Director’s
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County Lines Magazine
County Lines is the official publication of the Association of Arkansas Counties. It is published quarterly. For advertising inquiries, subscriptions or other information relating to the magazine, please contact Christy L. Smith or Scott Perkins at 501.372.7550. Executive Director / Publisher Chris Villines Communications Director/ Managing Editor Scott Perkins Communications coordinator/ Editor Christy L. Smith
AAC Executive Board: Judy Beth Hutcherson – President Debbie Wise – Vice President Joe Gillenwater – Secretary-Treasurer Sherry Bell Debra Buckner Cindy Walker Brandon Ellison Andrea Billingsley Jimmy Hart John Montgomery Patrick Moore Rhonda Cole Sandra Cawyer David Thompson Bill Hollenbeck Angela Hill Debbie Cross National Association of Counties (NACo) Board Affiliations Judy Beth Hutcherson: NACo board member. She is the Clark County Treasurer and president of the AAC Board of Directors.
Debbie Wise: NACo board member. She is the Randolph County Circuit Clerk, vice president of the AAC Board of Directors and chair of AAC’s Legislative Committee.
Ted Harden: Finance & Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee. He serves on the Jefferson County Quorum Court.
Kasey Summerville: Finance, Pensions & Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee. She is the Clark County Assessor.
David Hudson: Vice Chair of NACo’s Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is the Sebastian County Judge and member of the Rural Action Caucus Steering Committee.
Barry Hyde: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is the Pulaski County Judge.
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2016
Providing for counties’ most valuable resource
Director’s Desk
Y
ou’ve probably seen it as you drive on our roads. The non-descript semi is followed by Chris Villines a trailer with the rather large words that say, AAC “OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE Executive Director SITS HERE.” An arrow points at the driver’s seat. Crete Carrier is the company that owns and hauls these trailers, and every time I see one I can’t help but think that this company is getting things right. This statement resonates with me, and I’m sure many of you as well. If county courthouses in Arkansas were painted with proclamations, many would have the same message with arrows pointing to all of Arkansas’ fine county employees. There are 15,000 people employed by the counties of Arkansas and another 7,000 or so working the polls. As one of the state’s largest collective employers, we find ourselves fighting hard to hire good people and keep them on board in jobs that are maligned by the press and unappreciated by many constituents. Often underpaid for the skill sets and work ethics that they possess, our county employees are far and away the most valuable resource in county governments. What is special about this is not only the great employees we have, but also the fact that as employers our county and district officials recognize this fact and treat their county workers with respect and appreciation. As a result, many workers are life-long partners with the county, working to retirement with a focus on customer service and respect toward our residents — the three million or so Arkansans we serve. The motivation for long-term employment comes not from money or prestige. Instead it comes from the simple satisfaction of working for the county and being in a position to help those who come in to our offices with basic needs. I am reminded of a story that Zig Ziglar told and retold to millions through the years: In the 1950s, an incident took place on a sweltering summer afternoon alongside a railroad track where a crew of workers was doing some repair work. A train came chugging down the track and pulled off on a side rail. A window opened and a voice — a man’s voice — shouted out, “Dave! Dave Anderson, is that you?” It was; in fact, Dave Anderson was in charge of the crew. >>> 7
