Seems to Me

Let’s look in the mirror for a moment

Then it’s straight ahead for AAC

Believe it or not, back in the late 70s on the very spot where our current AAC building sits, there was an old rundown frame house with a pigpen in the back complete with pigs. Pigs! One block away and within sight of the State Capitol

of Arkansas.

The Association of Arkansas Counties is looking back for just a moment after the completion of the latest addition to the complex under the leadership of the current executive director, Chris Villines. Founded in 1968, the association has a long track record of achievement, from legislative advocacy to constituent services.

Articles of Incorporation for the AAC were filed April 10, 1968. But how did AAC get its start? We’re going to tell that story from a 1993 interview conducted by AAC staff with Jim Pledger and A.A. “Shug” Banks. Pledger was Yell County treasurer for many years, charter board member of the AAC and long-time president of AAC. He served in several capacities in Gov. Bill Clinton’s administration, including director of the Department of Finance and Administration for several years. He later went on to serve as director of the Arkansas State Fair. Judge Banks served as Mississippi County Judge for 20 years (1961–1980), was a charter board member of the AAC and served as the first president of AAC from 1968 through 1980. Judge Banks died in 2001. Mr. Pledger died in 2006.

In that 1993 interview, Jim Pledger said that the idea for the Association of Arkansas Counties was “born on the beaches of Hawaii.” In the mid-60s a national county government conference was held in Hawaii. In attendance were Judge A.A. “Shug” Banks of Mississippi County and several other Arkansas county officials. It was during this meeting that the idea and the determination to provide the officials of Arkansas with some kind of organizational structure was born. The first attempt to make this idea a reality came during the 1967 legislative session. However, it failed. As you might imagine, there was much opposition to the counties becoming organized and establishing an organization that would provide representation for all county officials statewide.

This setback did not deter those county officials such as Judge Banks and Mr. Pledger who were determined to create a representative organization for county government. In 1969, Senate Bill 142 was filed by Sen. John Bearden and Sen. Olen Hendrix that would create the AAC. The legislation passed through the Senate, but was then held up in the House. It appeared that it would come down to a tie vote in the House and that the speaker would have to vote so as to determine the outcome of the legislation. It also was heard that the speaker’s support for the counties was wavering and that the vote might go against the county officials. A quick delegation of a couple of county judges was put together, and they paid a visit to the Speaker of the House — Judge Ray Sikes of Little River County — and Judge Banks. The story goes that the speaker at that time was rumored to be considering a run for the governor’s office. With this knowledge in hand, Judge Sikes reminded the speaker of a couple of facts. Those facts being that “a person who supports you might figure you have the election won and decide to stay home on election day and mow his yard instead of going to the polls to vote, but a person who opposes you will swim a river to vote against you.” Upon contemplating this sage advice, the speaker wisely voted for the legislation, and the rest is history. It became Act 92 of 1969 codified as ACA 1420-107. (Judge Ray Sikes died in 1989, just about a year before his grandson, Jeff Sikes, first came to work for AAC in 1990. Jeff most recently served as the legislative director for the AAC and is leaving the employ of AAC at the end of July for other opportunities.)

Most officials currently in office would not recognize the AAC as it is now from the association of old. The association now has a nice headquarters and provides many services that it did not and could not provide in those early years. In the beginning, the association was primarily a lobbyist organization for county government with only three staff persons.

It took several years to get the various member associations cohesive enough to even put on a successful conference. According to the ’93 Pledger interview the first convention in 1972 was “only somewhat successful.” The convention was a one-day affair at the old Lafayette Hotel in Little Rock (now transformed into upscale condominiums known as Lafayette Square). Seminars were held during the day, and a banquet was scheduled for that night. It seems that most of the county officials at that time were not used to overnight meetings in Little Rock, so they simply went home after the meeting was finished. The banquet was set up to accommodate about 200, but since most officials had already left for home, only 25 showed up. To make matters worse, U.S. Rep. Bill Alexander was the keynote speaker and had flown in from Washington specifically for the banquet. It may seem funny now, but it seemed quite a disaster at the time. This is a marked contrast from our annual conferences of today. It is worth noting that for the last dozen years or so AAC has had well over 500 county and district officials in attendance at the Annual AAC Conferences, which run from Wednesday through Friday morning. And in August 2013, the conference boasted an attendance of more than 700. The differences in the quality and attendance during the conferences are not the only differences between the AAC of old days and current days.

In the beginning, as might be imagined, our lobbying efforts were nowhere near as successful as they are now. It took many years to bring all the different associations together and to get them to think in terms of solidarity among all county and district officials. It also took the legislature a few years to really recognize the AAC as the agreed upon representative for all of county government statewide. It took the passage of Amendment 55, landmark legislation that reorganized county government in Arkansas, to change the AAC into the organization it is now.

Today, AAC represents almost 1,400 county and district officials and nine various associations all under one umbrella. After the passage of Amendment 55 in 1974 and the subsequent passage of the enacting legislation, Act 742 of 1977 as amended, county officials were thrust into a new and more complicated system of county government. Quorum courts had new roles and the various constitutional offices were modified to one degree or another. The old fee system of funding officials was

Seems To Me...

Eddie A. Jones County Consultant

abandoned for the current system of paying all county officials salaries. It became imperative that county and district officials have a single source they could go to for information on this new and complicated set of laws. The logical provider of this single source of information was, of course, the AAC. Starting with Act 742, which was 102 pages of legislation concerning county government, and continuing on to this day, the AAC has striven to provide county and district officials with a single source of quality information. Like state and federal government — county government has grown more complex. AAC has worked diligently to keep up with the changing times of county government.

Now the association not only lobbies effectively for all county and district officials, but it also gets the word out on all new legislation by holding “new legislation seminars.” The AAC office serves as a hub of information on all aspects of county government, from the oldest most obscure legislation to the newest most technical legislation to come out of the General Assembly and from the federal level in Washington. Even though AAC is seen as a lobbying organization, AAC does much more for the county and district officials of Arkansas. They hold various seminars and annual conferences; compile and print training manuals, directories and educational booklets for the counties; publish a quarterly magazine called County Lines; and provide day-to-day consultation for their constituency. The association, with the financial help of the other member associations, also grants academic and financial need-based scholarships to the children and grandchildren of county and district officials and employees.

The AAC also provides benefit programs for Arkansas counties. In 1985, AAC added a Workers’ Compensation Trust for counties, and they currently provide workers’ compensation coverage for 74 counties and several other county entities. A Risk Management Fund was established in 1986. The Risk Management Fund provides counties with general liability, automobile fleet protection and a property insurance program. The AAC Risk Management Fund currently covers 47 counties or county entities and a few hundred rural fire departments. The AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust and the Risk Management Fund are completely self-funded and self-administered and in solid financial condition. County participation in these programs helps the AAC and all Arkansas counties. Your participation positions AAC to better provide the services counties need.

The fees received by AAC from the in-house administration of the benefit programs and the dues paid by member counties make it possible for AAC to provide you with a 24-member staff to serve the needs of the county and district officials and employees of Arkansas counties. AAC has four attorneys on staff and two part-time law clerks plus the contracted legal defense of Rainwater, Holt and Sexton for the Risk Management Fund. It is the desire of AAC management and the board of directors to continue to grow services and staff as the need grows and funds are available. They realize that the mission of AAC is to work for the improve-

ment of Arkansas county government, and they are committed to providing a single source of cooperative support and information for all counties and county and district officials. Membership in the AAC started out slow when the association was first established in the late 1960s. But AAC has had 100 percent membership (all 75 counties) every year since 1988. Arkansas also has had 100 percent county membership in the National Association of Counties since 2007, when the AAC started paying the NACo dues for all Arkansas counties. This move has greatly improved Arkansas strength in federal legislative matters. There has been quite a change in the size and scope of AAC facilities and services in less than 50 years. The transformation has taken a mere 46 years. The AAC originally rented a small office space across the street from the Capitol with three, and then four, employees. In the late 70s, AAC bought property on Victory Street just one block from the Capitol. In 1979, the association completed and moved into its own headquarters — a 3,600-square-foot, multi-level building that served the needs of the county and district officials for many years. The total building and furnishing costs for this original county-owned facility was $220,000. The initial investment was paid off in 1987. In 1990, the AAC board of One reason for strength and stability of this organization is continuity of leadership. The directors, under the leadership of then Executive Director Jim Baker, began to purchase adjoining property as it could. It also started a building fund that it added to association has had only seven presidents annually. In 1996, the board conducted groundbreaking ceremonies of the board and six executive directors in for new construction and remodelits 46-year-history. ing of the old facility. An additional 10,000 square feet of space was added, bringing the AAC facility to 13,600 square feet of office and meeting space. Cost for the new addition and remodeling of the old building was $1,579,000. It was completed in March 1997. With board approval, Executive Directors Brenda Pruitt and Eddie Jones continued to save money for future expansion of the facility. In 2013, Executive Director Chris Villines and the board of directors decided the time was right and the need existed to expand the facility. Now another 5,200 square feet of office space has been added — a two-level space with 16 offices and two conference rooms on the east end of the complex. And the original 3,600-square-foot area has been renovated — again! The Risk Management and Workers’ Comp employees have moved into the new wing of the complex. And the Sheriff’s Association, the only affiliate association with its own staff in addition to AAC staff, is renting six offices in the complex. This brand new addition to the AAC complex, including furnishings, a kitchen remodel and repaved parking lots cost about $1,750,000, well under the $2 million budget for the project. This 18,800-square-foot facility belongs to the counties of Arkansas, and your staff is very proud of your headquarters and the opportunity to serve you. Of course, one of the greatest assets is the fact that the AAC ofSee “AHEAD” on Page 23 >>>

AAC f amily  f riends

Ahead

fice complex is only a block from the State Capitol, where most of the lobbying efforts are centered.

One reason for strength and stability of this organization is continuity of leadership. The association has had only seven presidents of the board and six executive directors in its 46-year-history.

Other reasons for the growth and success of the AAC can be attributed to:

• Mission – AAC has had an inspiring shared mission at our core; • Vision – AAC has had an idea of where we were going. A vision abstract enough to encourage people to imagine it but concrete enough for members to see it; • Competency – AAC has had competent leaders. You must be seen by the stakeholders, employees and legislative leaders as being an expert in the field of county government or an expert in leadership; • A strong team – AAC has had strong teams through the years. Realistically, few executives possess all of the skills and abilities necessary for total mastery of every area within the organization. To complement the areas of weakness, a wise leader assembles effective teams of experienced, credentialed and capable individuals who can supplement any voids in the leader’s skill set; • Communication skills – AAC has had some good communicators at the helm. It does little good to have a strong mission, vision and goals — and even a solid budget — if the executive cannot easily and effectively convey his ideas to the stakeholders inside and outside the organization; • A “can do, get it done” attitude – AAC has a record of getting it done. Nothing builds a picture of success more than achievement, and achievement is the No. 1 factor that motivates just about everyone. • Inspiration – AAC has had some inspirational leaders — both as director and board members and officers. Employees and constituents of an organization need someone to look up to for direction, guidance and motivation; and • Ambition – AAC has always been moving forward. Resting on your laurels is bad for morale and credibility. Employees and constituents need to see an organization constantly striving for improvement and success. That comes first and foremost from the leader.

We have taken just a little time to look in the mirror to view the history of the AAC, and we realize that real progress has been made for the organization and for county government. But the most important step is for us to look forward — straight ahead — toward the next 45 to 50 years and imagine what progress will be made for county government in Arkansas. I have witnessed first hand the past 34 years of county government, and what a change I have seen. I envision great change over the next several years. I have hope for positive change because now, as in the past, we have some good leaders in county government — leaders who will prepare the next leaders. Walter Lippmann said, “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on.”

No doubt these great facilities and a professional staff will be here many years to serve county governments in Arkansas and the county and district officials who take on the daunting task of serving the public. Carry on!

Continued From Page 21 <<<

AAC Quick Facts

Presidents of the Board of Directors

n A.A. “Shug” Banks Mississippi County Judge n James C. Pledger Yell County Treasurer n Hoye Horn Little River County Judge n Bert Page Pope County Treasurer n Barbara Hersom Little River County Assessor n Roy Bearden Craighead County Judge n Mike Jacobs Johnson County Judge (1968–1980)

(1981–August 1987)

August 1987–1988)

(1989–1990)

(1991–February 1993)

(February 1993–1998)

(1999–current)

AAC Executive Directors

n Frank Bizzell n Carl J. Madsen n Courtney Langston n James H. Baker n David Morris n Brenda Pruitt n Eddie A. Jones n Chris Villines (1969–late 1974) (late 1974–February 1975) Interim (February 1975–1988) (1988–October 2000) (October 2000–January 2001) Interim (January 2001–2006) (2007–June 2010) (July 2010–current)

Original AAC Board of Directors

n R.S. Peters, Pulaski County Clerk n Janice Phillips, Lonoke County Clerk n S.C. Langston, Lee County Sheriff [AAC Executive Director 1975-1988] n Herman D. McCormick, Yell County Sheriff n Irma Shoffner, Jackson County Circuit Clerk n Paul Shuffield, Hot Spring County Circuit Clerk n Jackson Ross, Pope County Treasurer n James C. Pledger, Yell County Treasurer n L.E. Tedford, Pulaski County Assessor n Dale Shelton, Arkansas County Assessor n Milton R. Beck, Crittenden County Judge n A.A. “Shug” Banks, Mississippi County Judge

(The original board of directors had 12 members — the current board of directors consists of 17 members. The current board has two county collectors, two justices of the peace and one coroner that were not on the original board.)

Wes Fowler, AAC governmental affairs director to retire in June.

Longtime county man makes the turn

Legacy includes stronger, more efficient government

At first glance, it might seem that Wes Fowler’s interest in county government could have been sparked by his family’s legacy of service to Madison County. But those who worked alongside him during the 26 years he was an advocate for Arkansas counties say Fowler displays the dedication and knowledge that only a natural leader possesses.

“Wes Fowler is not a dabbler in county government; he is a county government connoisseur,” said Eddie Jones, former executive director of the Association of Arkansas Counties.

Fowler’s accomplishments range from computerizing the Madison County Clerk’s office to ushering early voting legislation through the state legislature.

“Everything he touched in county government, he left it in better shape,” said AAC Executive Director Chris Villines.

Fowler will retire in June from his position as AAC’s government relations director, a position he has held since January 2011. Still, he says, he expects to keep his finger on the pulse of the counties.

“I hope to still receive some calls from elected county officials,” he said.

Fowler was born in Twin Falls, Idaho. His parents moved back home to Madison County when he was 4. After high school, he married Rose Qualls. The couple, which has three daughters, a stepson and six grandchildren, will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary this summer.

Fowler worked at Tyson Foods and National Home Center before becoming a custom homebuilder and licensed residential contractor. He also had poultry houses, and his family owns a nine-hole golf course.

He made the transition to county government in 1989. It might seem a natural progression considering that his family has been active in county government for six decades.

“Up until I left, there had been a Fowler in the courthouse since the early 1950s,” he said.

His father served on the quorum court, and two of his cousins served as treasurer and assessor. Fowler served 10 years as county clerk. During that time, he served as legislative chair and in officer positions in the County Clerks Association. He was in line for association president when he was elected county judge in 1998.

Likewise active in the County Judges Association of Arkansas, Fowler served as legislative chair, first and second vice-president, then president. He also served on the AAC Board of Directors and as AAC legislative chair. When he did not seek re-election in 2010, he joined the AAC staff.

“Wes Fowler has the kind of background that makes him a very astute AAC staff member — he has ‘in-the-field’ training. Having served many years as both a county clerk and a county judge, he has great practical knowledge of county government operations, and he knows the law governing those operations. Even before becoming a member of the AAC staff he was very instrumental in helping guide the AAC legislative package through various sessions of the Arkansas General Assembly,” Jones said.

Fowler proudly confesses to hardly ever calling a repairman. If something is broken, he prefers to fix it himself — and he’s shown a natural ability to do so throughout his life.

“I built my first motor and car and hotrod when I was 16 years old,” he said. “If it needs to be fixed, I fix it.”

He carried that attitude with him into county government. Early in his county clerk days, for instance, he was instrumental in modernizing the courthouse with computer equipment.

“When I got elected there wasn’t even a fax machine in the courthouse — and no computers,” he said.

After buying a fax machine, he bought a computer. Then he used it to computerize voter registration in Madison County even before the federal motor voter law became reality. The innovation did not stop there. He computerized the budget process, accounts payable and payroll shortly thereafter. He ensured that Madison County was on the cutting edge.

“It’s hard to believe that as early as the ‘90s we had lots of counties that did not have computerization of their budget process,” Fowler said. “They still did it with a typewriter and calculator.”

The assessor’s, collector’s and treasurer’s offices soon became computerized, and Fowler served as network administrator for the county. He repaired and replaced computers, ran cabling necessary for a computer network and addressed any other computer-related issues.

He continued to fix things during his 12 years as county judge. When the county needed a new library, but bids for the project came in way too high, Fowler hired a couple of guys to help him dig and pour the footing, do the framing, painting, shelving and trim work.

After that, “we did the same thing with the EMS station, the road shop and courthouse annex,” he said. “I tried to do a lot of facilities work while I was in office.”

The county library now bears his name: The Wes Fowler Madison County Library.

Once he joined the AAC staff, Fowler renovated the ACME Brick Building, which the AAC owns and leases. He worked nights and weekends for two to three months, doing everything, he said, but laying the carpet so AAC would not have to hire a contractor. Fowler’s work saved the association between $20,000 and $30,000, Villines said.

“It’s been leased ever since,” Villines added.

Madison County politics are an interesting mix — although Fowler, a Democrat, downplays the impact of party in his home county. He said the quorum court typically is two-thirds Democrat and a third Republican. “I have a great son-in-law on the quorum court,” and he’s a Republican, Fowler notes. But like most elected county officials in Arkansas, he maintains the job is not about party politics but about doing the best job for your county and your citizens.

If he’s an activist, it is more in line with promoting good county government. As a county clerk, he spoke on the House floor before a joint session of the state legislature on behalf of the motor voter law.

“It’s an honor for anybody to go down on the House floor and speak who is not a member of the House,” Villines said.

Then Fowler traveled the state on behalf of the County Clerk’s Association and the Secretary of State’s office, promoting motor voter and discussing with clerks how it would affect their offices.

He also was instrumental in getting Arkansas’ early voting bill sponsored by Sen. Randy Laverty.

“Without Wes Fowler, there would be no early voting in Arkansas,” Villines stressed.

Fowler said that prior to the institution of early voting, voters who had to be absent on Election Day had to fill out an array of forms and affidavits explaining why they could not vote on the appointed day. They had to vote by absentee ballot.

“We knew there had to be an easier way,” Fowler said.

He was legislative chair of the County Clerks Association at that time, and he sat alongside Sen. Laverty in committee meetings, where he presented arguments in favor of the early voting initiative. In the end, Fowler said early voting was well received by legislators.

“I wouldn’t call it a slam dunk, but I think we did a good enough job of selling it to the legislative body that they could see the benefits of it,” he said.

Early voting is now one of the most used forms of voting in the state, Fowler said.

While serving as government relations director for AAC, Fowler lived in Little Rock during the week and commuted back home on the weekends. He has been the first point of contact for clerks, judges and justices of the peace — via phone call and during his travels around the state. During a legislative session he could be seen daily at the state Capitol, monitoring committee meetings and often testifying for or against bills of interest to county government.

“Wes is always ‘just Wes.’ He never pretends to be anyone but himself. He is comfortable with legislators, and they are comfortable with him. He always knows what he’s talking about when presenting legislation, and he always tells the truth. Because of that he establishes good rapport with legislators — they know they can trust him,” Jones said.

Indeed, Fowler said he has been involved in writing election, purchasing and procedural laws for the quorum courts. But one of his most challenging AAC projects has been the codification of ordinances for the 46 counties in AAC’s risk management pool.

Fowler said the process has entailed going to the counties, scanning every county ordinance passed since the adoption of Amendment 55 in 1977, and then typing those ordinances into a skeleton code that AAC staff developed. Fowler reads every code for every county after it is typed, and then he drafts legal punches to see how many of the ordinances remain applicable in the face of new state statutes. After that, he meets with each county to go over the county code with them before the quorum court adopts it.

The codification project ensures that county laws are relevant and easily accessible, Fowler said.

“It gets them an up-to-date code of what is actually the law of their county since 1977,” he said.

The man who has accomplished so much for county government during his 27-year career has, of course, received numerous honors. Fowler said one of the highest honors he received was in 2008, when the other 74 county judges voted him president of the County Judges Association. It is an organization he says is highly respected by state legislators.

Fowler also was tagged as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways. And just last year Gov. Mike Beebe re-appointed Fowler to a five-year term on the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. In his role as a board member of the ANCRC, Fowler represents the counties and their interests.

So while he plans to spend his retirement golfing, fishing and finishing construction projects for his family, Fowler isn’t walking away from county government. He can’t help himself.

“I love county government,” he said. “Even when I retire, I’m still going to try to be involved in county government in some shape, form or fashion. It’s just in my blood so to speak.”

AAC f amily & f riends » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »

Arkansas Elections Technology meeting in Saline County

The Saline County Clerk’s office hosted members of the Senate and House committees on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs and the Joint Committee on Advanced Communications and Information Technology on April 9. The meeting focused on county election operations, with the clerk’s staff walking visitors through the entire election process, from voter registration to handling postelection issues.

Right: Saline County Election Assistant Pam Morgan explains a ballot machine to Wendy Underhill of the National Conference of State Legislatures as Saline County Deputy Clerk Teri Brown looks on.

Above: Rep. Andrea Lea, chair, and Doug Curtis, Saline County Clerk and Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, chair, take a moment for a photo in Saline County.

Above Right: Teresa Armer, Crawford County Clerk, and Rep. Charlotte Vining Douglas enjoy a break in the meeting April 9 in Saline County.

Right: Saline County Computer Programmer Paul Nolte and Lib Carlisle, chairman of the Saline County Election Commission, listen to the presentations.