ARKADELPHIA — The biggest goal for Shelly Fendley Craft for this next year is to graduate from college before her son does.
Her son Race is a junior at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, and Craft will officially be a senior at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia this spring. This is her first semester back after “a whole bunch of years,” she said.
“If I graduate on time, it will be 29 1/2 years since I left high school,” Craft said. “It turns out you have to study. I really have to read.
”You just appreciate education more as you get older.”
Craft is studying history and political science but is not sure how she wants to use her degree.
“I’m one semester ahead of my son, and he’s on the president’s list [for his grades], and I’m not,” Craft said. “I hope to graduate before he does. I told my mom the other day, I’ve been tearing my kids up and making sure they have good grades, and I don’t have all A’s.”
Craft was elected the new Clark County justice of the peace for District 10 on Nov. 6. She earned 64 percent of the vote against Democrat nominee Galen White, who withdrew from the election after it was reported that he had moved out of the district.
“I hope I was elected to help my neighbors do the best I can for our community,” Craft said.
Craft grew up in Clark County, having graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 1990. She lives in downtown Hollywood, Arkansas, with her husband, Keith. They have been married for 23 years and have three kids: Kristin, who works as a nurse in Benton; Race; and their youngest son, Carson, who attends Arkadelphia High School.
“My husband and I had a business where we sold race-car engines and shipped them all over the place,” Craft said. “We sold our business to one of our employees, and it freed up a little bit of my time.”
Now Craft and her husband are contractors and are remodeling and building a couple of houses in Hot Springs. They also serve as landlords for several businesses and houses in Arkadelphia.
“For sure, my work as a business owner will help me make good business decisions,” Craft said. “[As justice of the peace], I hope I can work together with community leaders to bring in some new jobs and improve what we already have because we have a nice community.”
Craft said that as a justice of the peace, she will primarily serve as a legislator for the county.
“I went to a training last weekend, and we can actually make some ordinances regarding the peace of the community, and [I am allowed] to marry people,” Craft said. “I want to marry someone. I think it will be fun.”
Craft got started in politics after helping the Republican Party in Clark County, even though there were some years when there weren’t any Republicans on the ballot.
“Clark County has been a Democrat County forever,” Craft said. “This is only like our second or third election when we have had any Republicans at all.
“Elections are so fun, no matter what side you are on. I think the Democrats and Republicans get along pretty good down here. We don’t have too big of wars down here about anything.”
In June, Craft was given the 4th Congressional District GOP party award. She also serves as a delegate to the national convention and attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Eddie Arnold, who works in the health care business in Arkadelphia, has known Craft for 36 years, starting with when his wife was overseeing the local 4-H chapter.
“We have become really good friends since then, her and her husband both,” Arnold said. “Even back then, she was a very brilliant girl. My wife would talk about how brilliant she was.
“She is full of energy, brilliant and a go-getter. I always call her my bulldog because if she gets a project, she tears into it and doesn’t let go until the job is finished.”
Arnold said Craft has always had a big interest in politics, and serving as justice of the peace is just a natural start for her.
“It is just the first step,” he said. “She has all the qualifications and abilities to go as far as she wants to go in the political world.”
Arnold said most of the Clark County elected officials are now Republicans.
“She has fought really hard to get quality Republican candidates elected, and she has also helped some state representatives get elected, including Richard Womack and Justin Gonzalez,” Arnold said. “She has worked very hard to see these guys’ message spread across the district. They were fortunate to win and win by a big margin.
“She is responsible for them. I would say she was very instrumental in helping them get elected and all the other [Republican] candidates who have run.”
Craft said she might run for a higher office someday but for right now will just focus on being in school and serving as justice of the peace.
“I love this town, and I love the people here,” Craft said. “It is so small that it doesn’t matter if you get stopped by the police or go to the bank — people know who you are.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.