There are two issues in the forefront of the present county commission race. One is the issue of wastefulness, and the other issue is the unbridled grasp for power. I believe the time has come to change the leadership of our county.

For those of you who have not met me or my family, I’d like to share some information that may show the love and passion which I have for our county. Hard work was something that was always expressed in my parent’s home when we discussed becoming a successful leader. My father, Edgar (Bubba) Chapman’s, father was an orphan, so there was no one to turn to for financial support. He learned that the biggest blocks to success were vision and the courage to act, not financial constraints.

My father raised me the same way, encouraging me to identify and respect the opportunities for hard work, and to value and respect other people.

I have been absolutely amazed at the lack of respect the current county commission shows for both the sheriff and the other elected officials.

When Dunn and Wells were reelected, they considered this a mandate to begin turning the screws on all of our government departments. The first bolt to turn was my friend, Sheriff Johnson’s office.

These commissioners, realizing that we received money from drug forfeitures, decided to beef up the Marshal’s office, controlled by the county commission, an attempt to reduce both the influence and the income of our traditional and successful law enforcement agencies.

Our citizens can easily see that these commissioners are going after the money and the control of how it is spent. If we have a county police force, the county commission chairman would be in charge of our public safety and the money.

My fellow challengers are not speaking about issues. They only state how they are great or how they are qualified. Sam Chapman cares about real things that matter to real people in our county.

We will stop the waste and stop the disrespect. We will begin to work as cities, agencies and county officials to become one team body with the same goal: to provide public service and facilities at the lowest cost and to keep our investments moving in the right direction.

Everyone countywide can start voting in downtown Fayetteville above the tag office July 3rd through the 14th. Vote Sam Chapman.

login to post comments