BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace on Thursday unanimously chose Linda Hambrick to fill the vacancy in the office of county assessor.
Hambrick, administrative assistant in the assessor's office, was one of five people who sought the post, submitting resumes to be appointed assessor after Glenn "Bear" Chaney, who was re-elected in November, resigned to take a job as director of the assessment coordination department in Little Rock.
Glenn “Bear” Chaney resigned as Benton County assessor, effective March 10. State law provides that quorum courts fill vacancies in county offices through appointment. The person appointed serves out the remainder of the term they are appointed to and is ineligible to run for the office in the next election.
Quorum Court action
Benton County’s Quorum Court met Thursday and approved:
• Spending $70,000 to complete a jail security project.
• Spending $252,000 to remove microbial growth at the Sheriff’s Office.
• Spending $1.3 million in storm repair money.
• Transferring $74,029 in the jail budget.
• Transferring $2 million into the capital projects fund.
Source Staff Report
Mary Lou Slinkard, former clerk and state representative, also applied for the job as did Georgia Beaver, who has worked in the assessor's office since 1996; Dietrich Bengs, who told the justices of the peace he has more than 40 years in real estate appraising and assessing, including time in the assessor's offices in both Benton and Washington counties. Patrick Carr, former Benton County justice of the peace also submitted his resume and asked to be considered for the position.
Most of the justices of the peace said they made their decision based on their desire to have continuity in the office. Several also said they respected Chaney and his recommendation of Hambrick carried a great deal of weight. Some added they had been contacted by employees in the office who voiced support for Hambrick.
Hambrick said she plans to retire at the end of 2016, when the current term expires, She said her goal is to continue the policies Chaney has in place.
"I'm honored to have served under Bear," she said. "Bear was a fantastic assessor and I just want to keep up his good work. I also appreciate the employees and their support."
The justices of the peace discussed the appointment in open session after a motion to enter executive session was made and defeated. Justices of the peace Jay Harrison, Shirley Sandlin, Steve Curry and Brent Meyers voted in favor of the executive session. Sue Shadlow, Tom Allen, Kevin Harrison, Pat Adams, Joel Jones, Susan Anglin, Tom Leadabrand, Kurt Moore and Barry Moehring voted against going into executive session. Ron Easley and Michele Chiocco were absent.
The justices of the peace had an unscheduled discussion of overcrowding at the jail and decided to send the issue to the Public Safety Committee for more work.
District Judge Paul Bridges told the Quorum Court he is unable to sentences anyone appearing in his court to jail time because the Sheriff's Office has adopted a policy of not holding misdemeanor prisoners. Bridges echoed comments made earlier by District Judge Ray Bunch. Jones of District 7 and chairman of the Public Safety Committee said he will schedule a meeting on the issue and will coordinate with the county judge and sheriff on solutions.
Also Thursday, the justices of the peace approved a series of resolutions as part of the county's application for grant money that has been used to replace failing or inadequate septic systems in the county. The county held a public hearing 30 minutes before the Quorum Court meeting seeking public comment on the grant application and received none except the comments of some of the justices of the peace and other county officials.
NW News on 03/20/2015