Sylvia Payne Profile

Sylvia Payne
Tell us about your family. I have two sisters, Sandra, and Susan Maddox, who owns the Rosemont, a bed and breakfast downtown in the historic Governor's Mansion district. Mother and Daddy are both gone. My mother had alzheimer's, and I took care of her for 11 years. We all live in town, except for one niece who lives in Austin. We spend a lot of time together. My best friend is my niece, Laura. Sandra is a nurse and teaches nursing at Baptist School of Nursing. She does a lot of the buying.

What do you like to read? I like to read what I call "cozy mysteries," like Agatha Christie. I want a body in the pantry and then you just solve the crime.

What is your favorite Little Rock restaurant? Cheers.

Your favorite food? Unfortunately, hamburgers.

What's your favorite movie? Out of Africa. Laura and I can do dialogue from that movie.

Do have favorite actors? Russell Crowe.

What do you do in your spare time? I like to read and I like to work in my garden and putz around in my house.

What do you watch on the tube? Old movies and forensic detective shows like Bones and NCIS and old recorded shows of Moonlight with Mick St. John.

Do you support any charities? Yes. Arkansas Hospice.

If you could have a dream dinner party and invite any three people, who would you choose? My mother and Daddy. That would be enough for me.

Is there anything you'd like to see Little Rock do differently? Yes. I would like them to value their old neighborhoods more - like Hillcrest and Capitol View - and spend money there instead of on expansion out west. Alleys need to be cleaned up and used and our sidewalks maintained. That gets people out walking. When people are out walking, it cuts down on crime.