BENTONVILLE -- The House chairman of the Arkansas Legislative Council won re-election Tuesday against a Democratic challenger in the race for a fast-growing District 93 in Bentonville.
Gayatri Agnew, an executive at a charitable foundation, made her first bid for political office in part because Jim Dotson is too preoccupied with ideological issues rather than specific district interests, she said during the race.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were:
• Dotson: 0,000(00%)
• Agnew: 0,000(00%)
The core of District 93 is in Bentonville, but it reaches to eastern Centerton in the south and west and the border of Little Flock on the east.
The Legislative Council is the committee that keeps watch over state government when the Legislature is not in session. It has two chairmen, one for the House and one for the Senate. The House Speaker appoints the council chairman for that chamber.
Dotson, 40, is a Realtor. He said previously he makes keeping a tight rein on the state budget a priority as council chairman. He has served three terms in the House and was a Bentonville City Council member before that.
Patrons of the district, Agnew said during the campaign, want more priority on protecting and improving the local schools. They also want road improvements and better-paying jobs, she said.
Agnew, 37, is senior director, corporate philanthropy, for the Walmart Foundation.
State House members serve two-year terms and have an annual salary of $39,400.
Politics on 11/06/2018