By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Candidates have until Monday to file for office. The deadline for all but those seeking judicial seats is noon, and the latter have until 3 p.m.
The primary election is March 1. Early voting starts Feb. 15.
One highlight of the filings is that Joseph (Joe) O’Bryan is running for re-election in the Lonoke County District Judge-Northern Division race, after being arrested in August for third-degree domestic battery.
His case was dismissed this week, when special, appointed Faulkner County District Court Judge David Reynolds signed an order Thursday, according to a Lonoke District Court clerk.
Cabot attorney John Flynn, Ward City Attorney Clint McGue and Judge Teresa Hallum Smith are opposing O’Bryan for the Cabot court position.
U.S. SENATE
Democrat Conner Eldridge of Lonoke, a former U.S. attorney, and Libertarian Frank Gilbert have filed for Sen. John Boozman’s seat. Boozman (R-Ark.) had announced previously that he intended to seek re-election. But his name was not on the list yet, as of Friday evening.
U.S. CONGRESS
For District 1, the only candidate who had filed was Mark West, a Libertarian. In District 2, Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) is seeking re-election. He has an opponent, Libertarian Frank Gilbert.
STATE SENATE
Dist. 34 Sen. Jan English (R-North Little Rock) will face two challengers, a Republican and a Democrat, if no one else files by the Monday deadline. They are Rep. Donnie Copeland (R-Little Rock) and Joe Woodson.
Dist. 29 Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) and Lonoke County Justice of the Peace R.D. Hopper, also a Republican, have filed for Williams’ seat.
Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) is unopposed so far.
STATE HOUSE
Three have filed for Copeland’s Dist. 38 seat. District 38 includes some of Sherwood.
The candidates so far are Kent Walker, Victoria Leigh — both Democrats — and Carlton Wing, a Republican.
Dist. 14 Rep. Camille Bennett (D-Lonoke) and Roger D. Lynch, a Republican, have filed for her seat.
Dist. 44 Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) also has an opponent, Garry Baker, a Libertarian.
So far, Dist. 40 Rep. Douglas House (R-North Little Rock), Dist. 41 Rep. Karilyn Brown (R-Sherwood), Dist. 42 Rep. Bob Johnson (D-Jacksonville), Dist. 43 Rep. Tim Lemons (R-Cabot) and Dist. 45 Rep. Jeremy Gillam (R-Judsonia) are unopposed.
JUDICIAL RACES
State Sen. David Johnson (D-Little Rock) was the only candidate who had filed by Friday evening to preside over both the Jacksonville and Maumelle district courts.
The two courts will soon share a judge and have countywide jurisdiction because of a 2011 law aimed at lightening the caseload of circuit courts across the state.
Wrightsville District Court Judge Rita Bailey hadn’t filed for the position yet, but she has announced plans to run for the Jacksonville-Maumelle seat.
Judge Milas “Butch” Hale III was unopposed on Friday evening for judge of the Sherwood district court.
PULASKI COUNTY
Most candidates were unopposed, according to the filing list as of Friday evening.
Sheriff Doc Holladay, a Democrat, has a Libertarian opponent in Patrick Mulligan.
Dist. 3 Justice of the Peace Kathy S. Lewison, a Democrat, has an opponent, Republican Lynn Jacuzzi.
Judge Barry Hyde, a Democrat, is seeking re-election, as is Democrat Larry Crane for circuit/county clerk.
Democrats Janet Troutman Ward and Debra Buckner are doing the same for assessor and treasurer, respectively.
For the quorum court, the following have filed: JP Doug Reed (Republican, Dist. 1), Lynn Jacuzzi (Republican, Dist. 3), JP Julie Blackwood (Deomcrat, Dist. 4), JP Donna Massey (Democrat, Dist. 6), Teresa Coney (Democrat, Dist. 7), JP Curtis Keith (Democrat, Dist. 8), JP R. Green (Democrat, Dist. 10), JP Aaron Robinson (Dist. 11), JP Luke McCoy (Republican, Dist. 12), JP Phil Stowers (Republican, Dist. 13), JP Paul Elliott (Republican, Dist. 14). and Staci Medlock (Democrat, Dist. 15)
LONOKE COUNTY
County Judge Doug Erwin, a Republican, is facing off against two Republicans, Richard Kyzer and Fred D. (Skipper) Clement Jr.
County Clerk Dawn Porterfield and Circuit Clerk Deborah Oglesby are unopposed so far, as is Treasurer Patti Weathers, Assessor Jerrel Maxwell and Sheriff John Staley. Therese L. O’Donnell was the only one to file for the collector position as of Friday evening.
Three Republicans have filed for coroner; Carla Horton, Kenny Fraley and Karl E. (Eddie) Pennington.
There are also three Republicans seeking J.D. Hopper’s Justice of the Peace Dist. 1 seat. He’s running for Eddie Joe Williams’ state Senate seat. The three who filed are also Republicans.
The Dist. 1 JP candidates are Brent Canon, Jesse Bear and Kevin Livengood.
Two Republicans, John D. Howard and Claud E. Irvin, have filed for the Dist. 4 JP seat.
Dist. 5 JP Adam Justice, a Republican, has a Republican opponent, Robert (Bobby) Gilliam.
Dist. 7 JP Ralph Brown, a Republican, is being challenged in his re-election bid by Democrat Dan F. Stowers.
For Dist. 9, as of Friday evening, Republicans Linda Waddell and Les Carpenter had filed.
Republicans Daniel Hayes, Kenny Ridgeway and Bob Morris are seeking the Dist. 13 JP seat.
But JPs Barry (B.J) Weathers (Dist. 2), Henry Lang (Dist. 3), Jerry E. Cole (Dist. 6), Tate House (Dist. 8), Bill Ryker (Dist. 10) and Mike Dolan (Dist. 11) are unopposed so far. Patty Knox is unopposed for Dist. 12, but isn’t a current JP.
CITY RACES
Cabot has one city council race because Alderman Dallan Buchanan resigned Oct. 1 from representing Ward 2 in Position 1 to pursue a job in another city.
Damon Bivins has filed for that seat.
All of the Lonoke City Council races are unopposed by current aldermen seeking re-election. Those who have filed are Jane Derning (Dist. 1), Woody Evans (Dist. 2), Pat Howell (Dist. 3), Wendell Walker (Dist. 4), Efrem Z. Jones (Dist. 5) and Raymond Hatton (Dist. 6).
