Parties Vie For Quorum Court Majority

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Republicans appeared headed for a 10-5 majority on the Washington County Quorum Court, based on early and absentee voting. Going into the election, the court was split evenly with six Democrats and six Republicans and one independent.

All districts’ boundaries were redrawn and two districts were added because of the 2010 Census.

Nine justice of the peace positions were on Tuesday’s ballot.

Washington County released early and absentee voting numbers about 8 p.m. Tuesday. There were 26,851 early and absentee ballot cast.

District 1

Tom Lundstrum, 72, and the incumbent, is a Republican and self-described fiscal conservative.

Gary Winters, 44, a Democrat, said he wants to see a balanced budget and adequate pay for law enforcement.

Lundstrum got 1,751 votes (74 percent) to Winters’ 630 (26 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 1 stretches southeast from the Benton County line north of Elm Springs, around Tontitown to Johnson and south Springdale.

District 3

Two political newcomers, Republican Harvey Bowman, 71, and Democrat Meredith Mashburn, 36 are vying for the District 3 seat.

Bowman got 892 votes (66 percent) to Mashburn’s 467 (34 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 3 encompasses a northern section of Springdale, west of Thompson Avenue.

District 5

Political newcomer Tracey Kutcher wants to take the seat of incumbent Joe Patterson.

Patterson, 75, is a Republican, and challenger, Kutcher, 53, a Democrat.

Patterson got 695 votes (63 percent) to Kutcher’s 413 (37 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 5 encompasses the northeast corner of Washington County and includes the Sonora community. The district was renumbered from 13 to 5 when it was redrawn.

District 7

The realignment of justice of the peace districts moved incumbent Rick Cochran, 59 and a Republican, from District 10 to District 7. His opponent is Sharon Green, 55, and a Democrat.

Both Cochran and Green live in Fayetteville. Both said they support property rights.

Cochran got 1,047 votes (55 percent) to Green’s 853 (45 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

The district encompasses a large area in west central Washington County. The district spreads from north of Prairie Grove to the western edge of Fayetteville.

District 8

Barbara Fitzpatrick, 61, is an administrative assistant at the University of Arkansas and a Democrat. Brenda Taylor, 59, is a lawyer and a Republican.

Fitzpatrick got 1,302 votes (61 percent) to Taylor’s 840 (39 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 8 is in central Fayetteville, south of Arkansas 112 and west of College Avenue.

District 9

Eva Madison, 41 and a Democrat, is serving her first two-year term and proposed balancing the budget without using reserve money.

Aaron Stahl, 30 and a Republican, said the Quorum Court should only dip into the reserves for emergency situations.

Madison got 2,114 votes (61 percent) to Stahl’s 1,328 (39 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

The district includes Olive Avenue, East Mission Boulevard, East Township Street and Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville.

District 12

Candy Clark, 55, is the incumbent and a Democrat. She wants to pursue animal services from a public health perspective and is an advocate for county zoning.

Debbie Beckerdite, 60, a Republican, ran on a platform of cutting wasteful spending and keeping taxes as low as possible. She also backed fewer restrictions on rural residents and farmers.

Clark got 1,493 votes (66 percent) to Beckerdite’s 768 (34 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

The district covers south Fayetteville.

District 13

Boyce Davis, a 73-year-old lawyer from Lincoln, has lived in west Washington County since 1966. The Democrat was active in city government in Prairie Grove and Lincoln.

Ron Aman, 51, also of Lincoln is a Republican.

Aman got 391 votes (60 percent) to Davis’ 258 (40 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 13 covers the western third of Washington County and includes portions of Lincoln and Prairie Grove. It is a new district created after the 2010 Census.

District 14

Ann Harbison, 70, of West Fork is a Democrat and the incumbent. The farmer and retired teacher said she will work to get bridges repaired.

Joe Maynard, 54, of Fayetteville is a Republican.

Harbison got 658 votes (60 percent) to Maynard’s 445 (40 percent) of the early and absentee vote.

District 14 is the largest rural district in the county and covers the south central region that includes West Fork and Winslow.

Republicans Jimmy Mardis, of District 2, William “Bill” Ussery of District 4, Rex Baily of District 6, Marry Ann Spears of District 10 and Butch Pond of District 15, ran unopposed. Democrat John Firmin of District 11 also ran unopposed.