Director’s DESK
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 informa- tion relating to the magazine, please con- tact 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
Sherry Bell Cindy Walker
Andrea Billingsley John Montgomery Rhonda Cole
David Thompson Angela Hill
Joe Gillenwater – Secretary-Treasurer Debra Buckner Brandon Ellison Jimmy Hart
Patrick Moore Sandra Cawyer Bill Hollenbeck 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 & Intergov- ernmental 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 Com- mittee. He is the Pulaski County Judge.
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2016
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Sheriffs’ Association director leaves lasting legacy
greatest ambassadors, one of our best friends, in Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Ronnie Baldwin.
F
Oddly enough, the first time I met Ronnie we were engaged in a heated discussion at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock in 2005. Te sheriffs, seeking support from all associations, were beginning the push for an amendment for four-year terms. At the AAC conference that year, each association was asked to gauge support for what was going to be a petition drive to get four- year terms on the ballot.
Sheriffs’ representatives met with each group individually, and votes were taken — association by asso- ciation. As a still-wet-behind-the-ear collector, I found myself in defense mode that evening when then- Cross County Sheriff and Collector Ronnie asked me why the Collec- tors Association had decided not to embrace this movement.
Feeling a bit defensive, I offered up the reasons that our group had discussed and why we ultimately decided to not partner at this time … though the vote had been quite close. If memory serves me correct- ly, the petition drive aspect loomed large for the collectors and margin- alized support within the group.
ar too often lately it seems that my Direc- tor’s Desk column is about a friend to county government who has left us too early. Tis summer we lost one of our
Director’s Desk
Chris Villines AAC
Executive Director
Well, Ronnie would have none of it. Zealous to the end, he ques- tioned the logic behind each article of reasoning and fired on all cylin- ders. Ronnie was passionate about his sheriffs, and I my collectors. When we parted that evening, we agreed to disagree. Sometime in the conversation I recall seeing his holstered gun, and I reminded him that I was just the messenger.
I learned on that night in 2005 that Ronnie Baldwin cared deeply about >>> 7
Former Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director and Cross County Sheriff and Collector Ronnie Baldwin.
Photo from Arkansas Sheriffs’ Association
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