BENTONVILLE -- Benton County Judge Barry Moehring rolled to a re-election victory on Tuesday.
Moehring, a Republican, defeated Ronnie L. Smith, a Libertarian.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were:
• Moehring: 54,660 (74%)
• Smith: 19,383 (26%)
This will be Moehring's second term as county judge. This term will be a four-year term. His first term was two years.
Moehring, 52, said previously he wants another term to continue the work he has started.
"The issues I ran on are issues today: better planning, financial stewardship and higher professional standards," he said during his campaign. "There's always going to be things we need to do. There's no end to them."
Moehring said one example of better planning is the adoption of a new model for the Road Department to set the annual work program and to prioritize projects. The county hired a firm to drive all of its paved roads and do a video assessment of their condition. An evaluation of the work needed followed, and the work program was developed based on that information.
Moehring said plans for a new courts facility also show better planning and concern for taxpayers' money. The county plans a $30 million building on Second Street in downtown Bentonville. The Quorum Court has formulated a plan based on a temporary one-eighth-cent sales tax as the main funding component. That funding proposal is expected to be put to the voters in March.
Moehring said he wants to improve the efficiency of government and reduce costs.
The county judge is paid $100,556 per year.
Politics on 11/07/2018