BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's elected officials and justices of the peace receive income from a variety of outside sources in addition to pay associated with their offices, according to annual financial reports.
Arkansas law requires elected officials report income from within certain broad categories. Income from jobs or investments are required to be reported if the income exceeds $1,000. Income that exceeds $12,500 is reported separately.
Statements of Financial Interest
Elected Benton County officials are required by Arkansas law to submit their statements of financial interest by Jan. 31 each year. The reports do not include detailed information, only requiring the individuals to report income or investments that are more than $1,000 and those that are more than $12,500. The reports are on file and open for public inspection in the Benton County Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the county administration building,, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville. The reporting is subject to review by the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Source: Benton County Clerk’s Office
In Benton County, the county judge and sheriff were paid $88,054 in 2014, while the county clerk, circuit clerk, collector, treasurer and assessor were paid $81,901. The county coroner was paid $75,098.
Justices of the peace are paid a per diem rate for meetings they attend, but only of those committees they serve on. Justices of the peace also receive mileage for travel on county related business. The county pay for justices of the peace ranged from $4,500 to $6,800.
With Bentonville being the home of Wal-Mart, several elected officials or their spouses have ties to the retail giant. Brenda DeShields, circuit court clerk, reports more than $12,500 income from Wal-Mart, as does Daniel Oxford, county coroner, and Jay Harrison of District 3. Ron Easley of District 1, reported more then $12,500 income from Wal-Mart, where he works as senior manager for distribution center operations, according to the report. Barry Moehring of District 15, reports his wife, Cindy, receives income of more than $12,500 from Wal-Mart.
Susan Anglin of District 9, and Tom Allen of District 4, both report holdings or investments in Wal-Mart of more than $12,500. Anglin also reported income of more than $12,500 from Triple A Farms. Allen reported more than $12,500 income from two sources in his report. Allen listed his position with Hunt Ventures, where he serves as director of real estate, and Pinnacle Realty Group, where he works in real estate sales and marketing.
Allen said he's become accustomed to filing the income reports from the time he served on the Rogers City Council and now on the Quorum Court.
"I certainly understand why people want to know if their elected officials have ties to other entities. It doesn't bother me, I'm a pretty simple guy," Allen said.
Several county officials and justices of the peace received retirement pay and social security retirements.
Collector Gloria Peterson and Shirley Sandlin of District 8, receive retirement pay under the Arkansas Public Employee Retirements system for their service as county employees and elected officials. Sandlin worked in the assessor's office for several years before being elected assessor in 1986. She served in that position for 20 years.
Peterson worked in the assessor's office, was elected treasurer in 1985 and served until 2003. She was appointed collector in 2003 when a vacancy occurred in the office and remained as an employee from 2005 to 2008. She was elected collector in 2009.
County Judge Bob Clinard, Assessor Bear Chaney, County Clerk Tena O'Brien, and Treasurer Deanna Ratcliffe reported only the income from their offices or spouses. Sheriff Kelley Cradduck reported income of more than $12,500 from Significance, LLC, which he said was for concealed handgun courses and self-defense training. Cradduck also reported more than $12,500 income from Northwest Arkansas Community College for work as a substitute instructor.
Most of the justices of the peace had other employment. Moehring reported income of more than $12,500 from Dreamworks Animation, where he works in business development marketing and sales. Among his other investments, Moehring said he owns several residential properties in Bentonville that net him more than $12,500.
"I have a half dozen or so single-family homes, so I guess I dabble," Moehring said. "It's a small business I have on the side."
Michelle Chiocco of District 10, reported more than $12,500 income from First Western Bank. She also had two businesses listed in her report. Chiocco received more than $12,500 in income from Pom Systems, a commercial cleaning company. The Carriage Trade is a new business dealing in fine soaps and apothecary items, she said. Chiocco reported an investment of more than $1,000 there.
Chiocco said she understands the need for the financial disclosure, even though she finds it intrusive as an individual.
"I guess it's OK,' she said. "It's kind of an infringement, but I'm a public person as an elected official, so it's OK."
Kevin Harrison of District 5, reported more than $12,500 income from Wise Custom Realty, where he's listed as president and CEO. Harrison also listed a past-due amount of $11,000 as owed to government in his report. Harrison said the debt was related to a settlement several years ago that included punitive damages, which he said weren't properly reported for tax purposes.
One former justice of the peace, Rey Hernandez, and one current justice of the peace, Sue Shadlow, hadn't filed their reports as of Friday afternoon.
NW News on 02/22/2015