Prissy Hickerson Considers Serving Again

A quick Google.com search will tell you a lot about Mary “Prissy” Hickerson. It will tell you that she is the former Chairperson of the Arkansas Highway Commission; it will tell you that she is a Republican; it will tell you that she has raised money, and it will tell you that she is considering a run for the Arkansas House of Representatives District 1. Anyone would argue that she has a significant amount of information floating around cyber space, not to mention the gossip in the city of Texarkana. But what the Google search will not tell you is her commitment to serve.

I recently had the privilege of watching Mrs. Hickerson talk to a group of people about the possible run for the House. She was attentive to all questions, she had intelligent answers, and she flatly stated that she is only at the “considering” stages in a run for the House. Upon closer observation though, you could see Mrs. Hickerson did something few politicians like to do; she followed up with individuals who ask questions on a one-on-one basis. After her brief talk, she sought out each person who had a concern about recent events and she simply talked with them. There were no cameras flashing, no news crews present, and no potential voters watching, but still Mrs. Hickerson took the time to talk to people and to listen. Unfortunately, today most politicians want to answer your question with a public statement such as “We’ll look into that,” or “I was unaware of that,” or “I voted for that because it is the right thing to do.” Those are all simple answers, but when you go to the person who asks the question and say, “Okay, tell me more about your question and did I answer it to your satisfaction?” Wow. You don’t see that. But guess what? You do and I did with Mrs. Hickerson.

Mrs. Hickerson was quick to say that she is a Republican and is proud of being one, but she also says she wants to serve. These are not just words as she has also served on the Texarkana Animal League, a volunteer position to help animals and as you know, dogs and cats don’t vote. Mrs. Hickerson is a kind, outstanding woman who, if she decides to run, will have my full support and assistance in any way I can because she is a person who wants to serve. I hope Mrs. Hickerson decides to go to Little Rock and make a difference again through her service.