COVER
STORY
Jackson County Judge Jeff Phillips and Justice of the Peace Elwanda Templeton visit in the judge’s office during the county’s holiday open house in December.
ing that time to “great people coming together for their community.” Jackson County Judge Jeff Phillips is now in the beginning of second term and he is on much higher ground than when he took office. “Te flood of 2011 was one for the record books. Some of our old-
Out of the flames H
The undercurrent of his service is building coalitions
By Scott Perkins County Lines Editor
is first major task at hand was managing a major flood in 2011. It had to seem quite ironic for the 21- year firefighter to face a disaster as his first real test as the county judge. He humbly credits the county’s performance dur-
est citizens told me that they have never experienced a flood like that. For weeks we would go from one area to the other trying to keep the water from destroying hundreds of homes. I have never filled or threw so many sandbags in my life,” Phillips said. “Te help from different agencies were incredible. Te Corp of Engineers, the Department of Corrections here in Newport, local police and state police, the firefight- ers and the sand company plus all the volunteers are our heroes. We couldn’t have done it without them and I am very much appreciative of them. We pulled together and saved a lot of homes.” Phillips has already made an impact in his county in his first two
years as county judge. Forming coalitions seems to be one of the feath- ers in his fairly young political cap and a major part of his strategy. Phillips formed a coalition by reaching out to all the mayors in Jack- son County. “We finally have unity in the county. I have mayors’ meetings
several times a year to go over the problems we face in the county,” Phillips said. “We go over our strengths and weaknesses. We help each other find solutions to the problems. We are all on the same page and striving to make our cities and our county a better place to live and raise our families.” Te Cache River Non-Profit Association is another project rooted in a local coalition that has Phillip’s fingerprints all over it. Nine county judges and several citizens comprise this association with a goal of removing a 40-year-old log jam in the Cache River. A portion of the Cache River is peppered with four major log jams in
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Jackson County and has been for years. Te back flow floods lands near Grubbs. “Te purpose is to remove two of the four log jams that are responsible for holding large amounts of water and flooding in our area around Grubbs. Te water backs up into Craighead County and causes water problems in those areas as well,” Phillips explained. “We are close to obtaining a permit to have those removed. Tis problem has been around since the 1940s and we have never been this close to get- ting those removed.” Phillips said his goal for Jackson County is to continue to move for-
ward. He said there is a lot happening in the county for the better. “I’m proud of the young man he has become,” said Elwanda
Templeton, Jackson County justice of the peace for 12 years who met Phillips in 1989. “Te job he is doing is really something to see. I’ve watched him grow up and seen the changes he’s made. He is just so good with people.” With a serious tone, Phillips described the tall order that just came
before the electorate of Jackson County. “Te jail problems we are facing are very stressing. We are very thank- ful for the voters who approved the sales tax for a new jail. Our current jail holds 26 inmates and we house around 45 a day,” Phillips said. “Overcrowding has been a problem for years and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. I don’t foresee crime going down anytime soon.” Te voters in Jackson County approved a 3/8ths sales tax for con-
struction of a new jail, and a 3/8ths of a cent sale tax for maintenance on Feb. 12 by an overwhelming margin. “As a community leader Judge Phillips is a very concerned and
involved individual always working with other officials in the process in moving Jackson County forward to a brighter and better future,” Deb- bie ODell, administrative assistant said. “Jeff is one of the most humble and caring persons I have had the privilege to work with.” As he settled in to his second term he said he had a little time to reflect.
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2013
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