Officials take oaths of office Benton County Judge Dave Bisbee is 'ready to get to work.'
Posted on Friday, January 2, 2009
Daily Record photograph by Sarah Nader Circuit Judge John R. Scott administered the oath of office to the new Benton County judge, Dave Bisbee, on Thursday afternoon at the Benton County Courthouse in Bentonville.
BENTONVILLE - Benton County elected officials were sworn in Thursday to begin their terms in office. "I'm excited," County Judge Dave Bisbee said moments before taking his oath of office from Circuit Judge John Scott. "I'm ready to get to work." Bisbee said the first thing he will focus on, as he said during the campaign, is learning to be a county judge. Bisbee spent the last six weeks studying the county's budget, and he understands that his learning curve must be a quick one. "I will lay out to the justices what I want to do at the first Quorum Court meeting," Bisbee said. "I want them to hear it from me rather than reading it in the newspaper." Besides Bisbee, Scott gave the oath to Circuit Clerk Brenda DeShields, County Clerk Tena O'Brien, Assessor Bill Moutray, Coroner Daniel Oxford, Collector Gloria Peterson and Treasurer Deanna Ratcliffe. The swearing-in ceremony was the first official duty for O'Brien, who is replacing the retired Mary Lou Slinkard as county clerk.
O'Brien said one of her first goals is to improve the scanning of records and to add marriage records to the county's Web site.
Oxford said one of his goals is to establish a better reporting process for the Coroner's Office, and he wants to continue stressing the importance of having a good working relationship with law-enforcement agencies, hospices, funeral homes and hospitals.
"We are looking forward to a new year, and our office will be one that the people in Benton County can take pride in," Oxford said.
Scott also swore in 11 of the 13 justices of the peace. JPs Jim Wozniak and Frank Winscott could not attend Thursday's ceremony, so they will take their oaths of office at a later date.
Scott also gave the oath to Siloam Springs Mayor David Allen, Springtown Mayor Loretta Riley and the county's deputy coroners.
The county's circuit and district judges, along with Sheriff Keith Ferguson, will be sworn in Friday morning.
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