This is a compilation of some of the most frequent inquires I've received so far in the campaign:

1. Exactly who are you?
My name is Bill Wavering. I am 54 years old and was born on January 28th 1955. I've lived in Bonnerdale, Arkansas since 2006; where I and Marilyn, my wife of twenty years, have purchased 10 acres and are in the process of readying it for livestock. I moved here from Costa Mesa, California in 1996. My wife and I are not native Arkansans, but we bleed Razorback Red and live and die on the success of the Hogs!

2. What do you do for a living?
I'm currently employed by the Military Department of Arkansas. For the last ten years I've been working as the Master Planner for the Arkansas Army National Guard. I have two major responsibilities. First; I maintain, validate, and plan the future development and expansion of the Arkansas Army National Guard's two premier training venues; Camp Robinson, a thirty-two thousand acre training area in North Little Rock; and Fort Chaffee, a sixty-four thousand acre training area outside of Fort Smith. I am responsible for the continued, logical, expansion of both posts much as a city planner would program the long-term development/expansion of any metropolitan area.

 My second responsibility is to program, request funds for, and take to 10% design, all Arkansas Army National Guard major construction projects. A MILCON project is basically any construction project in excess of $1,500,000; no upper limit. I gather the facility requirements, determine the spatial allowances, provide the initial construction cost estimate, and queue the project in relation to all others that are currently 'on-the-board'. Once a project is selected to move from concept to actual construction; I form a team consisting of civilian architects, engineers, and other subject matter experts. This team is introduced to the command group of the unit(s) that will eventually occupy the facility, along with a designated construction project manager who is a federal employee. All MILCON projects involve federal dollars and therefore must be overseen by a federal employee.

The resulting committee further develops the criteria of the proposed structure; once again validating the space requirements and construction costs, adjusting them for the actual 'year of construction' and developing a genuine building design. Once that 10% design is approved, the construction project manager takes over from that point forward. I guess, if you wanted to cast my job in its most unfavorable light, you could say; "He starts a lot of stuff, but never gets to finish anything."  

3. Why are you running for office?
I've always believed that service to the country is a debt all Americans owe in return for the opportunities we've been provided. I am also of the opinion that each citizen finds his/her own method of providing this service. Some volunteer with church or civic organizations, some donate their talents to social causes they support. In 1975 I chose to enlist in the US Military. I've recently felt that same 'call to service' once again. I surmised that my extensive business management background would provide a positive contribution to the people of Garland County. I came to the conclusion that the best, most direct method of providing that contribution is to run for the office of Justice of the Peace in District Nine.
 

4. What are your qualifications?
Over thirty four years of production and project management experience including; operational responsibilities, interfacing with executive management, training of personnel, authoring administrative procedures, devising & implementing systems, scheduling/manpower loading, quality control, purchasing, and budgetary responsibility.

5. What are your 'core' values?
I am Pro-Life and believe all life should be respected from conception to natural death. I am Pro 2nd Amendment and believe that all law-abiding citizens have an inalienable right to keep and bear arms. While I believe that criminals should be sentenced in accordance with their crimes, I do not believe in the Death Penalty. I believe the 1st Amendment means exactly what it says; "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" meaning that while the government will not sponsor ANY religion it shall not use its power to expunge all Judeo-Christian references from public life either.

I believe in fiscal responsibility, individual accountability, and respect for all I encounter. I think my 'core' principles are best summed up by John Wayne's line in the "Shootist" when he said; "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do those things to other people and I require the same of them."
 
6. Why should I vote for you?
If you feel as if county government is adrift, that something needs to be done to restore the contract between government and the citizen. If you feel as if your voice remains unheard, and that politicians pay only 'lip-service' to your concerns; then I am the 'change' you are seeking. I've long believed that a public servant's primary job is to represent the people that placed him in office. Elected officials are entrusted with a particular responsibility to be open and candid with their constituents. I promise today, to always do my best to aspire to these conditions.   

7. If you are elected, what could we expect you to do on the Quorum Court?
First; I would ensure the citizens of my district were kept as well informed as possible. I would begin by immediately moving that all Quorum Court business committee meeting agendas, Quorum Court agendas, and the resulting minutes of all these meetings, including how each JP  voted, be posted on a public web site in a timely manner. This is all public information, and as such is subject to the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). Any concerned citizen should be able to access this information easily. You shouldn't have to travel to the court house, pay a fee, and wait while a county employee reproduces the requested information. You should not have to find out, through 'word-of-mouth', a week after the fact, that an issue of importance to you was decided in a Quorum Court Meeting without you being there to express your opinion. This level of transparency should extend to all levels of county government. The Quorum Court should institute no ordinance, pass any budgetary adjustment, nor alter any present business practice without adequate time for all citizens to review and comment on such.
  
8. If you are elected; how would your election affect things in Washington?
Honestly; it won't. I understand that there is a feeling of discontent within the public. Our first thought is to "Do something, anything." Unfortunately, this kind of impatience is what got us here in the first place. We need to realize that our salvation does not lie in quick fixes or third party candidates. The two major political parties are so firmly institutionalized, that in order to foment true change, we must labor within those established frameworks. A great legislator by the name of Thomas "Tip" O'Neill once said; "All politics is local." Fix county government. This is where the 'rubber-meets-the-road'. Grant your vote carefully and hold your elected officials to clear standards of behavior. Do not cast your vote and believe your job is complete. If you do not remain engaged, politicians eventually take advantage. Do this at all levels; county, state, and national. Vote your conscious, hold your representatives accountable, and remove those who fail to represent your interest. Remember: Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty.

9. How would you make things different?
Not only would I move to ensure greater transparency in county government (see question #7), but my extensive business experience, I believe, would be of immediate advantage to the Quorum Court. In my career I've dealt with budgetary responsibility, personnel management and construction project oversight. Let's review some examples from recent Quorum Court activities.

Garland County is currently forecasting a $400,000 budget shortfall this fiscal year. A long time Quorum Court member recently said; "This year, we're going to undertake a 'line-by-line' review of the county budget." The implication from this statement is that they've not been doing this all along. My wife and I go over our budget each month. One would think that an annual 'line-by-line' analysis of county spending practices would be a given. If they had been subjecting the budget to a scrupulous annual review, they probably could have found the equivalent of $40,000 each fiscal year. A savings of that amount over a decade and they would already have been prepared for this current projected shortfall. The answer is not consistent yearly tax increases. The answer is consistently disciplined spending practices.

During the actual budget cutting process, one of the first line items severely curtailed by the court was the R & M (Repair & Maintenance) for the county jail! We know the court has been wrestling with the issue of what to do about this aging, overcrowded facility for quite some time. The Quorum Court's current plan is to add floors to the existing building. If it is your intention to expand this existing facility; why would you believe it to be in the best interest of the future of that facility to stop maintaining it? The only possible answer is that the court feels that if the structure is allowed to fall into further disrepair, that the people will be less likely to offer continued opposition to the solution they have proposed.

We currently have thirteen Justices' of the Peace that make up the court. All of them, with a single exception, list Hot Springs mailing addresses. Do you believe that a person who lives in Hot Springs truly understands the needs of our mostly rural community?

Most of these JP's have gotten used to running unopposed in election after election. I contacted the Registrar of Elections to inquire as to how long the current District 9 JP has been running unopposed and their answer was; "Good Lord! We don't really track such things." They said they would have to do some research and get back to me. That was in September and I'm still awaiting the return phone call. Even the best civil servants can, under the wrong circumstances, begin to lose touch with their constituents. Do you know who your JP is in District Nine? Do you know how long he has represented your district? Do you know his voting record on the Quorum Court and does that voting record represent your priorities? These are all questions the truly 'participative' voter must ask prior to an election, any election.

We currently have some elected officials making headlines. Apparently; they've been returned to office unopposed so many times they'd accumulated enough retirement points in APERS to qualify for pension. So these officials notified APERS of their intent to retire from office in September of 2008 and began logging the mandatory 90 day separation to qualify for pension. These same politicians ran and were re-elected on unopposed ballots in November, and in January 2009 re-assumed their former positions, only now they are drawing a full-time paycheck and a full pension from that same office. The state legislature is currently involved in an investigation to discover if such 'double-dipping' is actually illegal. If it's not, it should be. And even if it is not, anyone can certainly question the ethics of such an action.
 
10. What can I do to help?
Spread the word! Tell your friends and neighbors about my campaign. Encourage them to visit my web site BillWaveringCampaign.com. If you feel as if you want to make a deeper commitment; volunteer to hold a coffee with you neighbors so I can meet them. Help me schedule an event at your church, your club, or your local school. Help me to reach out to the people in District Nine.  Please feel free to contact me at bill@billwaveringcampaign.com as I can suggest many different methods and levels of campaign participation.

May God Bless you and May God continue to Bless the United States of America!