The Truth In Arkansas Politics

Springdale business owner Drew Griffin plans to seek the Republican nomination for the open House District 93 seat. Griffin, 24, made the formal announcement Monday evening, in a news release, that he will seek state Rep. Doug Matayo’s seat next spring. Matayo, RSpringdale, has said he will not seek re-election so he can run for lieutenant governor. Griff in said he would “continue the legacy left by Matayo” where business and cultural issues are concerned. “I believe Matayo has done a real effective job representing Springdale, inasmuch as he has done a good job helping the business environment” and the city’s public library, Griffin said in an interview Tuesday. Other issues Griffin’s campaign will focus on include education, women’s health care and promoting the area’s values, he said. “I would like to see Arkansas pass a Jessica’s law,” he said, referring to federal legislation that seeks mandatory penalties and more stringent monitoring requirements for sex offenders. Parts of a bill the U.S. House passed in September are named for victims in prominent cases, including 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, who was killed in Florida. Griffin said women in the district need more information about and financial access to prenatal care, adding that this issue particularly affects immigrant woman. The general public absorbs the added healthcare costs when prenatal care is not there, he said. Griff in said he opposes abortion and is a member of the National Rifle Association, Friends of the Springdale Library and Friends of the Shiloh Museum. His stance on taxes: Keep them low. “Raising taxes is not the answer to everything,” Griffin said. “Someone would have to have a very high burden of proof, in my mind, to convince me to raise taxes.” Keeping taxes in check and “not overdoing it on regulations” will help the district’s business climate continue improving, he said, “so that it’s easy for people to start their own business. I’ve started my own business.” Griffin said he owns IOM Investments Inc., a Springdale real estate investment company. He also works as a sales associate for Griffin Company Realtors in Springdale, which his father owns. He has been involved in Republican politics for nearly a decade, he said, including the 2000 Youth for Bush Campaign. The Springdale native is a 2000 graduate of Shiloh Christian High School. He will receive a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in December. On Nov. 14, Jon Woods of Springdale announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for Matayo’s seat. Woods works for Arvest Bank in Fayetteville.
BY TRACIE DUNGAN ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE