North Little Rock. I assure you that I will listen to voters in all neighborhoods of North Little Rock. It seems that rather than listening to folks in places like Rose City, Park Hill, Lakewood and Levy, our current mayor prefers to listen to wealthy out-of-town developers and folks in so-called sister cities on the other side of the world. He has become far more comfortable posing for pictures in Esquire than visiting with North Little Rock residents in their homes. When he became mayor, he had the right priorities. But too many years in office can change a man and skew his priorities.”

As an example of skewed priorities, Lloyd said that though the city of North Little Rock has almost doubled in size geographically since Hays became mayor, no new firemen have been hired.



Firefighters are hitting the streets early in the morning to show their support.

“Minutes mean lives,” Lloyd said. “And we’re putting the lives of North Little Rock residents in danger by spreading our firemen thinner and thinner. This is just one example of how this mayor has ignored basic services in our city, focusing instead on things like submarines and his own extensive travel schedule. While we’re keeping up an aging submarine on the river, our people are drowning in debt with increased electric rates and fewer city services. The hard-working people of North Little Rock deserve a mayor who once again will focus on the basic services that should be the bread and butter of any municipal government – things such as police protection and fire protection.”

Lloyd said that when he becomes mayor, the vast majority of his time will be spent in North Little Rock rather than traveling to meetings across the country and around the world.

“I’ll either be in my office at City Hall meeting with residents or in my car, driving the streets of North Little Rock and noting things that need to be done by the various departments of city government,” Lloyd said. “I will make it a goal to drive through every neighborhood in North Little Rock at least once a month. I will be a much more familiar figure on the streets of North Little Rock than I am in the four-star hotel lobbies of Washington, D.C., where our current mayor feels so comfortable. We need a mayor who remembers how he got to City Hall.”

Lloyd said he will personally visit with all city employees on a regular basis to hear their concerns.

We need to improve the morale of our city employees,” Lloyd said. “They work hard, and they deserve more respect for their efforts than they have received in recent years. In fact, all of the taxpayers of North Little Rock deserve our respect. They work hard, and the mayor of this city must ensure he works equally hard to ensure their tax dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. It’s high time we returned city government to the people of this city.