BENTONVILLE -- Carrie Perrien Smith of Rogers is running for the District 5 seat on the Benton County Quorum Court.
Perrien, a Republican, will face Democratic Party candidate Parker Zielinski of Rogers in the Nov. 6 general election
Smith, 52, ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Rogers City Council and for mayor. She has lived in Benton County since 193 and recently moved back to her residence in District 5.
Smith is self-employed as president of Soar With Eagles, a communications consulting firm. She has a master's degree in business administration from John Brown University.
Smith said she weighed another city race but decided instead to run for justice of the peace. She said she can still represent her Rogers constituents in county government.
"There are a lot of really compelling projects the county is dealing with," she said. "A really good example is the question of how to fund and build a new courthouse, With the Quorum Court, my district is firmly inside the city of Rogers. It didn't really matter to me where I served, that's why I'm running."
Smith said she thinks her background in communications can help people connect with and understand county government. That's a big role she sees the justices of the peace playing.
"If you live out in the county you don't get city services and you can't always pick up the phone and call for services," she said. "Your JP is all you've got. Once you're on the Quorum Court you become a problem-solver for anybody in the county. I would have no problem helping somebody connect with county government or their JP."
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 03/07/2018