FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County candidates spent more than $192,000 in 2016 -- almost double the amount spent in 2014.
The county judge's race topped the spending, according to campaign and expenditure reports filed with the Washington County Clerk.
Each candidate for county judge spent more than $40,000. Joseph Wood, a Republican, outspent his opponent by about $5,000. Wood won the position by 8,714 votes, defeating Fayetteville alderman Mark Kinion, a Democrat.
Kinion spent $10,000 from Nov. 1 to Dec. 28 and $43,000 total for his campaign, according to his report. He spent $9,752 to repay personal loans after the Nov. 8 election. Kinion owed himself $677 at the end of filing period, which was Dec. 30.
Wood spent about $16,000 from Oct. 29 to Dec. 30 and about $47,800 on his entire campaign, according to his report. Wood repaid himself about $354 in loans after the election. Wood's final report shows he spent $42,452, but he previously reported spending about $31,244 with another $16,564 spent after Oct. 29.
Wood received $8,692 in contributions, with about $5,200 coming from public action committees, according to his report.
The top committee donor was $2,700 from Ar People First, according to Wood's report. The state action committee registry for 2015 lists its interest as "Arkansas trade." The registry this past year listed the action committee's interest as "the people of Arkansas," according to the secretary of state.
Changing Arkansas, another political action committee, donated $1,000 to Wood's campaign. The committee doesn't list an interest on the 2016 registry and was registered in August. No officers are listed, according to the 2016 secretary of state registry.
Other political action committees donated $500 or less to Wood.
The political action committees aren't mandated by state law to disclose their interests or officers.
Another top contributor for Wood was Womack for Congress, a campaign supporting 3rd District Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers. The group donated $1,000 to Wood's campaign. Wood raised about $1,000 in contributions that were less than $50, according to his report.
Kinion raised about $6,420 -- all from individuals, according to his report. Thomas Walton and Steuart Walton, both with the Walton Family Foundation, gave $2,700 apiece.
Kinion listed $820 in contributions less than $50 that didn't require individual reporting.
Most of Wood's spending in the lead-up to the election was for mailers at $5,803, commercial ad placement at $4,000 and "campaign workers" Julie and Jon Harris at $1,900.
Most other candidates spent well below Wood and Kinion, records show.
County Tax Collector Angela Wood, a Republican, spent about $60,000 during the preferential primary election but nothing afterward. She ran unopposed in the general election.
Assessor Russell Hill, a Republican, spent $18,756 on his overall campaign. Hill spent $87 between Nov. 2 and Dec. 30, according to his report. Hill's opponent, Democratic candidate Carol Waddle, spent $12,745 overall and $4,605 between Nov. 2 and Dec. 5, her report shows.
Other candidates spent less than $4,000, records show. Treasurer Bobby Hill reported spending about $17 between May 2 and Dec. 30, according to his report.
Several candidates reported no spending. Those included justices of the peace Butch Pond, Rick Cochran, Lisa Ecke and Harvey Bowman, all incumbent Republicans. Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison, a Democrat, listed no expenditures but reported $500 in contributions between Nov. 1 and Dec. 30.
Two candidates -- newly elected Justices of the Peace Joseph Kieklak and Roddy Lloyd -- didn't turn in a report by deadline. Kieklak, a Democrat representing south Fayetteville, plans to turn in his report Tuesday. He said he raised about $850 and spent about $1,600 on his overall campaign.
Lloyd, a Republican representing western Springdale, didn't return a message Friday.
Reports aren't required if spending didn't exceed $500.
NW News on 01/15/2017