BENTONVILLE -- Adriane Carr is seeking a second term as justice of the peace for District 11 on the Benton County Quorum Court.
Carr, the incumbent Republican Party candidate, faces Libertarian Party candidate Jacob Faught in the Nov. 6 general election. Neither candidate will appear on the May 22 party primary ballot.
Carr, 67, of Siloam Springs, has lived in Benton County and District 12 since 1998.
Carr said she has learned that while government may move slowly, there is often good reason for that.
"There are definite processes, and there needs to be because of the scope of what we do," she said.
Carr said she is pleased with the way county government has been dealing with county roads and infrastructure issues such as the proposed new $30 million courts building. She said the handling of the recent decision by Simmons Foods to build a new poultry processing plant near Gentry and the series of town hall meetings held by county officials show the county government values and will seek out public input.
"The town halls have been really positive," she said. "I see a county that's being progressive, a county that stresses accountability."
Carr said she doesn't have a strong opinion on the design of the new courts building and she hasn't decided what funding method she favors. The county has discussed a bond issue and a temporary sales tax as possible ways to pay for the project.
"I agree we need to look at all the different ways to pay for the building," she said. "I think we need to look inside first, for example, to see where we can cut the budget. If and when we do go to our constituents we need to be able to show them we have done everything we can to offset the cost before we ask them to support any other type of funding."
Justices of the peace are paid on a per meeting basis -- $230.51 for Quorum Court and Committee of the Whole meetings and $144.08 for other committees they are members of -- and serve two-year terms.
NW News on 03/06/2018