Businesswoman plans run for House

FAYETTEVILLE — Businesswoman Jody Harris of Fayetteville has announced her Republican bid for proposed House District 25 in eastern Washington and Crawford counties.

Rep. Bruce Coleman, R-Mountainburg, lives in that district. He said in a telephone interview he has not yet decided whether to run for a fourth term.

State legislative district boundaries are being redrawn to equalize populations in them after the 2020 U.S. census.

“I have a lot of respect for Rep. Coleman and am thankful for his willingness to serve in the Legislature,” Harris said in a statement. “We share many of the same conservative values. I will bring a lot of energy to the Arkansas House of Representatives.”

Proposed District 25 includes much less of Crawford County and rural areas than Coleman’s current District 81 does, maps show.

“My priorities will be on education, parental rights and the preservation of personal rights and liberties of our citizens,” Harris said. The last legislative special session left many voters thinking their medical rights to privacy and other freedoms were trampled on, she said.

Harris, 44, is a self-employed co-owner, along with her husband, of residential rental property and a self-storage facility in Fayetteville along with being an opinion columnist with Ozarks Farm & Neighbor magazine, she said. She and her family have lived at their farm in Fayetteville near Elkins since May 2005.

The state Board of Apportionment redraws legislative district boundaries every 10 years, after each U.S. census. The board consists of the sitting governor, attorney general and secretary of state.

The board set its next meeting for Nov. 29 to consider final approval of proposed district maps after a 30-day public comment period.

House members run for two-year terms. Their base salary is $39,399 a year, not including per diem and expenses.

Candidate filing for partisan primaries begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1. Party primaries are set for May 24.