AAC
County Lines County Lines [(ISSN 2576-1137 (print) and ISSN 2576-1145 (online)] is the official publication of the AAC. It is published quarterly. For advertising inquiries, subscriptions or other information, please contact Christy L. Smith at 501.372.7550. Executive Director/Publisher Chris Villines Communications Director/ Managing Editor Christy L. Smith Communications Coordinator/ Editor Holland Doran
AAC Executive Board: Debbie Wise – President Brandon Ellison – Vice President Jimmy Hart – Secretary-Treasurer Tommy Young Terri Harrison Debra Buckner Dana Baker Kevin Cleghorn Terry McNatt Debbie Cross Brenda DeShields Ellen Foote Doug Curtis Gerone Hobbs Marty Boyd John Montgomery Heather Stevens Randy Higgins National Association of Counties (NACo) Board Affiliations Debbie Wise: NACo board member. She is Randolph County Circuit Clerk and president of the AAC Board of Directors. Brandon Ellison: NACo board member. He is Polk County Judge and vice-president of the AAC Board of Directors. Ted Harden: Finance & Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee. He is a member of the Jefferson County Quorum Court. David Hudson: Chair of Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is Sebastian Co. Judge and member of Rural Action Caucus Steering Committee and IT Standing Committee. Barry Hyde: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is the Pulaski County Judge. Rusty McMillon: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee. He is Greene County Judge Joseph Wood: Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee. He is Washington County Judge. Kevin Smith: IT Standing Committee. He is the Sebastian County Director of Information Technology Services. Gerone Hobbs: Membership Committee. He is the Pulaski County Coroner. Paul Ellliot: Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, vice-chair of law enforcement subcommittee. He is a member of the Pulaski County Quorum Court. Ellen Foote: Community, Economic & Workforce Development Steering Committee. She is the Crittenden County Tax Collector. Tawanna Brown:Telecommunications & Technology Steering Committe. She is Crittenden County Chief Computer Operator.
COUNTY LINES, FALL 2021
DIRECTOR’S DESK
Madame President left a permanent mark on many
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n the last month we lost a wonderful ambassador for the county governments of Arkansas. Judy Beth Hutcherson was so many things to so Chris Villines AAC many people. A friend, a mom, a wife, a grandmother. Executive Director And in her career as the Clark County Treasurer she was a trailblazer. She was a leader among her peers and so well respected that she was propelled into leadership on a state and national stage as well. I am proud to have called her my friend. As the President of the Arkansas Treasurers Association, Judy Beth was selected to sit on the Association of Arkansas Counties Board of Directors, where we first met. We on that board witnessed firsthand what it was that made her so special — her heart of gold. It was the heart of a gift-giver, a servant, a comedienne … a soul that instantly connected with your own. She had a way of disarming people with laughter (sometimes in an uncomfortable way). She then could connect with you one on one and become your friend. I’ve never met someone so gifted at doing this. By virtue of holding the office of president of our state board, Judy Beth was selected to represent Arkansas on the National Association of Counties Board of Directors — a very prestigious position in a national sphere. Being on this board required a few trips annually. Madame President Judy Beth, our vice president Debbie Wise and I found ourselves in an airport every few months on our way to press for Arkansas with this group. Judy Beth was not intimidated by such a group. No, she loved the challenge. At her first board meeting Judy Beth, proud of her Arkansas roots, wore a Razorback hog nose and immediately befriended the entire 150 plus members on the board. By the time she made it to her second meeting, the nation’s elite county officials all knew her and loved her. Travel with Judy Beth was always an adventure, and I think she loved that part of her work more than anything. She was someone that just couldn’t have too many friends. I’ll never forget being in line behind Judy Beth when we were getting on an airplane. As I boarded, the pilot was shaking his head and looking at this green sheet of paper instead of greeting the passengers. As I walked to my seat, I noticed each passenger with a similar sheet doing the same thing. It took me a second, then I realized Judy Beth had met and befriended everyone on that airplane on the way to her seat with her famous $1 million bills! The whole plane trip was made better because she had made everyone around her a bit happier. Judy Beth was never intimidated, either. I think we’ve all been in situations around people when the awe of the situation or certain people cause us to want to shrink back. I never, not one time, saw Judy Beth act any differently than normal. She was a rock, someone who led us to not be afraid, to be ourselves no matter what the world throws our way. Great people in our state and beyond loved Judy Beth because she was >>> 7
