Photos: (from left) Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass and District 3 Justice of the Peace Robert “Bob” Lowery
Two political announcements came at the conclusion of the Baxter County Quorum meeting Tuesday evening.
Judge Mickey Pendergrass confirmed information that has circulated for several weeks, saying he will not seek reelection to the position he has held since 2013.
Judge Pendergrass served three two-year terms, before being elected to a four-year term in 2018. Arkansas voters in 2017 approved an amendment switching county officials from two-year to four-year terms beginning in 2019.
When he completes the four-year term in December, he will have served as the county’s judge for 10 years.
Reading from a prepared statement Tuesday evening, Pendergrass told those present, at the end of 2022, he will have served Baxter County in some form of government for 34 years.
Despite Pendergrass’ announcement not coming until Tuesday evening, two candidates for the position of county judge have already made their intentions known.
Eric Payne of Lone Rock and City of Mountain Home Clerk Brian Plumlee have announced their candidacies for judge in the May Republican Primary.
Also on Tuesday evening, District 3 Justice of the Peace Robert “Bob” Lowery announced he would be resigning effective Wednesday.
Lowery served as Sevier County district judge for 21 years and spent two years as a circuit judge for Arkansas’ 9th Judicial Circuit West. His career includes time spent as a deputy public defender, as a deputy prosecuting attorney and as a court administrator for the Arkansas Supreme Court.
In making his announcement, Lowery said he will be pursuing other avenues that require he not be involved in partisan activities.
Lowery is in his second term on the quorum court.
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