Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,

My name is Bill Wavering and I am asking for your support as I run for Justice of the Peace in District 9 of Garland County.
 
I am 54 years old, an eight year military veteran, and presently reside in Bonnerdale, Arkansas with my wife of twenty years, Marilyn.
 
I have an Associates Degree in Industrial Engineering, and for the last decade have been employed as the Master Planner for the Arkansas Army National Guard.
 
I am a member of St. John’s Catholic Church here in Hot Springs, and was recently elected the Faithful Navigator of the Hot Springs Knights of Columbus Assembly 1892.
 
I've built my career on project analysis, fiscal discipline, and the elimination of inefficiency. In my present role with the National Guard I am responsible for the programming and oversight of all Major Military Construction projects in the State that are valued at $1.5 million or more.
 
I've actually entertained the thought of civic service for quite some time. But I would repeatedly come up against the same 'stumbling block'. When I first contemplated running for JP while living in Hot Springs Village in 2004, I realized that literally everyone I knew went to the same church, belonged to the same club, and ran in the same circles
 
Then Last August, I saw a flier pinned to a community bulletin board advertising a meeting of the 'Citizen's Caucus'. I thought; "This sounds much more appealing than getting the truck tires rotated." And I decided to attend the meeting.
 
Long story short; I remember hearing at that meeting that we, as a group, would go through a process and develop a set of standards for candidates for JP, County Judge, and  Hot Springs City Board members; with the intention of seeking candidates that this Citizen's Caucus would support in 2010. I thought to myself “There may only be 15 persons here from District Nine, but they live in different neighborhoods, go to different churches, and have varied interests and acquaintances." Suddenly, I wasn’t just among familiar faces anymore.  I was now part of something much broader, where I could see a way to run an effective campaign.
 
You’ll notice I didn’t say “run as a Republican, or run as a Democrat”.  I believe that at the county level, the labels democrat, republican, and independent are merely the words used to divide a ballot. At this level we all desire the same things. We want someone who will treat our hard earned money in the same manner we treat it ourselves. We all desire our public officials to budget our tax dollars with the same amount of diligence and care that we all take with our personal finances. We all believe that in order to fund the top priorities a certain amount of discipline must accompany spending.
 
None of us are unwilling to fund government that works. However; we are all unwilling to continue to pay more each year for no observable difference. We cannot just walk into our bosses' office and demand a raise because we're spending more than we're earning. And none of us believe that government should be able to do that either.
 
We're all willing to fund important items, but we all silently question if our elected public servants, and that's what they are, have truly squeezed as much as possible out of the dollars we've already given.
 
We've observed the 'goings-on' at the state and national levels, and many of us are less than pleased. We've all admitted, to an extent, that we've gotten what we deserved for our inattention. We have also decided that the system must be rebuilt from the ground up.
 
I've thought long and hard about all of this. My mantra has always been; "Find the three most important requirements for a project, and develop a method for delivering these requirements."
 
Here is what I believe are the three most important requirements every person here desires from their elected officials;
 

Accountability – If elected I will promise to ensure to the best of my ability my accountability to the people I represent. I will establish lines of communication and keep them open. I will do my best to explain my decisions and the process I used to arrive at those decisions.
 
Respect – If elected I will promise to hold each constituent I represent in the highest regard. As the JP of District 9 I will represent all persons within that district; those that voted for me, those that did not, and those unable to vote. I will do my best to accord all persons the dignity which they deserve.
 
Results – Constituents expect a demonstrated track record of accomplishment from their elected representatives. While we may not always agree, I will promise to do my best to demonstrate that the decisions made in the Quorum Court enhance the every day lives of the people of Garland County.

 
I believe that my decade of outstanding performance reviews when combined with my extensive project management experience qualify me for the position of JP. I understand the State Employment & Retirement Systems by virtue of working within it. I have experience in the planning and execution of ‘high dollar’ projects. And I appreciate the importance of forming teams and achieving consensus among stakeholders, subject matter experts, and end-users.
 
I have faith that my abilities and experiences would serve the people of this county well. And I ask, once again, for your support.