Benton County JP dies at 78 just days after resigning

BENTONVILLE — Benton County Justice of the Peace Brent Meyers of Lowell died Saturday. He was 78.

Meyers, a Republican who represented District 14, had been battling cancer, according to information his daughter Stefani Buhajla provided to the county.

He submitted his resignation to County Judge Barry Moehring and County Attorney George Spence on April 20.

“As a result of illness and the inability for earthly measures to resolve my difficulty, it is with great sadness that I must immediately resign from the office of justice of the peace, Benton County, Arkansas, district fourteen,” Meyers wrote in his resignation letter.

He took part in the Quorum Court’s last meeting March 23. He was elected to the court in 2012.

“Brent was very studious and knew the issues,” Moehring said. “He paid close attention to the ordinances. He caught the typos and mistakes in the math. It was a shock to lose him. He was an excellent member of the Quorum Court.”

Justice of the Peace Susan Anglin said Meyers always had the taxpayers’ interest at heart on every subject the court discussed.

“His obvious enjoyment of being a Benton County citizen and serving others will be greatly missed,” she said.

Justice of the Peace Tom Allen said Meyers was a valuable member of the Finance Committee and the Quorum Court whom he respected immensely.

“He would question how anyone came up with a number or a conclusion,” Allen said. “Not in a derogatory manner, but in an inquisitive manner to be sure he understood the complete picture. This showed me that he truly cared about the process and about the end result.”

The Quorum Court is expected to declare a vacancy at its meeting Thursday night. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will appoint a replacement to fill Meyers’ term through the end of the year. Meyers ran unopposed in the March primary election and didn’t have an opponent in the November general election. The Quorum Court is made up of 15 Republicans.

Scott Brownell, chairman of the Republican Party of Benton County, said the party will reconvene its county convention, which was held April 7. Delegates will nominate a new candidate to fill Meyers’ place on the November ballot. A date for the reconvened convention has not been set, he said.

Meyers was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve in the 1960s. While working full time, he attended college at night and ultimately obtained a master’s degree in business administration

from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. A “Reagan Democrat” with a lifelong desire for public service, Meyers first ran for office in California before migrating to Arkansas in 2007, according to information provided by Buhajla.

Arrangements for a private celebration of life service are being made, according to his daughter.

Meyers is survived by five children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with one on the way, Buhajla said.

Meyers