Political changes coming to several Crawford County posts

story by Marla Cantrell
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Four Crawford County elected officials, including the sheriff, treasurer, tax collector and assessor will not be in this year’s race. The reasons are varied: two are retiring, one is trying for an open seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives, and the sheriff is simply moving on.

Sheriff
Crawford County Sheriff Mike Allen said when he started he didn’t want to serve more than three terms, and being a man of his word, he’s stepping down. He’s also endorsing his chief deputy, Ron Brown, in this year’s race.

As of now, no other candidate has announced.

Allen, who’s been in law enforcement since he was 21, has worked with Brown for 14 years. When Allen was elected sheriff in 2004, he and Brown were working for the Alma Police Department. He asked Brown to come with him.

“That’s what I needed, someone who would fight the Devil for what is right,” Allen said. “I think we’ve done really great together. I’m a couple years short in my retirement so I don’t know what I’m going to do next or which field I’ll go into. At the moment, I’m not looking at another office. Can’t say I won’t in the future but I won’t seek reelection on another public office this term.”

Brown, who is a Democrat, is unopposed; however, the filing period for candidates opens today (March 1), so it’s anybody’s guess whether he’ll remain the sole candidate.

Like Allen, Brown, 44, has spent his life in law enforcement.

“It’s a passion of mine,” Brown said. “I’ve been a public safety professional since I was 18 years old. I left high school in 1983 and by May of 1984 I was working for the ambulance service in Logan County. I came over here to Crawford County and I never wanted to be a policeman. But I got to know the Alma policemen as an EMT and they started a reserve program and asked me to join. I did that. I loved it. I held out for Alma and went to work and I just loved it.”

He has a high school diploma from Northside in Fort Smith and an EMT certificate that expired in 1991. That is the sum total of his education, except for on-the-job training and courses he’s taken through the police and sheriff’s departments.

The chief deputy said he has goals, most of which would build on the work he’s done in Allen’s administration. Brown is in charge of day-to-day operations for the 58 employees working under him.

“I’ve got a dedicated staff,” Brown said. “My goal is to add key people in key places. We have a big turnover every year because they find better jobs. I need someone who does training and works with evidence.”

He said he would also revamp the reserve officer program, getting the 25 volunteers additional training and giving them more responsibility.

Brown has raised approximately $4,500 in campaign funds, but is not actively seeking additional donations until he finds out if he will have an opponent in the May primary. Brown lives outside Alma with his wife and children.

County Assessor   
Crawford County Assessor Dianna Faucher will not seek another term. Her sights are set on the Arkansas District 66 State Representative race. She would like to replace Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren, who is term-limited.

Connie Beyerle, 52, is one of two candidates running for Faucher’s spot. Beyerle, a Democrat, has worked in the assessor’s office for 11 years; she’s been chief deputy for the past four.

“I am knowledgeable with all operations and laws that govern this office and the citizens of Crawford County can be assured that I will uphold the dignity and integrity of this office,” Beyerle said. “This county is my home and I will continue to work for all persons in my county and know when they call or come into the assessor’s office, they will be treated with respect and any issues they have will be handled with the utmost importance and not put on a back burner.”

Beyerle graduated from Alma High School and lives in Van Buren. She completed numerous continuing education courses through the assessor’s office, is a graduate of the Van Buren Police Academy, Leadership Crawford County and is a member of the River Valley Bikers Against Child Abuse.

Opposing her is Republican Ronnie Dale, 55, of Alma. Dale has experience as well. He worked at the Crawford County Assessor’s office for four years before taking a position with the Sebastian County Assessor’s office. He’s been there for five years.

Dale said Sebastian and Crawford counties have independent companies doing mass property reappraisals. He said he’s corrected problems in the system and will take what he’s learned to Crawford County.

“I’m in charge of the real estate company that’s reappraising property,” Dale said. “They would say they looked at a piece of property when they hadn’t. … I had to let some of them go because of that. … We returned over $100,000 to the taxpayers in taxes they had overpaid. We corrected the appraisals that weren’t right. We did the paperwork, and we could go three years and gave them the difference in the taxes. It’s no more than right. I’ll do the same for Crawford County. I’ll go out and pull samples of the company’s work and if they’re not doing their job we’re going to have a problem.”

Dale has a high school diploma from Alma and has taken numerous certification and continuing education courses since working for both appraisers. He is a level four appraiser for Sebastian County.

Treasurer
Crawford County Treasurer Sharon Taylor will retire Dec. 31. She’s worked in the treasurer’s office since 1983 and has been treasurer since 2001.

So far, only Joyce Landers, 59, has announced a run for the treasurer’s position. She has lived in Van Buren for more than 30 years and is a Democrat. Landers, who did not attend college, said she learned about finances by working in banking for 36 years.

“It’s a lot of keeping books straight, keeping money organized and I’m good at that,” Landers said. “I’ve always thought the job would be exciting and I’m ready to try something new and challenging. I would love to serve the people of Crawford County in that way.”

Tax Collector
Crawford County Tax Collector Dianna Gentry also announced her retirement. She is endorsing Sandy Cook, who now serves as the chief deputy collector.

Cook, 56, is a Democrat and lives in Cedarville. She’s been with the collector’s office 12 years, starting as an administrative assistant and working her way up to chief deputy in 2008. Cook said she’s the logical choice to serve as the next collector.

“I know all the aspects of the office,” Cook said. “I have a bachelor’s business degree, specializing in accounting and economics, so I have the education and experience to back me up.”

Quorum Court
The quorum court is facing a shakeup of its own. Kevin Holmes is running for the District 66 State Representative position, the same race Assessor Dianna Faucher has entered . Tom Fite, who is from the Figure Five area, is seeking to replace Rep. Beverly Pyle, R-Cedarville in the District 83 House race. Pyle is term-limited. Crawford County Judge John Hall said the quorum court will also lose Tim Hodges, who was appointed and can’t run again.