SPRINGDALE & FAYETTEVILLE – On Wednesday, Billy Cook, a veteran community organizer long-dedicated to representing the interests of working families, launches his campaign for State House District 19 — one of the state’s most competitive. In addition to leading multiple municipal and county campaigns to success in Northwest Arkansas, Cook organizes aid and resources for renters and other vulnerable Arkansans struggling to find affordable and safe housing. Through his work with Arkansas Renters United and Arkansas Community Organizations, he’s secured destitute families the most important and basic guarantee: a safe place to call home.
“My work has made this extremely clear: it’s been far too long since we had a representative in Little Rock willing to advocate for people, instead of the corporate interests that fund political campaigns,” said Cook, who insists he will stand up to the growing influence of special interests in the State Capitol. “I see how Arkansans are struggling to pay their bills, feed their families, and find a little bit of joy at the end of a hard day’s work, every single day.”
Cook considers himself a lifelong student of the political system, first canvassing for community oriented change as a teenager. As a student at the University of Arkansas, Cook lobbied for Senate Bill 145, the Solar Access Act, which completely opened up the market and energy grid and allowed the solar energy industry to begin its first big boom in Arkansas.
“My rural Arkansas upbringing taught me the importance of frugality from an early age,” explained Cook. “I know the reality of going without – no matter how many pennies you pinch, sometimes the math just isn’t on your side. I’m in this race so our systems don’t fail any other families like mine.
“Working people shouldn’t be scraping by: we can be thriving. But it takes true leadership to break through the chaos in Little Rock, and I know I can be that leader for District 19. I can’t and won’t be bought. If you send me to Little Rock, you’ll have a true public servant for everyday Arkansans.”