Bailey, Anglin announce candidacy for district judge
Two Siloam Springs attorneys have announced their candidacies for Benton County District Court Judge in the Siloam Springs Division.
A.J. Anglin, of the law firm Keith, Miller, Butler, Schneider & Pawlik PLLC, announced his plans to run for the office in May and Siloam Springs City Prosecutor David Bailey announced plans last week.
Current Judge Stephen Thomas confirmed Tuesday he isn’t seeking re-election.
Elections in Arkansas for district judges are nonpartisan. The first day for judicial candidates to circulate petitions is July 21 and the filing period is from Sept. 12-19. Candidates can also file by paying a filing fee from Nov. 4-12.
The 2020 election will be March 3. Runoffs will be on the general election ballot in November.
The term for district judges is four years and the annual salary is $147,084.
Anglin
Anglin is a third-generation resident of Siloam Springs, according to a press release announcing his candidacy.
After graduating with a degree in business administration from John Brown University, Anglin attended and graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
Anglin served as a police officer and detective at the Siloam Springs Police Department from 1996 to 2003. He then served as a deputy prosecuting attorney at the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office for 15 years where he prosecuted thousands of criminal cases and was a division chief for Division II (adult court) and Division III (juvenile court).
“I have spent my career serving this community both as a police officer and as a deputy prosecuting attorney,” Anglin said. “I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve the community as a Benton County District Court Judge.”
Bailey
Bailey has been a lawyer for 23 years in Benton County, according to a press release announcing his candidacy.
“David has proven himself to be an outstanding attorney and a hard worker for his clients, for Siloam Springs and for all of Benton County,” Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox said. “He stood strong against drunk driving while serving as the prosecuting attorney for Siloam Springs for nearly 20 years. I believe he will make an excellent judge.”
“David has the calm temperament and will treat everybody fairly, regardless of who they are,” Sach Oliver, a lawyer, said.
Bailey practices family and civil law and his firm was voted six times as Best Law Firm in the Siloam Springs Herald Leader reader’s choice awards, according to his announcement.
Bailey said he’s one of the few lawyers in his area fluent in Spanish, and he believes his fluency will help people communicate with the court as interpreters are not always readily available.
Bailey touted his actions as prosecutor and working with state legislators.
“I worked with our Rep. Robin Lundstrum and Sen. Jim Hendren in making our DWI laws tougher for drunk drivers who cross our borders from the casino in Oklahoma or from Missouri,” he said.
Bailey said safety will be a priority for him as district judge.
“I believe it’s important for a judge to serve the people – not the other way around,” he said. “I’ll urge our community to build a stronger safety network for women and children who are caught in a broken cycle of violence or drugs.”