BENTONVILLE -- Susan Anglin will seek a third term as justice of the peace for District 9 on the Benton County Quorum Court.
Anglin, 60, a Bentonville native, lives on the family dairy and beef farm in unincorporated Benton County between Centerton and Highfill. She was unopposed in her first two races for the Quorum Court in 2010 and 2012. She serves on the County's Legislative, Transportation Personnel and Public Safety committees and is the Quorum Court's liaison to the Association of Arkansas Counties.
Anglin identified three issues the county is now dealing with -- preservation or restoration of War Eagle Bridge, planning for a new courts building and providing rural ambulance service -- that she wants to see brought to some resolution.
"I think I'm interested in each of those things, I really couldn't say one is more important than the others," she said. "They're all important and we need to do something. War Eagle Bridge is very important to a lot of people and I think we should do all we can to preserve it. Ambulance service is obviously an important issue to county residents and the courts building is also a safety issue in my view."
Anglin's district includes a large part of Centerton, as well as some unincorporated areas. Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards said he wants the city to maintain a good working relationship with county government and pointed to several road projects around the new high school campus in the city as an example of city-county cooperation.
"We've had a great relationship with the county and Susan has been very active with us," Edwards said. "After most of the Quorum Court meetings she gives us an update on what's happening and asks for input. She's been very accessible to our citizens."
Anglin said her work with the Association of Arkansas Counties has given her a better perspective on how county government has to work with the state. She said most of Arkansas 75 counties have similar problems.
"We all have similar issues, but they're also all different," she said. "Sometimes the smaller counties don't view the bigger counties the way we do. Overall, I think Benton County is very progressive. To me, we're a leader in the state.
State Rep. Dan Douglas, a Bentonville Republican, preceded Anglin on the Quorum Court. Douglas said working to bridge the gap between county governments and the state is difficult and Anglin has represented the county well.
"That's a very important job because the [association] is a strong representation group for county government," Douglas said. "It's important for the county, having a good, strong person who can articulate the issues and help develop an agenda for county government."
NW News on 08/19/2015