Carr To Exit Quorum Court

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION WHEN TERM ENDS

Carr
Carr

— Benton County voters will have at least two vacancies to fill on the Quorum Court in 2014.

Patrick Carr of Siloam Springs, District 12 justice of the peace, announced this week he will leave the Quorum Court when his term ends on Dec. 31. Rey Hernandez of Rogers, District 2 justice of the peace, was appointed to the Quorum Court after Frank Winscott moved out of the district. County Attorney George Spence said Hernandez cannot succeed himself in that post.

Carr said he has served longer than he expected.

“Originally, I was only going to serve one term, and I ended up serving two,” Carr said. “Hopefully, we can find someone who is interested in serving the voters of the district and who is willing to run for office.”

Carr said demands on his time from his business and his fraternity — he is a member of the Masonic Lodge — contributed to his decision to leave office.

“It’s the time factor,” he said. “I travel a lot, and I’m doing other things in my fraternity. I’m moving into a state leadership level, and that takes a lot more time than the local level.”

Carr said county roads are the issue he’s heard the most about from his constituents.

“The big issue has been county roads and development,” he said. “We built the Juvenile Justice Center, and we’ve done some other things, but to me, it’s been the roads. That’s the one thing that serves all of the citizens of Benton County.”

Carr said the rural ambulance issue has been another time-consuming issue. The Quorum Court adopted an ordinance in September establishing an emergency medical services district and imposing an $85 per household annual fee to make ambulance service available. The ordinance was challenged by petition, and a referendum on the EMS district and the fee is set for Feb. 11. Carr said he hopes the issue can be resolved before he leaves the court.

“I hope so, I really do,” he said. “I hope the funding model will be available and we’ll have a long-term funding source available for EMS.”

County Clerk Tena O’Brien said anyone interested in running for a Quorum Court seat can file for a spot on the ballot in the May 20 party primaries. O’Brien said the filing period opens at noon Feb. 24 and closes at noon March 3.

Carr said serving as a justice of the peace is something he’d recommend to anyone with an interest in serving the community.

“When you’re at the local level, you actually know your constituents,” he said. “You’re able to be contacted and talked to. If somebody doesn’t like something I’ve done, I see them at Walmart.”

Barry Moehring is fi nishing his first year as justice of the peace for District 15. He said the job is enjoyable, although time-consuming.

“I would advise anyone interested in serving on the Quorum Court that they have to be a little patient,” Moehring said. “You have to really dig in and learn the issues. It definitely has its moments of complexity. It also has some nuances I’ve learned about over the course of the year.”

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