Saxon, Murry seek re-election to county posts
by March 1, 2012 12:16 pm 241 views
Judge David Saxon, a 20-year veteran of the Fort Smith District Court, is asking voters for another term.
Also announcing for re-election is Sebastian County Quorum Court member Linda Willsey Murry. Murry, who seeks a third term, is running for District 11 and has an opponent in Republican Wayne King.
SAXON
Saxon also has an opponent. Fort Smith Attorney Barry Neal announced Feb. 15 he will seek the position of judge for the Fort Smith Division of the Sebastian County District Court, Division 1, in the May 2012 preferential primary.
Saxon, 64, is a co-founder of the Sebastian Crawford County Multi-Disciplinary Team which deals with child sexual abuse. He also is a co-organizer of the Hamilton House Child Safety Center and serves as the chair of the center’s board.
Before his election to the bench, he served as the Chief Deputy Prosecutor of the 12th Judicial Circuit for 12 years. He was also the Prosecuting Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit briefly during the latter part of 1991.
MURRY
Murry was first elected to the Sebastian County Quorum Court in 2008, and has served as budget chairman for the 2011 and 2012 county budgets.
Murry also served 16 years as comptroller for former Sebastian County Judge Bud Harper, three terms as County Treasurer and Collector and is in her second term as Justice of the Peace.
She also owned and operated small businesses in this area, including farming, retail, and real estate investment and leasing.
Other political announcements in the county include:
• Sebastian County Clerk Sharon Brooks, a Republican, is seeking re-election.
• Sebastian County Treasurer Judith Miller, also a Republican, is running again. She was first elected to the Treasurer’s office in 2008.
• Denora Coomer, a 28-year veteran of the Sebastian County court system, announced Aug. 17 she will run as a Republican for the Circuit Clerk post now held by Republican Ken Blevins.
• Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk Kathy Guthrie, a 14-year veteran of the Sebastian County Circuit Clerk’s office, announced Dec. 29 she will seek the office as a Democrat.
• Sebastian County Judge David Hudson (R) and Sebastian County Assessor Becky Yandell (R) have also announced plans to seek reelection.
• Wayne King and Danny Aldridge, both Republicans, have announced for Sebastian County Quorum Court Districts 11 and 6, respectively.
• Lisa Sellers, a long-time Democrat, switched to the Republican Party in her bid for re-election to Sebastian County Quorum Court, District 9.
• Jim Medley, a former State Representative, is running for Sebastian County Quorum Court, District 7.
COMPLETE STATE FROM JUDGE DAVID SAXON
Fort Smith District Judge David Saxon will seek reelection to Fort Smith District Court. He has been on the Court since 1992 and is seeking Position One on the court.
Judge Saxon’s responsibilities include serving as trial judge for city and state traffic and misdemeanor cases, acting as a magistrate for preliminary hearings in felony cases filed by the county prosecuting attorney’s office and presiding over civil cases in the civil division of the Court. He also presides over the Environmental Division of the Court which is responsible for code enforcement.
Since taking office, he has worked toward the implementation and improvement of the courts computer system with special emphasis on development of public access that is user friendly.
He has continuously worked to provide alternative sentencing options for city and county misdemeanor offenders and to create alternatives for individuals who are facing jail or are unable to pay fines and costs. During his service, he has developed a successful domestic violence intervention program and has utilized local providers for a marijuana intervention program.
Saxon, 64, is the co-founder of the Sebastian Crawford County Multi-Disciplinary Team which deals with child sexual abuse. This program has received state recognition. He is a co-organizer of the Hamilton House Child Safety Center and serves as the chair of the center’s board. Judge Saxon has served on numerous local and state committees that deal with criminal justice matters, judicial reforms and issues impacting on efficient administration of justice.
Before his election to the bench, he served as the Chief Deputy Prosecutor of the 12th Judicial Circuit for 12 years. He was also the Prosecuting Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit briefly during the latter part of 1991. Judge Saxon has tried hundreds of cases as a judge and prosecutor including assisting on several capital cases. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas College of Business and the School of Law at Fayetteville. He has 38 years of legal experience, both civilian and military, and is licensed in the state and federal courts.
Saxon is retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. His last assignment was as a military judge.
Judge Saxon is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the Sebastian County Bar Association (which he is past president) and a member of and the past president of the Arkansas District Judges Council. He is currently a member of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Committee on Court Security and Emergency Preparedness. He is a member of the Fort Smith Rotary Club and a member of First Presbyterian Church.
Judge Saxon and his wife, Barbara, an elementary and junior high school counselor, have three grown children.
Judge Saxon believes that there are a number of state and local issues that are going to come up in the next four years that will have a critical impact on the Fort Smith District Court specifically and district courts in general statewide. His desire is to continue to serve the citizens of Fort Smith and his experience and knowledge will improve the chances for positive outcomes of these issues.
COMPLETE STATEMENT FROM JP LINDA WILLSEY MURRY
Linda Willsey Murry, Sebastian County Justice of the Peace for District 11, has announced her candidacy for re-election seeking her third term. A 1970 graduate of Mansfield High School, Murry graduated with a Bachelor Of Science Degree from Northeastern State University in 1979 with a double major in Accounting and Business Administration.
Murry was elected to the Sebastian County Quorum Court in 2008 and again in 2010 and has served as Budget Chairman for the 2011 and 2012 County Budgets.
After joining Sebastian County in 1981 as Comptroller, Murry introduced essential financial management policies that have been the foundation for the County’s ability to invest in capital projects such as the new jail, the jail expansion and the Courts Building without tax increases by establishing the Reserve Accounts and Cost Allocation among the various county funds. With her Accounting Degree and previous Governmental Accounting experience, Murry worked closely with State Auditors in all areas of County financial matters to enhance Sebastian County’s accounting systems and financial position.
Murry has the unique experience of having been a County employee, an Elected County Official, and a Quorum Court member. She served 16 years as Comptroller for Judge Bud Harper, 3 terms as County Treasurer and Collector and is in her second term as Justice of the Peace. Murry has also owned and operated small businesses in this area, including farming, retail, and real estate investment and leasing.
While Treasurer, she worked with State Legislators to enact legislation to combine the offices of Collector and Treasurer saving the County the expense of an additional elected position as well as establishing the Satellite Collector location in east Fort Smith. To further accommodate county citizens, she implemented credit card and on-line payment of taxes for the first time in Sebastian County.
The County is in the process of a Salary and Compensation Study that is the first step in establishing internal equity among all county employees. “I am very excited for this project to get off the ground and running, we have dedicated, hard-working employees that deserve to be compensated fairly and appropriately. It will be a challenge to fund the survey results, but it would be pointless to do the survey and not implement the recommendations.” One of the specific duties of the Quorum Court is to “fix the number and compensation of deputies and county employees.” (ACA 14-14-801)
Murry’s main goal as a member of the Quorum Court is to continue a conservative approach to money matters, and to be a good steward of public funds while providing improved and efficient services to the citizens. In addition, improvements at the County Ambulance service and the County Parks system are ongoing major projects that Murry wants to see funded through completion, as well as the improvements needed in the Courthouse in order to utilize the upper floors left vacant by the Courts moving to their new building.
Murry is active in the community as a Board Member of the League of Women Voters, River Valley Master Gardeners, Women in Government, OES Liberty Chapter 402, Sebastian County Central Committee. Murry has also served on the boards of Lincoln Childcare Center, Sebastian County Humane Society, Fort Smith Art Center, co-chairing the Belle Bazaar Fund Raiser and member and tutor for the Literacy Council. Murry is a member of Goddard United Methodist Church and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.