BENTONVILLE -- Republican Carrie Perrien Smith defeated Democrat Parker Zielinski for Benton County Justice of the Peace District 5 on Tuesday.
The complete but unofficial vote totals were:
• Smith: 1,947 (58%)
• Zielinski: 1,406 (42%)
Mike Jeffcoat, who holds the seat, was appointed to fill an unexpired term and was not eligible to run for the position in the general election.
District 5 includes parts of Rogers east of Interstate 49 and south of U.S. 62.
Smith, 53, is a self-employed marketing, branding, publishing consultant for Soar With Eagles.
Zielinski, 38, is an information technology project support contractor.
Smith has run unsuccessfully for Rogers city offices on three occasions. She said she saw the opening on the Quorum Court as a way to serve much of the same constituency.
"I know a lot of the JPs, and I was always intrigued by the work they do," Smith said during the campaign. "This is a chance to still serve the city of Rogers, but on the county level."
Justices of the peace serve two-year terms and are paid $230 for each Quorum Court and Committee of the Whole meeting and $144 for each meeting of a committee of which they are a member.
Politics on 11/07/2018