Clinard to seek another term as county judge

BENTONVILLE -- County Judge Bob Clinard thinks he should remain the leader of Benton County because it's considering what may be the single biggest project in its history.

Clinard, a Republican serving his second term in office, has announced he will run again in 2016. Barry Moehring, Republican justice of the peace for District 15, also has announced his plans to run for the office. The primary is March 1.

"It's a huge task to learn all of the duties and responsibilities of county judge, and I don't think you want to start over unless you have to," he said.

Clinard said he wants to serve as county judge for more than one two-year additional term. A proposed new courts building will take up much of the county judge's time for the next several years, he said. A new building would house circuit court judges and their staffs and all other related county offices. The judges and courtrooms are now divided among three buildings in downtown Bentonville and the Juvenile Justice Center on Melissa Drive.

Clinard has argued for a building on county-owned property near the Juvenile Justice Center, Road Department and County Jail in Bentonville. The justices of the peace, who will decide what plan to put forth, favor a downtown building.

Preliminary plans for the two locations show costs of $25 million to $30 million depending on final designs. The county will have to convince voters to support a sales tax or property tax increase to pay for the project after a location, design and funding methods are agreed on.

The county has to build for the future, and 30 years in the construction business give him an advantage in overseeing the kind of project he envisions, Clinard said.

Clinard also said he's worked hard to get the Road Department up to date in its equipment and methods and to put good people in place to do the work. He wants the county to shift from a mindset of maintaining its roads to improving them.

County government needs to work with cities and other entities on projects that will benefits the whole county, Clinard said.

Moehring said individual projects like the courts building are important, as are county roads and bridges like War Eagle. He said his campaign will focus more on leadership and cooperation and emphasize the need for structured, long-range planning. Area cities have all embraced long-range "visions" and adopted plans to achieve those dreams, he said.

"If you look at the way the cities are being led and managed, they all have an agreed upon vision and a collaborative way to get there," Moehring said. "The model is right there in front of us. We definitely need long-range planning for infrastructure like the courthouse, for county roads and for economic development. If I become judge you will see a different approach to these kinds of issues."