The races for Pulaski County sheriff, circuit/county clerk and multiple justices of the peace districts firmed up last week as the deadline passed for filing for partisan county offices.
Thursday was the deadline for candidates to formally file to run for Pulaski County county judge, sheriff, circuit/county clerk, treasurer/tax collector, assessor and all 15 justices of the peace positions.
Decisions by those elected officials affect the roughly 393,000 people who live in Pulaski County's 845 square miles.
This year's election cycle is the first in which county officials, excluding justices of the peace, will be elected to four-year terms instead of two-year terms. Arkansas voters approved the term extensions in November 2016.
Justices of the peace, who make up the county's legislative body -- the Quorum Court, are still elected for two-year terms.
The Pulaski County sheriff, a position that oversees the county's law enforcement arm and the most populated county jail in Arkansas, drew interest from two career law enforcement officers: Carl Minden and Eric Higgins.
The current sheriff, Doc Holladay, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election. The job pays $103,029 annually.
Minden is a 46-year-old Democrat who oversees criminal investigations, administrative services and media relations for the sheriff's office.
In his 19* years with the agency, Minden has commanded the crisis negotiation unit, started the prescription drug take-back program and served as agency spokesman, among other roles.
Minden is also a law enforcement community liaison with the state Martin Luther King Jr. Commission and has organized the sheriff's office Citizens Police Academy since 2010, according to his online biography.
Before joining the sheriff's office, Minden graduated from the University of the Ozarks. He lives in west Little Rock with his wife and three children.
Higgins, a 52-year-old Democrat, retired from a 30-year career with the Little Rock Police Department in 2015. At that time, Higgins had served as assistant chief of police for more than a decade.
Higgins has taught at Arkansas Baptist College since 2013 and is the director of the Derek Olivier Research Institute at the college.
The institute's goal is to reduce "black on black violence" through education and research, according to its online mission statement.
Higgins also works with the O.K. Program, a mentoring program for black boys ages 12-18, and presides on the governing board for Lisa Academy, according to his online biography.
Higgins got a bachelor's and master's degrees from Liberty University. He is married, lives in west Little Rock and has two daughters.
Two Democrats and a Republican are the contenders to become the next circuit/county clerk. The offices of circuit clerk and county clerk are combined in Pulaski County.
The clerk is paid $90,784 annually, oversees about 95 employees and is responsible for maintaining county records for voting, land purchases, marriages, divorces and criminal prosecution.
The current officeholder, Larry Crane, a Democrat, previously said he won't seek re-election. His son, Christopher Crane, is running for the seat.
The younger Crane, a 49-year-old Democrat, has been the Arkansas film commissioner for a decade. He encourages filmmakers to bring productions to Arkansas and to hire local talent.
Before assuming the role at the state agency, Crane was a public school teacher in Little Rock for eight years and a staff member for U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, according to his online biography.
He lives in Little Rock with his wife and daughter.
Terri Hollingsworth, another Democratic clerk candidate, formerly directed the state Board of Election Commissioners between 1996 and 2000.
Currently, Hollingsworth, 53, works two part-time jobs at a Home Depot and Dave & Sons Cigars & Pipes in Little Rock. She also advises the Peter Damon Group, a public affairs and management firm, in an unpaid role, she said.
Hollingsworth's career has included time at the Delta Regional Authority, Arkansas Baptist College and at the city of Little Rock, according to her resume.
She lives in Little Rock and has a son.
The third candidate is Steve Walden, a 65-year-old Republican who works for the Pulaski County Road and Bridge Department as a permit inspector and complaint investigator.
Previously, Walden has managed construction for the state Department of Correction and ran a heating and air-conditioning business for 12 years. He also worked for the state Department of Health as a heating and air inspector.
He ran for clerk against the elder Crane and lost in 2010.
Walden lives in Sherwood and has two children and two grandchildren.
Four of Pulaski County's 15 justice of the peace districts will be contested. Justices of the peace meet at least twice a month and vote on county budgeting decisions, among other duties.
Each justice of the peace is paid a per diem amount for each meeting attended. In Pulaski County, that amount is capped at $14,131 annually, though the majority of the officials earned $12,600 last year for attending the 24 scheduled meetings.
Two justices of the peace earned less because they had previously denied raises.
In the first district, which encompasses the westernmost part of the county, both north and south of Lake Maumelle, Dianna Varady is challenging incumbent Doug Reed.
Reed, a Republican, is a teacher at Pulaski Academy, a private school.
Varady, a Democrat, is a project coordinator at the University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities for Arkansas.
Hunter Windle is challenging incumbent Julie Blackwood in District 4. The district overlaps with the Hillcrest and Stifft Station neighborhoods in Little Rock and extends to downtown.
Blackwood, a Democrat, is a personal fitness trainer. Windle, a Republican, is an attorney for Malvern National Bank.
The 10th District has two challengers, both Democrats, who will run against incumbent Robert Green Sr.
District 10 encompasses part of downtown North Little Rock and extends east all the way to the county line.
Green, a Democrat, is retired. He is a reverend and attends Unity Missionary Baptist Church.
One of the challengers, Barry Jefferson, is the director of environmental services at the Arkansas Heart Hospital.
Another challenger, Karega "Red" Wilson, is in sales at Lifeline Towing and runs an events management company.
District 15 is in North Little Rock between Camp Robinson Road and McCain Mall, north of the Interstate 40/Interstate 30 interchange.
In that district, Bill Carson is challenging incumbent Staci Medlock.
Medlock, a Democrat, is a real estate agent for Crye-Leike. Carson, a Republican, is retired after working 20 years for a private mailing company.
Three elected county offices and 11 justice of the peace districts have no challengers.
County Judge Barry Hyde will run unopposed. The office comes with a $103,029 salary.
Hyde, a 61-year-old Democrat, founded a construction company before he was elected in 2014.
Debra Buckner, a 66-year-old Democrat, has yet to face an opponent since she was first elected as the county's tax collector and treasurer in November 2000.
The treasurer and tax collector positions are combined in Pulaski County. The salary is $90,784 annually.
Assessor Janet Troutman Ward, a 60-year-old Democrat, is also running unopposed. Her annual salary is $88,820.
The 11 incumbent justices of the peace who will run unopposed are:
Tyler Denton, District 2; Kathy Lewison, District 3; Lillie McMullen, District 5; Donna Massey, District 6; Teresa Coney, District 7; Curtis Keith, District 8; Judy Green, District 9; Aaron Robinson, District 11; Luke McCoy, District 12; Phil Stowers, District 13; and Paul Elliott, District 14.
May 22 is the primary election. Nov. 6 is the general election.
Metro on 03/04/2018
*CORRECTION: Maj. Carl Minden, a candidate for Pulaski County sheriff, will have his 20th anniversary with the sheriff’s office in May. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated how long Minden as been employed by the Pulaski County sheriff’s office.