When Clark County Judge Troy Tucker welcomed visitors to his office on the second floor of the courthouse recently, he told them, “Public service is in my blood.”
He later took them downstairs to the first floor and showed them a wall of fame that features photographs of the previous county judges. And right there, near the beginning of the display, is a photo of Goodin Deaton, who served as county judge from 1866 to 1868.
“That’s my great-great-grandfather,” Tucker said, smiling.
Tucker, 54, was sworn in as the new Clark County judge on Jan. 1. His first day on the job was Tuesday.
“I began my career in law enforcement in Arkadelphia in 1982 and became a police officer in 1983,” he said. He would later serve as Clark County sheriff and tax collector for several years. The sheriff also serves as the tax collector in Clark County.
“I was elected sheriff in 1992 and took office Jan. 1, 1993. I was 29, and I believe I was the youngest elected sheriff at that time,” Tucker said.
“I served as sheriff for 13 years. I left that job and worked at Farm Bureau Insurance here in Arkadelphia for a while; then I bought a restaurant. I owned the Pig Pit Bar-B-Q in Caddo Valley. I sold it after about two years,” he said.
“I have no regrets for any of the jobs I’ve held. I enjoy working with the public. I enjoy public service,” Tucker said.
“When I went to work at the Farm Bureau, I intended to make that my career. Then when I opened up the restaurant, I intended that to be my career, but other opportunities came my way. I had a chance to sell the restaurant, and I did,” he said.
“I worked as a police officer in Hot Springs from 2006 until recently. That’s when I decided to run for county judge,” Tucker said. “I love public service. It’s in my blood. I’ve always had a desire to be the county judge.
“I served in law enforcement for 30 years and seven months and decided it was time to make a change. The opportunity presented itself [to run for county judge], and here I am.”
Tucker said he ran as a Republican and had no opposition until November.
“I won the election outright,” he said.
Tucker said there is “a lot going on” in Clark County.
“One of the big issues is the landfill. We are going to fix that,” he said.
“It is a Class IV industrial-waste landfill, and it has been closed,” Tucker said. “We have got to get it reopened as soon as possible.
“With Sun Paper [Industry of China] coming in, … it is imperative that we get the landfill opened back up as soon as possible. We have to be ready to accept its waste.”
In July 2016, Sun Paper announced plans to build a bio-product pulp mill at the Clark County Industrial Park in Gum Springs.
Tucker said another issue that affects the county is a proposed bypass system in Arkadelphia that would reroute the truck traffic from the downtown area.
“We want to work with the city of Arkadelphia and the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department,” he said, “but we really don’t have any authority in that situation. It will be up to the state Highway Department to make its final proposal.”
Tucker said the county judge’s office works with all municipalities in the county. That includes not only Arkadelphia, but the cities of Gurdon, Amity, Okolona, Caddo Valley, Gum Springs and Whelan, as well “all the other little small municipalities in the county. We are responsible to work alongside all of them,” he said.
Tucker said roads “are always an issue for any county judge,” and he plans to work on those issues “day by day.”
He said the county jail also has some issues, which he intends to address quickly.
“I am confident we’ll get those resolved in the first 60 days of my leadership,” he said.
Tucker said as far as finances are concerned, “Clark County is stable.”
Tucker said he has already held a brief organizational meeting with the Clark County Quorum Court. He said the court meets the second Monday of each month, and it will now meet at 5:30 p.m. instead of 7:30.
“I look forward to working with the Quorum Court,” he said. “I preside over those meetings but do not have a vote, other than a veto.”
Tucker said he does not expect to make any big changes in the office.
“Some of the personnel chose to remain; some did not,” he said. “I want to give everyone a fair opportunity to get on board and become a team player.”
Tucker said that among the various departments under his leadership are roads, sanitation, emergency-management services, the 911 coordinator, veterans services, custodians of the county buildings and administrative assistants.
“First on my agenda is to get the office better organized,” he said. “We need to be better organized in order to be more efficient.”
Tucker grew up in Curtis, a son of the late Loye and Ludie Herron Tucker, and has two sisters, Saundra McGalliard of Gurdon and Diane Ledbetter of Arkadelphia. A third sister, Shelia Tucker of Curtis, died recently.
Tucker graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 1980. He attended Henderson State University, where he studied business, and then, later, National Park College, where he obtained a degree in criminal justice.
He and his wife, Kim, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, were married in 1984.
“We met in high school biology,” he said. “We were dissecting a worm. I was 15.”
The Tuckers have two children. Their daughter, Ashley Tucker, 30, is a registered nurse at Baptist Health in Little Rock; she has one son, Tucker Guy, 11. Troy and Kim’s son, Brent Tucker, 28, works for Union Pacific Railroad in Arkadelphia; he and his wife, Molly, have one daughter, Essie Tucker, 2.
When Troy Tucker is not working, he enjoys farming.
“My son and I raise cattle, mostly
Brangus,” he said. “We have about 75 head [of cattle]. I couldn’t do it without him, and he couldn’t do it without me.”
The Tuckers attend Second Baptist Church in Arkadelphia.
Tucker is still a board member for the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth Ranches. He is also a member of the Clark County Cattlemen’s Association.
Tucker said he really doesn’t have a bucket list of things he wants to do.
“Let’s just see how this goes,” he said, laughing. “This is a two-year term. After that, all county constitutional offices will go to a four-year term. The voters approved that change during this past election. I hope to be re-elected for another term.”