Republican Hazelle Marie Whited of Cherokee Village has officially announced her candidacy for State Representative.
Based on the newly proposed 2022 District House map that is scheduled to go into effect in mid-January of 2022, Whited will be running in District 2 which encompasses eastern Fulton County, northern Sharp County, and western Randolph County and includes cities of Salem, Cherokee Village, Hardy, and Pocahontas.
In a release, Whited said her campaign will be focused on the needs of rural Arkansas and the challenges of small business, and will promote mental wellness – issues, she says, are important to the district for sustainability and future growth.
Since moving to Sharp County in 2009, Whited has been actively involved and engaged in the communities she is campaigning to serve, the release noted.
“After living here for over 12 years, I continue to reach out and learn what is important to the residents and businesses of these communities, actively participating in the process to find solutions,” Whited said in the release.
Whited was instrumental in facilitating Sharp County’s membership to NEA Regional Intermodal, whose mission is to recruit, expand, and retain businesses to create workforce opportunities, and has served on its Board of Directors for two years, the release said.
Whited has been described by others as having a deep passion to learn, not only the issues within her communities, but also issues around the state and globe that can impact her communities.
“I am honored and blessed to be a current participant of the oldest Arkansas leadership program, LeadAR Class 19,” Whited said, “where I can learn about the other regions in our state, and if there is something that could work in north central Arkansas.” The two-year leadership program provides the class with direct experience on various issues including agriculture, military, infrastructure, poverty, and others.
“In January, we will learn how to write a bill and present it in our mock legislative session,” Whited said. She feels the experience will add to her strength as a future State Representative.
Whited is a community developer at heart and looks forward to helping each area continue to move forward, according to the release. In her role through a grant program called CREATE BRIDGES, Whited created the podcast series Small Business, Big Rural Impact that has received over 1,200 downloads throughout the 28 episodes she and her counterparts created. In addition to several boards Whited serves, she works alongside her husband in the family tractor business, is completing her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, and is a mom to a college freshman at Williams Baptist University.
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