Embrace the turnover

Apple, cinnamon, cherry, peach and chocolate: these are the things I would normally think of when I hear the word turnover. Legend has it that the famous (apple) pastry originated in France around 1630, from a small town named St. Calais. An epidemic had spread throughout the town and the lady of the town, known as the Chatelaine, supplied the afflicted people with flour and apples. Those two ingredients must have saved the town because the town is still in existence and thriving today.

Arkansas voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment 95 in 2016 —commonly known by our members as the four-year term amendment. Instead of welcoming new county officials to the family every two years, now it is every four years. Doing a little simple math, that shows us our turnover rate will double — and boy did it ever double. Before we “turn” to the new elected officials, I want to say thank you to everyone who has served in county government and is leaving office. Most of the time your job is a thankless one. You may only hear complaining. However, what you have done for your constituents overall has made their lives better even though you may not receive a thank you. I do not know all the sacrifices each one of you have made, but I know a lot of them, and for that I say, “thank you.”

More than a third of our countywide offices turned over during the last election cycle. Going into the new year, we will have 38 new judges, 30 new sheriffs, 25 new county clerks, 24 new collectors, 25 new circuit clerks, 25 new treasurers, 21 new coroners and 20 new assessors. Some say this creates many challenges for counties; losing institutional knowledge from exiting officials can cast an air of uncertainty. Many of these officials know why and when decisions were made for counties in the past. An incoming official may think why in the world is a certain office the way it is, but years ago it may have been the best decision for the county. I look at this new era of county government not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. Over the last couple of years officials have told me, “I know ‘blank’ needs to be change, but I will leave that to the person who fills my shoes.”

We also have over a third new justices of the peace being sworn in come January. One county has only two of is nine quorum court members returning. There are a few counties in which over half of the quorum court is turning over.

The 94th General Assembly will have 40 new members — just under a third turnover. The Senate may have the largest number of new senators than they have had since the 1990’s — 13 new members to be exact. However, several of the new members have previously served in the legislature. The membership of the Senate includes 30 Republicans and five Democrats. The House of Representatives will have 27 freshman representatives; the membership includes 82 Republicans and 18 Democrats.

Josh Curtis Governmental Affairs Director

With this kind of turnover, we want to help all the new elects get off to a great start. That is the reason for the new elect training we provide to each association. AAC Executive Director Chris Villines introduces everyone to AAC and briefly discusses retirement. All the associations will be introduced to their liaisons, which include Chief Legal Counsel Mark Whitmore, Legal Counsel Lindsey French, Eddie Jones, and myself. We at the AAC provide legal guidance that aims to build a strong foundation for everyone being sworn in for the first time. Our AAC Risk Management Services Counsel Brandy McAllister articulates different scenarios when it comes to tricky personnel issues. Eddie Jones gives a crash course about budgeting, appropriations, and county fiscal policy. This could not be done without all the wonderful, elected officials in leadership positions that help organize new elect training. The second half of the training is driven by the current and seasoned elected officials in each association. They provide basic training for the inner workings of each office. These individuals have made mistakes and have implemented best practices in their respective offices. There is a lot of time for group discussion and Q & A so all new members can participate. We go into this training with the hope that it lays the groundwork for each official to have a successful first term.

This is going to be a time of opportunities for newly elected officials and county employees. Turnovers can be many different flavors with many different colors. Turnovers can be messy or clean. Some may like certain turnovers and dislike others. I am a chocolate or cinnamon type of guy; you may be an apple or cherry type. I think most people can find something they enjoy about a turnover. Apple may have been the first, but I am sure glad chocolate and cinnamon were incorporated into the original pastry. My advice is to embrace the turnover.