Former Senior Advisor to Clinton running for Gov. in Arkansas

[holboz]

This in an e-mail from the AR Democratic Party:
After careful consideration, former Clinton Administration official and North Little Rock native Bill Halter has decided to join the race for the Democratic nomination for governor. He wants to take this opportunity to introduce himself to you.

My Fellow Democrat,

Today I formally launch my candidacy for Governor of Arkansas because I believe our state and our Party are at an important moment – we can either remain in neutral or we can build a better future for our children while also working on today’s important issues.

I am a fourth generation Arkansan who grew-up in North Little Rock, the son of a small businessman and a nurse. Whether it was bagging groceries at the local Kroger, playing ball in Burns Park, or spending time at the Boys Club, Arkansas gave me a strong foundation that helped me graduate from Little Rock Catholic High School, pursue a diverse education, and stimulate my interests in public service and private industry.

I was fortunate to have worked summers in Governor Bill Clinton’s office and then later to have worked on his campaign for President. While in the Clinton Administration, I served as a senior advisor in the White House budget office, at a time when we turned a record deficit into the first budget surplus in 40 years. I was honored to be nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the Deputy Commissioner of Social Security, the most successful government program in our nation’s history. Later, I served as Acting Commissioner of Social Security.

Since then, I have served as a board member for some of the nation's most promising information and biotechnology companies, while also traveling the country to stand up to the Republican Social Security privatization scheme.

But most importantly, I care deeply about our state – which is why I am writing you today.

As I meet with Arkansans around the state, I hear over and over how things are on the wrong track. They feel that the current government is dominated by insiders who put the special interests over the needs of real Arkansans. They believe our government is settling to make our schools “adequate” when we should be striving for excellence. And they believe more can be done to build and attract new and better paying jobs and to make sure health care is affordable and accessible for all Arkansans.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I hope you will join me to help improve the lives of all Arkansans. If you believe we should seek excellence rather than adequacy from our schools, if you believe we must attract more and better paying jobs to Arkansas, and if you believe it’s time for special interests to take a back seat to our interests, then I hope you will join our effort to move our state forward.

I am a proud Democrat and I am not afraid to admit it. So if you believe that it’s about time for Democrats to stand proud and stand firm for what we believe in, then I hope you will join our campaign.

Please take a moment to visit my website at www.BillHalter.com. There, you can learn more about my campaign and – if you believe we need a new direction for Arkansas – you can also volunteer to help.

With your help and support, we can bring about the positive change that the people of Arkansas deserve.

Sincerely,

Bill Halter