Unopposed JP’s name will not appear on ballot

FAYETTEVILLE — A new Washington County justice of the peace will be sworn into office next January without her name ever appearing on a ballot.

Shawndra Jones, 45, is a Democrat who will represent District 8, which covers northern Fayetteville. Jones will replace Justice of the Peace Daniel Balls, also a Democrat, who did not seek re-election this year.

No one filed to run against Jones, so under a new state law, her name will not be on ballots. The law says unopposed candidates will not appear on ballots and will be automatically elected.

Residents in the district have voted mostly for Democrats since at least 2011. Balls, who was first elected in 2014, beat a Republican candidate in 2016 to keep his seat.

Jones said she decided to seek office when the 2016 election swept Republicans into power. She is among a wave of women filing as Democrats for positions at the local, state and national level. She was among the first women to attend a training meeting last year by the Democratic Party of Washington County.

The meeting was to educate and encourage people to run for office, said Tyler Clark, who was party chairman until Thursday. Jones said efforts in other organizations also led her to run for office.

“We need women to step up and run for office,” Jones said. “I kind of feel like it was my responsibility.”

The Washington County Quorum Court is made up of 10 Republicans and five Democrats.

Five women are justices of the peace, including Alicia Deavens, a Republican who represents the area west of Farmington. Deavens is the only black woman

on the court. The governor appointed Deavens after a Republican resigned in 2017. She cannot run for election under state law.

Twelve seats, including all the Republican incumbents, have contested races in either the primary or general elections. Two seats held by Democrats are among the contested races.

Jones is smart, articulate and comes with new ideas, Balls said. She grew up in Camden, a small city with about 11,000 people south of Hot Springs. Jones described herself as a “smalltown country girl.”

She has lived in Fayetteville for the past 11 years and has two children, ages 11 and 18.

Jones graduated with a chemistry degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, taught school, then returned to college for degrees in health care administration and pharmacy. She’s now a local pharmacist.

Jones is a community

volunteer and a member of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas. She participates in events through her college sorority in Pine Bluff. She is experienced in dealing with a variety of people and businesses and budgets, said Gracie Ziegler, president of the Washington County Democratic Women and past president of the local Junior League.

“People know her and respect her and trust her,” Ziegler said. “She’s a joy to be around.”

Jones is not shy about asking tough questions and is an advocate for transparency in county government, Ziegler said. Clark said he thinks Jones will bring more diversity to the Quorum Court and help the court better reflect the community makeup.

“She’s going to add a great voice of advocacy for African-Americans who are living in the district and across the county, too,” Clark said.

Jones is focused on learning the ropes of the Quorum Court, she said. She watches the online live videos of proceedings and studies documents to prepare for service, she said. She said she wants people to know she wants to serve.

“I think it’s our civic responsibility to serve the community we live in,” Jones said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure it’s a better community, and it’s our responsibility to leave a legacy for the generation coming up behind us.”

Jones