Team Willis's Mad Letter Writer Takes on Alderman Davis; Trashes Local Schools

Willis:  Condones Mad Letter Writer's word trashing schools because of teacher's opposition to him.

Hollowell: Private School Leader
of Team Arnell Willis

It isn't often that we dignify the words of the so-called "Mad Letter Writer" in Helena-West Helena with attention.  However, the most recent edition showed us that there is a coordinated campaign involving Mayor Arnell Willis and the pro-Willis and pro $15 increase candidates for the City Council and it had a very interesting nugget in it for those that care about our public schools.

Joe Grubbs: Mad Letter Writer Endorses Grubbs
and calls for kids to be removed from HWHSD
because Alderman Monica Davis
doesn't march in lock step with Willis.

On page 3 in the first paragraph of the most recent installment of ignorance from the anonymous writer, we have the following attack on Alderman Monica Davis, who is being challenged by former Alderman Joe Grubbs, "Monica Cartwright we entrusted you to teach our children and you are feeding them the poison apple.  Now you have forced us to talk to as many parents as possible and remove our children from your failing school so that they will not be taught that crime pays.  You have followed and supported James Valley, Marvin Jarrett, and Don Etherly too long and you do not deserve to instruct our children.  You attack Mayor Willis' every word and now you must go."

St. Columbia: Member of
Team Willis who forwards emails
with racial overtones that embarrassed
city in media in Arkansas and Mid-South

This is a new low for team Willis.  An open admission of a sinister ploy to recruit students away from HWHSD simply because Monica Davis, a teacher, had the temerity to question almighty Willis and oppose pieces of his political agenda.  Willis, and all ten candidates endorsed by this literature should be ashamed of themselves and not one has come out to disavow this garbage.

Mrs. Davis represents someone from the best among us.  Mrs. Davis possesses a college degree and, by accounts from those that work with her, exhibits special passion and skills in the classroom teaching the children in the Helena-West Helena School District.  She is an advocate for those kids for whom education is the only chance at upward social mobility.

Hunt:  Gesture in picture
shows brand of leadership
he plans to give HWH.

The attempt to hurt the HWHSD because of her political positions shows the misguided philosophies and hardened hearts from those on Team Willis.  They have shown that they will do anything and say anything to consolidate power over all elements of City Hall.  They are even willing to step on the schools and the students to do it.

Is that the kind of leadership we really need?  Politics is an adversarial process where disagreements are a fact of life.  Don't these people running to advance the Willis agenda realize that a strong, vibrant public school system is essential to substantial economic development.  Don't they realize that it doesn't matter if KIPP and Desoto provide the equivalent of an Ivy League education at the secondary level because employers want a public school system where their employees can send their children in a traditional setting?  Don't they realize that it is immoral to try and sabotage the schools that represent the only hope for so many to beat the circumstances of poverty and pull themselves up by the bootstraps in the best tradition of the American Dream?

I guess they don't.  It is my hope that the voters do see this and see why if Team Willis is willing to put the screws to 1700 children then they will be more than willing to put the screws to the adults in the households of this community of 12,262.

Team Willis ticket members who want to raise the water bill by $15 are:

Eddie Clark, Daniel Strickland, Jay Hollowell, Joe St. Columbia, Cedric Pride, Gabe Ferebee, Joe Grubbs, Tommie Hunt, Vivian Holder, and Eddie Lee.

All of the above want to raise your garbage bill $15 for Willis to use for whatever he wants.