Little Rock School Board member Dianne Curry, who is running for lieutenant governor, said that current Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr was "using the misery of the people, the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas, to garner feel good press."Darr made comments, reported by KUAR, that "as far as the clean-up goes it looks like that's been pretty well taken care of" and "they've kind of made this area even better than it was before."
"It's shameful, it's wrong, and it's what is wrong with politics," Curry said. Her press release is after the jump.
*Reading Curry's release, a point of clarification: the image of Mark Darr used in the post earlier today is a file photo. I didn't choose it, but I apologize if it caused confusion: none of the folks in the picture were with Darr when he made his Mayflower comments.
Dianne Curry disagrees with Lt. Governor Mark Darr's assertion about the Mayflower cleanup.
"When Lt. Governor Darr talks about the cleanup in Mayflower, I wonder what he is talking about," says Curry. "He is holding a press conference that's partisan in it's nature because was he surrounded by the citizens of Mayflower? No, he is surrounded by the Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, a Republican State Senator, and a Republican Secretary of State. So these men are using the misery of the people, the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas to garner feel good press for their own political advancement. It's shameful, it's wrong, and it's what is wrong with politics."
Curry says were she Lt. Governor she would be meeting with the families and the residents of Mayflower, Arkansas.
"I would want to hear what they have to say. I want to hear if they have cleaned up from this tragedy yet. I want to know if they have recovered. When it's all said and done, it's how it affects the people and then how it affects the land, not how it affects the profits or the campaign contributions that matter," said Curry.
Curry also is skeptical of the cleanup from her limited view.
"I think we need to see more of an effort to preserve the land and to preserve the people," says Curry. "But once again, I am at a loss what the Lt. Governor has to do with this cleanup constitutionally?"