10 questions
Story & Photography By Susan O'Connor
Steve Ewart is quite passionate about the causes he believes in. Add to that the fact that he knows how to get a job done, and great potential arises.
As interim transit director of Jonesboro’s JETS public transportation program, Ewart is directly involved in one such cause: service to others.
“I am a person who deeply believes that there is an accountability involved in not just taking care of my family, but taking care of my community,” he said with conviction. “This is not just about me and my tribe.”
Ewart earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in history from Arkansas State University. He was a longtime teacher and coach at Jonesboro High School, then director of adult education for Craighead County. From June 2006 to June 2008, he served as administration minister at Southwest Church of Christ.
“The mayor called me in the summer and asked me to be interim transit director for a system that hasn’t even gotten the vote yet,” he said.
But JETS is an important cause for Ewart and a project he has been actively involved in from its inception. He served as chair of the original committee that studied the feasibility of a public transportation system for Jonesboro from 2001-2004, a volunteer position. The committee was assisted by a team of consultants, funded by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, who collected data for more than a year. The results of the feasibility study were presented in April 2002.
“The report basically said, this is a very doable thing,” Ewart said, and recounted example after example of people whose lives have been touched by the availability of public transportation.
Of course, Ewart has great hope that Jonesboro citizens will cast their votes in favor of continued support for JETS on Nov. 4. “Even if it doesn’t happen — and it would be a shame for thousands of people — we’ve done the best we can do. We have a great team.”
You’ve worn many career hats. What makes you so passionate about the work you are doing for the JETS system? First of all, whatever I commit to I do with passion. The key is the commitment. I do not become involved with things in which I do not believe. When I was director of adult education for Craighead County, I came to believe deeply in the need for a comprehensive public transit system for our community. My years working in the Jonesboro Public Schools central office and as the administrative minister for Southwest Church of Christ deepened this conviction.
What do you think is the single strongest argument for the need to support public transportation in Jonesboro? The most unassailable rationale that I have found comes from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s data. Their support of continuing and expanding public transit systems is based on their investigation that demonstrates a return-on-investment of at least 1:5 for public transit.
What surprised you most as you reviewed the research findings about Jonesboro’s need for public transportation? The most surprising bit of data isthe large percentage of our local folks who live in households with 0-1 vehicles. The 2000 U.S. Census H44 table shows that some 43 percent of local households (key here is households) have one vehicle or less available.
Do you think the current state of the economy, as well as the reality of unstable fuel costs, will make JETS even more important in the future? Yes, for these reasons and others such as environmental sustainability and the more rapid deterioration of infrastructure that comes through repeated individual use, it seems as if our nation’s leadership, both political and economic, are beginning to encourage us to seek public transit alternatives and to use them in the immediate future. Many folk between 30 and 60 have been really spoiled by having relatively cheap private transportation. The conditions that made this possible probably have ceased to exist.
What is the most important lesson you leaned from your years as a high school teacher and coach? All people count equally. My mom and dad certainly taught this to me, but my years as an educator made me realize its truth.
Who in your childhood was influential in mentoring the importance of public service? My parents. I cannot imagine anyone, anywhere, having more unselfish, public-minded parents than me. Some people are drawn to public service by fame, power or fortune, but my parents never got sidetracked along those lines.
If you could give our incoming president one message, what would it be? “Mr. President, I earnestly pray that you always surround yourself with the most able men and women you can find who possess the highest integrity and intellectual honesty possible and who will ensure that you will be presented with the greatest array of resources available.”
What is your favorite meal of all time? Honestly, my favorite meal is white beans cooked with ham hock, served with corn bread, a white onion, seasoned greens and pecan pie for dessert.
What locale in Arkansas do you choose for weekend getaways? Our family loves mountain getaways. My wife and I are traveling with friends to Mt. Magazine soon.
What are your activities of choice on a snowy day at home? The politically correct answer, of course, is “Whatever my wife wants me to do.” And while that really is true, we both usually love to curl up with each other and two good books when it is too snowy — or cold and rainy for that matter — to venture out.