A 70-year-old Republican is trying for a second time to unseat the county judge of Scott County, who is running for this sixth term in the office.
Tommy Vanover of Nola is running on the theme that incumbent Democrat James Forbes has not resolved the county's problems in the 10 years he has been in office, while Forbes says the county is in better shape than when he first took office in 2007.
"My opponent has had 10 years," said Vanover, a retired welding supplier and auctioneer. "It's time to make a change."
Forbes defeated Vanover in the 2014 county judge general election by 1,923 to 1,150, according to Arkansas Secretary of State election records.
Forbes, 61, is finishing his fifth two-year term in a position that pays $38,500 a year. He said he wanted to run for re-election to continue his work and make Scott County better.
He said he has been working to improve the county's infrastructure, including flood control, especially in the southern part of the county that lacks retention lakes. He the lakes would catch the runoff from rainfall in the Ouachita National Forest and allow it to drain off gradually without causing floods. He said he thought 10 small lakes would be as good as one large lake in reducing flood risk.
Forbes said he also has been working to improve county roads and replace bridges washed away in floods. He said the county has replaced six bridges, some of them low-water bridges, in recent years.
Vanover said in a prepared statement that he would work to reduce the tax burden of residents by reducing wasteful spending and enforcing fiscal responsibility. He said the county judge was accountable for all county spending and responsible for the county budget.
He also said he would restrict use of county property not for county business, such as using county-owned vehicles for personal or political purposes. The only exception would be deputies' use of sheriff's office vehicles.
Forbes said he has been a responsible steward of the county's money. He said when he took office in 2007, the county had about $1.8 million for all the county's accounts. Today, he said, the county has $7.8 million.
"That is enough money to operate the county and improve things," he said.
He also said the Quorum Court is responsible for the county budget.
He said that under his administration, the county has cut the general fund property tax from 5 mills to 2.5 mills and eliminated the county road millage, giving a tax break to property owners. He said the two taxes were replaced with sales taxes that spread the tax burden to everyone who spends money in the county.
"I think we have been very good at having good fiscal control and doing the right thing for the county," Forbes said.
Vanover pointed out that the county does not have a full-time general practice doctor. He said he would work to find full-time medical professionals willing to relocate to Scott County.
Forbes acknowledged the need for a full-time doctor in the county and said ground was broken in the past week on a new county health clinic that he hoped would attract a doctor or, at least, a nurse practitioner to the county.
Vanover said he would work to recruit new businesses to bring jobs to the county.
"I will personally meet with anyone who is thinking about locating a business in Scott County, and I will encourage every elected official in the county and city to do the same," he said.
Vanover also said he wanted to change procedures for the Quorum Court when considering ordinances and resolutions. Now, he said, justices of the peace are asked to vote on proposed ordinances and resolutions as soon as they receive them at the meetings.
He said Quorum Court members should wait at least 30 days after receiving proposed ordinances and resolutions before voting on them. The waiting period would give the Quorum Court time to study the measures and get feedback from constituents.
Forbes said Quorum Court members discuss proposed ordinances and resolutions one or two months before they decide to vote on them. Meeting procedures are set by the Quorum Court, not the county judge, he said.
State Desk on 10/31/2016