Rookie politician elected

New representative is a fresh face with the right experience, supporters say

By Amy Widner

LITTLE ROCK — Jonathan Dismang of Beebe thinks he’s got the kind of experience that counts.

Judging from election results, District 49 voters agree. Fifty-five percent of them voted for Dismang, and he will represent them in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Dismang is 29 years old, and this will be his first time to hold public office. Rather than a history in politics, Dismang emphasized the importance of his real-life budget-balancing experience and deep roots in District 49, which includes much of rural White County and the communities of Beebe, McRae, Garner, Griffithville, West Point, Judsonia and Bald Knob.

Dismang has degrees in accounting and economics from Harding University. He has worked seven years as an accountant and estimated that he has helped at least 350 small-business owners and farmers with their finances, work that has helped him develop his problemsolving skills. Dismang said keeping Arkansas’ economic engine running strong will be one ofthe biggest challenges the state will face when he takes office.

“It’s my understanding that I’ll be the only accountant in the Legislature when I take office,” Dismang said. “We need to bring accountability to our wasteful spending problems inthis state. I have experience working with small-business owners, who are the foundation of our state’s economy. I think we tend to look over them and instead look to what we think are the super projects, when really they are the super projects from the start.”

Dismang said he will work to ensure small-business owners get the tax credits they need to succeed and are not choked out by the cost of things like providing health care for their employees.

Dismang also has experience representing local residents who are involved in the natural-gas industry. White County has become a hot spot in the Fayetteville Shale play, and Dismang became chairman of the Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Royalty Owners earlier this year. He said that although he understands it may be an uphill battle, he would like to see more revenue from the state severance tax directed back to the communities most greatly affected by natural-gas drilling. He would like to see the property tax on minerals readjusted.

“One of my major goals will be that mineral rights owners, royalty owners and land owners are represented,” Dismang said. “I want to be a voice for them and work to address their concerns.”

Perhaps most importantly, however, Dismang said he grew up in the area - living in Floyd, Opal and Beebe as achild - and has the kind of irreplaceable experience that comes with calling the area home for so long. His father was a principal and his mother was a teacher with Beebe schools. Dismang said being involved in the community just came naturally in their household.

After graduating and working in Little Rock for a few years, he and his wife, Mandy, moved back to Beebe to raise their son, Cade, who is 4 years old.

“We came back here because we decided this is the best place for a kid to grow up,” Dismang said. “Our heartshave been in these towns and this area for a long time now. The people here mean a lot. It’s like everyone is family. We’re looking forward to keeping that same family feeling for Cade here, where there are so many people to help raise him and look out for him and help him build his future and lead his life in the right direction. And that’s what we want to do for all the kids in this area.”

Dismang said District 49 and other parts of the state are facing drug problems that threaten that way of life.

“I want to work closely with issueslike that,” Dismang said. “Drugs are a cancer that we need to rid from our communities.”

Dale Smith of Vinity Corner is a Dismang supporter and worked for his campaign. Smith has known him since Dismang was a child. He said Dismang has the right values and will sit down and listen to the people he represents.

“I think he is just a good, down-toearth guy and a hardworking fellow and the kind of leadership we need in the state Legislature,” Smith said. “He’s an outstanding young man with a lot of things going for him and a lot of future ahead of him.”

Keith Griffin of Beebe also worked for Dismang’s campaign. He and Dismang are from the same generation, and Griffin said they see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues.

“It’s refreshing to me that we’ve elected such a young, hometown guy to represent us,” Griffin said. “It’s kind of unusual to see someone of his age go so far. He’s a Republican who won his seat in a traditionally Democratic county and was up against someone (Keith Williams) who was well known in the community as a former superintendent (in Beebe). I’m just so excited. I think he will do us a great job. He’s a really smart guy who’s close to the community.”

Dismang drew for seniority Friday and will be on the following committees: revenue and tax, joint legislative council and state agencies.

- awidner@arkansasonline.com

Three Rivers, Pages 50, 53 on 11/13/2008