Benton County Quorum Court Sees Little Change

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County will have a smaller than usual turnover on the Quorum Court for 2015 as three new justices of the peace will take seats on the legislative body.

New justices of the peace will be Ron Easley, who defeated incumbent Mike McKenzie in a race for the District 1 seat; Susan Shadlow replaces Rey Hernandez, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in the District 2 seat and was ineligible to run for re-election; and Tom Leadabrand replaces Patrick Carr, who chose to step down after he served two terms in District 12.

At A Glance

New County Officials

Benton County’s Quorum Court will have an organizational meeting at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 1, immediately after the county’s elected officials are sworn in for their new terms in office. The justices of the peace will be briefed on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, receive their committee assignments from County Judge Bob Clinard, appoint a chairman and vice chairman for the Committee of the Whole, set dates and times for Quorum Court and committee meetings, adopt procedural rules for the Quorum Court and committees and appoint a representative to the Association of Arkansas Counties.

Source: Staff Report

"It's unusual for it to be that small a number of new JPs," Kurt Moore, justice of the peace for District 13, said of the turnover.

County Clerk records show there were six new justices of the peace for the terms beginning in 2013, 2011 and 2009. For the term beginning in 2007 there were five new justices of the peace. In 2005, there were six. In 2003, there was a single new justice of the peace who took a seat on the Quorum Court.

The number of new justices of the peace can have an effect on the workings of the Quorum Court, although it varies according to the background and experience of new members and their familiarity with county government and local issues, Moore said.

"Very few come on the court up to speed with what the issues are," Moore said. "Most are unfamiliar with the way things are done, how the committee structure operates and county ordinances. The laws governing counties and cities are different from almost anything in the real world so the more new people you have the more time it takes for them to understand all those things."

Steve Curry, justice of the peace for District 11, said his estimate is it takes a newcomer from 12 to 18 months to learn the ropes. There has been little or no problem on the Quorum Court that stems from politics so the newcomers probably will find themselves fitting in with time, he said.

"In this corner of the state, we're all pretty conservative," Curry said. "They'll just have to learn how things are done. From what I've seen, it takes a year to a year and a half before you get comfortable."

Attending Quorum Court and committee meetings in advance of taking up a seat can be a big help, both in giving the newcomers valuable background and in establishing relationships with the sitting members of the Quorum Court, Moore said.

"The JPs that attend the meetings and ask questions establish some credibility with the other JPs," he said. "Credibility is everything when you're in a deliberative body. Somebody that establishes that they're interested in what's going on and are willing to attend meetings even when they're not getting paid, taking their own free time to do it, establishes a lot more credibility than someone who waits until they're sworn in."

Barry Moehring, justice of the peace for District 14, was one of six new justices of the peace in 2013. Two of those six -- Moehring and Brent Meyers -- were in new seats the county was required to add after the 2010 census. Moehring chose the course of attending meetings after he was elected but before he was sworn in. Moehring said it helped him, but he wouldn't say every new justice of the peace has to follow that path.

"I attended a lot of meetings through 2012 and even in 2011," Moehring said. "So I had a pretty good idea what to expect, and I think I hit the ground running at a pretty good speed."

Moehring said he found the county's budget process to be the most daunting part of learning the new job. He spent time with elected officials and department heads discussing the budget. He said he would encourage new justices of the peace to do that and to ask questions at meetings when the justices of the peace can discuss issues among themselves. He said getting used to discussing county business only at meetings is something else new justices of the peace have to learn.

"Because of the way we operate, especially with the open meeting laws, everything takes places in the context of open meetings," he said. "We need to make them feel welcome and that they can speak up and express their point of view."

Leadabrand said he's spent time after his election getting to know his district that centers around Siloam Springs. He has attended some meetings and talked with Carr, with County Judge Bob Clinard and with some other justices of the peace and elected officials. An informational session for new justices of the peace put on by the Association of Arkansas Counties was also useful, Leadabrand said. Leadabrand has some experience in local government, having served on the city council in Lakewood, Colo., but he is learning Arkansas is very different.

"They do things differently here; that's what I'm learning right now," he said. "Most people even in Arkansas don't know a county judge isn't a judge, he's a county administrator. People generally don't know what a justice of the peace does. Justices of the peace are legislators. Everybody knows they can marry people, but you'd think they would know what they do as legislators."

Leadabrand followed the rural ambulance service issue as it played out through the November election when voters approved a property tax increase as a dedicated source of money for the service. He's also watched and read about the discussion of public transit in the county, and he's interested in that issue as the county grows. Leadabrand also is interested in the county's proposed new courts building

"I did attend a meeting where they discussed that," he said.

Citing 23 years working with the prosecuting attorney's office in Golden, Colo., Leadabrand said he was there when that county moved from an older courts building into a new facility. He sees the importance of having an up-to-date facility.

"It's especially important nowadays to get some security," he said. "You've got to get prisoners into court without them walking past victims and witnesses. I don't know where the money is going to come from, but it has to be done. I'm very much interested in that."

Shadlow said she hasn't had time to attend many meetings, but she has talked with Hernandez and with some of the county's elected officials. She realizes it's going to take some time to become familiar with the details of her new job.

"I'm hoping to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can," she said. "I know I can't absorb it all before I plunge in. There's just so much to learn."

Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4, said all new justices of the peace will have some frustrating times as they adjust to the laws, rules and regulations that surround county government. How quickly they learn and adjust will be determined by the work they put in, he said.

"I certainly think they can be a contributing member and a valuable asset if they spend a lot of their free time talking with the comptroller about the budget, talking with the elected officials and department heads about their jobs and their departments," Allen said. "My advice would be to attend as many meetings as possible, even if they aren't necessarily members of a committee. Then don't be afraid to ask questions. If you're afraid you're going to ask a dumb question get that thought right out of your head. There's no such thing as a dumb question."

NW News on 12/22/2014

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