BENTON COUNTY — District 1 Candidates: Incumbent Tawnya Lewis of Rogers and Dale King of Garfield.
What makes you the best candidate for Justice of the Peace in your district?
Lewis: I’ve lived in northwest Arkansas my entire life. Living in District 1 one for 20 years and want keepthis area great place to live.
I listen to the people in District 1, and when an issue is voted on I will represent the wishes of my constituents to the best of my ability. My goal is to truly be a representative of the people in my district.
King: I have been a resident of Benton County since 1958.
My business record dates backfor 40 years as an owner/ operator in this county. I have witnessed the growth in the area and feel that I am well prepared to serve my District as their representative.
What do you see as the county’s building plan needs? What do you consider to be the county’s top need and how do you plan to pay for it?
Lewis: As a working member of the long range real estate committee, I hear many needs. Each is important. I believe that several of these needs will be addressed by the juvenile justice center when its completed. When that is completed I believe that a Justice center should be looked at and budgeted for and that a county master building plan would let future justices see how to budget for this because the master plan will not be affordable all at one time but slowly budgeting for what we can afford each coming year. Health and human services are very important to me. At this time I thinkthere’s always room for improvement in the services the county provides. I would like to look at the feasibility of satellite recycling centers, like Rogers has.
King: Benton County lacks a medium security jail pod and a juvenile justice center. The recently approved medium security jail would aid in allowing segregation of inmates and provide additional beds. The current Sheriff manages the jail well and returns sizable funding to the county every year. A juvenile justice center is needed for the same reason, not enough beds. The county would benefit from the same management in returns from the juvenile center. The new facility would allow all aspects of the juvenile system to work in harmony under one roof and management.
Benton County provides its residents with quality water for households and businesses, roads to commute on daily and school buses and emergency vehicles to service thecommunity. County law enforcement for the welfare of its residents is provided.
Better roads would benefit all aspects of the services provided. Less vehicle maintenance and easier driving would only be the start.
District 7 Candidates: John Anthony Cody of Pea Ridge and Joel Jones of Bella Vista
What makes you the best candidate for Justice of the Peace in your district?
Cody: People person, energetic, willing to listen, ability to understand. I understand the issuesand evaluate all possible avenues to reach the best solution. Not easily influenced by the last person I talked to. And more of a go-andsee-for-myself type man.
Jones: I have been involved with the QC forseveral years, and have an understanding of what has happened in the past and where the current QC is going.
I believe I can step into the opening left by JP Wozniak without losing the continuity for some of the projects in which the QC is currently involved. Unlike my opponent, this will be the only political office I will be holding. I will be able to devote my time and energy to the QC without having to make sacrifices between being a city councilman and being a JP.
What do you see as the county’s building plan needs? What do you consider to be the county’s top need and how do you plan to pay for it?
Cody: First, we must consider two preconditions: To protect our environmentally sensitive areas, and the protection of individual property rights. Given this, any further building needsto be based on actual need, and existing county facilities are being used to the fullest of their utilization.
I think the No. 1 top need is health and human safety.
There’s different areas to health and human safety; there’s the building safety.
Our environmental services, our health departments and building codes are top needs of the county.
To fund this, I would look at all available avenues, even grants, with the furthest and last resource being further taxation.
Jones: One of the biggest items currently on the county’s radar is the juvenile justice center. I would like to wait for the outcome of a needs study being discussed by the LRP building committee before making other decisions about where the county government has the greatest need for expansion. Since we are already at 5.0 mills, we cannot raise county taxes. I do not like the idea of bonding everything out, so we would have to find places in the budget to cut spending.
Area, Pages 6 on 05/05/2010