The issue of pay for elected officials is often a no-win situation.

Well, that’s not quite right. After all, full-time elected officials very often are paid far more than the average Arkansan. Take Benton County’s Bob Clinard, who has served as county judge since 2011 and got re-elected with minor opposition in 2012. He makes $84,731 per year.

That’s nothing to sneeze at. But Clinard, who has performed well in the position, sneezed anyway.

He recently approached the Quorum Court’s Personnel Committee with a request that his annually salary rise $12,000, to $96,731.

“I feel kind of like a moneygrubber coming up here asking you for a raise but I think I’ve earned it,” Clinard said at the meeting. He should have listened to the little voice that made him feel that way.

Clinard attempted to make the case by pointing to annual savings of $156,258 the county realized through his managerial actions since he took off ce. He also noted savings in various construction projects achieved due to his background in construction amounted to $541,608.

We applaud Clinard’s efforts and the resulting savings to taxpayers. Isn’t that just the kind of thing a man who runs for county judge typically pledges to do? Isn’t such management of taxpayer dollars exactly the job he campaigned to do, back when he knew what the position paid and still sought the job?

Others noted, and we agree, Clinard should not have waited only a month into his new term to ask for a raise. If it was so important - which it appears to be to Clinard - the issue should have been raised during budget talks back in 2012, about the same time the political campaigns were in full swing for the November election.

Wait a minute. Could that be why he didn’t raise the issue last year? Mmmmm.

Clinard certainly isn’t the first nor will he be the last public official to seek higher pay. Many times when a publicly elected chief executive wants a raise, the more palatable option is to propose a raise that will take effect after the next election for the position. That way, voters know what’s on the table and can make their candidate decisions accordingly.

So if Clinard believes the position of county judge deserves to be paid more, he should press for the change and make it effective Jan. 1, 2015, when the next county judge term gets under way. The public no doubt feels better, and the officeholder looks far less self-serving, when the transaction is handled that way.

We appreciate a county judge doing his job well.

Clinard’s reward was getting elected again to a job that will pay him nearly $170,000 over the next two years.

CASUALTIES OF WAR To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Northwest Arkansas Times is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.

Army Pfc. Markie T. Sims, 20, of Citra, Fla., died Dec. 29 in Panjwal, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 38th Engineer Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, under control of the 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 02/08/2013