Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Cornelius Seeking Rep. Seat As Republican

Tim Cornelius of Hope has announced his candidacy for the District 28 State Representative seat being vacated by Rep. Keith Wood. Cornelius is seeking the Republican nomination for the District 28 seat, which includes most of Hempstead County and part of Nevada County.

He is employed with Pyramid Plastics of Hope as the company's attorney and manager of the Tolber Division. He is a 1974 graduate of Hope High School, attended Texarkana College and obtained a bachelor's degree in business and a master's degree in business from East Texas State University at Texarkana. He obtained his law degree fromt he University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1994 and passed the bar exam in August of 1994. While in law school, he worked fulltime as a supervisor for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, where he gained valuable insight and experience in state government.

In order to facilitate better communication in the district, Cornelius proposes, if elected, to set aside one Saturday per month to go to the different communities within the district to meet with its citizens. "Citizens have a right to know what is happening in Little Rock and how it affects them. An elected official at any level of government must be responsive to the constituent's needs," he said.

His philosophy of government is that it should serve the people and that elected officials and government employees should exercise fiscal responsibility when considering legislation to spend taxpayer's money and when operating state government. "I do not believe raising taxes is the key to solving our problems," he said, adding, "rather we must spend our existing tax dollars more wisely." Cornelius also states that he believes quality of our youth is the key to our future and improving and supporting our educational systems is vital to attracting new industry.

Cornelius and his wife Patsy, also a 1974 graduate of Hope High School, are members of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, where he serves on the governing board. They have two children.

Cornelius notes that his family came to southwest Arkansas in 1814 and his great grandfather had one of the first mercantile stores in Hope. "I am totally committed to our district and the well being of its citizens. My roots are in this part of Arkansas and I want to make our area an even better place in which to live and raise our families," he concluded.