It may be the voters of Franklin County don't amount to much, numerically, in statewide politics, but they deserve better than they're getting from our state's governor.

Franklin County, besides being the center of Arkansas' wine country, is an area of outstanding natural beauty rooted in a strong agricultural heritage. It's like a lot of rural locales around the state: Folks tend to want to be left alone to make lives for themselves as best they can. And for much of its history, that's exactly what they've gotten.

And then last October came. That's when the locals learned Gov. Sarah Sanders had decided for them that a state prison -- the state's largest prison -- would be built in their midst. By the time the people in Franklin County became aware of the plans, the state had already purchased the 815-acre property where the prison is slated to go.

And now, in the wake of Sen. Gary Stubblefield's unfortunate passing, we can't blame anyone for believing Gov. Sanders is just fine with the people of Franklin County doing without representation until the prison........

© Arkansas Online