AAC Welcomes New Board Member

AAC BOARD PROFILE

Randy Higgins

Faulkner County JP brings law enforcement experience to AAC Board of Directors

Talk to anyone who knows Faulkner County Justice of the Peace Randy Higgins and they’ll say he knows how to tackle problems. In fact, Higgins calls himself a “fixer” — certainly a quality that’s useful in county government.

“I think being a fixer and helping resolve issues is really what drives me to be involved in all of these activities I’m involved in,” he said.

It’s a skill that he hopes to put to good use on the Association of Arkansas Counties Board of Directors. Higgins recently joined the board in April to fill the position vacated by Boone County Justice of the Peace David Thompson.

Higgins and his wife of 39 years, Verna, have lived in Greenbrier, Faulkner County for 30 years. They have two sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Higgins, who retired as regional manager at Johnson Controls Fire Protection after 35 years, has served on the Faulkner County Quorum Court for six terms.

It was his interest in law enforcement that compelled him to run for Justice of the Peace.

“I got interested in the Quorum Court because one of my jobs I was working on with my company was the Faulkner County jail that we were installing in 1992,” he said.

During the project, he was recruited for the Reserve Deputy Program. He completed the program and became a reserve deputy, a position he held for 16 years; eight of those he served as commander.

During this time, Sheriff Karl Byrd encouraged Higgins to run for Justice of the Peace because the court needed someone who understood law enforcement.

“I have been a proponent for law enforcement and the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office ever since,” he said.

His duties have grown since becoming a Justice of the Peace. He has served as chair of the safety committee for about eight years, a member of the Arkansas Association of Quorum Courts’ 75-Member Governing Body for eight years, and as Vice President of the Arkansas Association of Quorum Courts 12-Member Executive Board. He recently succeeded David Thompson as President of the 12-Member Executive Board.

He’s also served as a Greenbrier Police Department Reserve Officer for 10 years, as a member of the budget and finance committee, and represents the Quorum Court on the Faulkner County Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.

He also serves on the STOPDV Program’s Board of Directors, which is a nonprofit organization established to support domestic violence victims.

Higgins is especially proud of STOPDV’s specialty court program, the first of its kind in the state.

“The court will be a model court for the entire state of Arkansas,” he said.

Another project close to his heart is the Faulkner County Animal Shelter. He’s helped raise about $1.7 million for the shelter.

Leadership experiences have prepared him for his new role on the AAC Board of Directors, Higgins said. He’s eager to bring his knowledge to the board to represent Justices of the Peace across the state.

One project he wants to take on is helping counties to broadcast their Quorum Court meetings.

“One thing that COVID has exposed is being able to broadcast QC meetings,” Higgins said. “I learned that not all counties do that. We in Faulkner County were doing that pre-COVID. I’d like to help counties understand that it’s a good thing for constituents to be able to see the QC committee meetings and know what is going on in their county government.”

Higgins looks forward to working with the AAC Board to find solutions to issues like this.

“I enjoy solving problems,” he said. “Some things are hard to fix — they’re challenging. But most problems, if you bring people in together and talk about it, even from differing and opposing sides, it can lead to a resolution.”

He has experienced this in Faulkner County.

“We say in Faulkner County a lot that there are 13 of us on the court,” he said. “We’re not all going to agree, but we don’t have to be disagreeable.”

Outside of his professional roles, Higgins enjoys wildlife photography and riding his Harley Davidson with his wife. He also enjoys kayaking with his sons.