AAC
FEATURE Doug Curtis
AAC board welcomes Saline County Clerk
Story and Photos by Holland Doran AAC Communications Coordinator
N
ot many people jump at the chance to over- see an election in a county with more than 120,000 people. For Saline County Clerk Doug Curtis, it’s a thrill.
“Tey (elections) wear you completely down,” he said.
“You start out in an election, you’re all pumped up, full of energy, ready to go. You have to make sure everything is checked, double-checked, tripled-checked; and you have to put out fires.” Running elections is one of the main reasons Curtis decid-
ed to run for county clerk, which he’s served as since 2012. “You hear everybody say elections are the cornerstone of our democracy — I truly believe that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me as a county clerk whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat because we all count to 10 the same way.” Curtis and his wife, Jeannette, of 39 years have lived in
Benton their whole lives. Tey have four children: Josh, John David, Johnica and Joanna, and five grandchildren. Before he was elected county clerk, Curtis served as a
Saline County Justice of the Peace from 1990 to 2012. Curtis’ father, Billy Bob Curtis, served as an alderman in the city of Benton for 30 years and had a heart of service for his community. Curtis points to his father as his inspiration to run for office. “I’ve seen my dad answer the telephone and someone would have a problem, and my dad would jump through hoops to help them,” he said. “I’ve always admired that.” Curtis recalls at the age of 10 seeing a plaque with his
father’s name on the side of a fire truck at a Benton fire sta- tion and thinking, “that’s the neatest thing.” Since that time, Curtis has served in a variety of capacities
in Saline County. He serves as Second Vice-President of the Arkansas As- sociation of County Clerks, as Secretary of the Board of Equalization and Intergovernmental Council Board, as a member of the Benton Area Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Masonic Lodge and as a church deacon. Recently, he was chosen to represent his fellow county
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clerks on the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) Board of Directors. He replaces Clark County Clerk Rhonda Cole, who retired at the end of 2019. Curtis said Cole had asked him if he would be interested
in serving on the board. His answer was, “yes.” “I admire Rhonda Cole,” he said. “She made an impres- sion on me. She’s a good one to have make an impression on you.” Curtis is enthusiastic to serve on the board. “I’m looking forward to it, I really am,” he said. “I have a lot to learn on the board. A lot of it I will be familiar with, a lot of it I won’t. I see the direction that the board is going. I like the direction it’s going. I’ve never been to any other association of counties in any other state, but I guarantee you that we’re top-notch.” Curtis’ son, Josh Curtis, serves as Governmental Affairs
Director at AAC, which makes him blessed, he said. “Most dads don’t have the opportunity to see what their kid does,” he said. Curtis is passionate about protecting county historical re- cords and has made a lot of progress in his office by setting
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