NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Even if L.J. Bryant loses next month’s election, we have a feeling we’ll be hearing from him again.

Bryant oozes charisma, confidence and pep.

It takes a certain amount of moxie to run for a state constitutional office when you’re just 23 years old.

Bryant obviously has it.

Bryant grew up in Poinsett County and graduated from Hendrix College. He has a real-estate license and owns three income-tax offices in Jonesboro. He has worked in Little Rock as a legislative liaison to the president of the state Senate. He’s beena farmer. He has served on a number of boards, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas.

Barely old enough to drink, Bryant ran for state representative in 2008 and lost the race by just 117 votes.

Now he wants to be your state land commissioner.

Bryant wasn’t our choice in the Democratic primary, but he won a three-way race that included former state representative Monty Davenport. It was an impressive victory, and he worked extremely hard for it.

Bryant’s opponent in the general election is Bigelow resident John Thurston, 37, a Republican making his first run for public office. The incumbent, Mark Wilcox, is term-limited.

The main thrust of Thurston’s campaign is that because the land commissioner’s office has belonged to one party - the Democrats - for the last 140 years, it has become a breeding ground for corruption.

It’s true that Wilcox, who has flagrantly abused his state-car privilege, has been an embarrassment, but few (if any) land commissioners have proven to be crooks.

In any case, a person’s political affiliation should be little more than an afterthought when it comes to picking the right person for this job.

The land commissioner’s primary charge is to collect taxes on delinquent properties; as a last resort, this can result in the state taking possession of a property and selling it - a prospect that hits home, considering that Northwest Arkansas has the highest foreclosure rate in the state.

Bryant wants the land commissioner’s office to realize its full potential. Included on his agenda is bringing the office into the 21st century by increasing the number of services online. He also intends to make it easier for people to pay if their real-estate taxes become delinquent.

Bryant has managed as many as a couple of dozen employees at once during the height of tax season. His business experience should help him if he is elected. We believe he would run the office in a professional manner.

Bryant certainly is ambitious, and it’s hard to believe he doesn’t see this office as a stepping stone to something bigger. Then again, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with ambition.

Bryant doesn’t need this job; rather, he is motivated by a deep desire to serve the people better than they’re being served now. We think he’s the better choice in this election.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/07/2010