Democrat faces Republican incumbent in District 7

FAYETTEVILLE — Sam Duncan, the Republican incumbent, faces Democrat Janelle Bradford

Smiley in the race for the District

7 seat on the Washi n g t o n

County Quorum Court.

District 7 covers part of Washington County west of Fayetteville and Farmington.

Justices of the peace serve two-year terms. The Washington County Quorum Court is made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats.

Justices of the peace are paid $200 per diem on days they attend Quorum Court or committee meetings.

Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 2. A voter may request an absentee ballot application by contacting the county clerk in the county where the voter is registered, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State website. Voters may download the application from the county website.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette emailed the same questions to the candidates. Their responses are below. Candidates were limited to 200 words per answer.

Question: Why did you decide to run for justice of the peace and what makes you the best candidate for the position?

Duncan: I’m seeking reelection as I want to continue to be a conservative voice for Washington County. I’m a Christian, capitalist and believe in limited government and fiscal responsibility. My business sense and financial acumen make me the best person for the job with primary function of overseeing the county’s budget process.

Smiley: I decided to run after a conversation with our plumber. My husband and I bought a fixer-upper when we moved here upon his retirement from the Army. We became friends with our plumber because he was at our home so often. One day our conversation turned to the dirt mines. He explained high impact dirt mining uses explosives, which send shock waves similar to an earthquake to surrounding properties. He described how homes were severely damaged, as well casings, foundations and plaster were cracked, and plumbing became leaky. He spoke of wells that no longer had water because of a mining operation’s need for copious amounts of water. From my research and conversations with neighbors, I discovered that the plumber was telling the truth. I started attending Quorum Court sessions and watched as my neighbors came together observing them being unheard and unrepresented. While I had practiced law for 20-plus years before coming to Arkansas, I had not imagined running for political office during retirement. As a result of what I have learned, I could no longer sit by and allow the status quo to continue without challenge.

Question: What area of county government are you most interested in and what specific plans or goals do you have in that area?

Smiley: I am most interested in budgeting and conditional use permits requests.

Budgeting: The Quorum Court has struggled with budgeting, and over the past five years, our reserves have dwindled to a dangerously low level. These reserves have been used to “balance” our budget. It is in this environment, that we must: examine every line item of the budget to trim excess and reapportion appropriations; put a hold on new expenditures and infrastructure projects until there is a clear way forward; garner more public education and input in the budgetary process so that constituents are aware of the issues; demonstrate transparency and accountability in the budgetary process so that constituents gain confidence in their representative form of government, and come to believe that their representatives have their best interests at heart; and lobby Little Rock to modify the tax apportionment formula so that counties experiencing rapid population growth are fiscally sustainable.

Conditional Use Permits: There appear to have been far too many conditional use permits granted without adherence to the county ordinance. I would follow the ordinance, which should result in fewer conditional use permits being granted for uses which impinge on the rights of homeowners to use and enjoy their homes.

Duncan: In my first term, I voted for businesses to open in the county and against unnecessary government spending. I will continue to support businesses opening in the county. I’m working hard now to overhaul the budget process within the county with a specific goal of growing reserves and continuing to eliminate unnecessary government spending.

Question: County Treasurer Bobby Hill is projecting a drop of about $1 million in Washington County’s share of the revenue from the countywide 1% sales tax after the results of the 2020 census are in. How can the Quorum Court deal with that drop in revenue while maintaining services?

Duncan: Budget committee has already taken the census into consideration and are creating a budget to live within existing revenue. The budget process in the county is the same as in one’s personal finances. It is simple — spend less than you make. We must budget to spend less than revenue and as a result we will grow reserves.

Smiley: We need to increase the amount of money coming into Washington County and do a better job of overseeing expenditures of the money we have.

Question: The Quorum Court has been discussing an ongoing problem with crowding at the Washington County Detention Center. A study recently commissioned by the Quorum Court offers some recommendations on ways to address the problem. What do you think the county should do to better manage the population at the jail?

Smiley: Cash bonds should be eliminated. A significant portion of our jail population is comprised of folk who are too poor to bond out of jail. Poverty should not be a reason for incarceration. We eliminated debtors prisons years ago. If folks pose a particular flight risk, ankle bracelets have worked well in other jurisdictions as they provide up-to-date GPS monitoring. We can spend the money we have been spending housing nonviolent, poor offenders on recovering the minority who fail to show up for hearings and trials. Additionally, we need to improve our court calendaring system so that offenders are timely arraigned. It is unnecessary and improper in a country that guarantees a “speedy trial” for folk who have not been convicted of a crime to spend weeks in jail waiting for an arraignment. Making the criminal calendar more efficient would provide much shorter stays and increase the number of beds available. Finally, a judicial “score board” should be available online to constituents so that they can monitor the efficiency of their judges.

Duncan: I serve on the Jail, Law Enforcement and Courts Committee and we have worked hard to keep Washington County safe and reduce the jail population. In my first term, we implemented the jail ombudsman reducing jail population safely. We have an opportunity to lower recidivism rates by working with local reentry programs.