FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carrie Perrien Smith
August 1, 2025 Direct 479-903-0208
carrie@carrieworksforyou.com
Carrie Perrien Smith Announces Her Candidacy for Benton County Judge
ROGERS, AR. Fourth-term justice of the peace, Carrie Perrien Smith, MBA, is announcing her 2026 candidacy for Benton County Judge.
The county judge is the county’s chief executive officer. Unlike a judicial judge, the county judge is responsible for day-to-day operations of county government. It is a four-year term. Smith must first win the March 2026 Republican Primary. The current county judge, Barry Moehring, announced on July 24 he will not seek re-election for another term.
Since 2019, Carrie has held a front-row seat for the county’s most-important decisions. Her entire district lies within the city limits of Bentonville and Rogers. In addition to monitoring county affairs, she has helped constituents resolve issues through the proper channels and advocate for them in municipal issues that threaten to destroy their property value, cost of living, and quality of life. She also proudly advocates for the county’s volunteer fire departments.
“Most of our citizens are too busy making a living and raising their families to pay attention to the influences that currently press for changes that few Arkansans want. I commit to voters to stand up for our citizens against the forces that want to turn us into the next Seattle or Los Angeles for their personal gain,” said Smith. “Growth is coming, but we must find balance so that everyone wins.”
“Following the economy, economic development strategy, and energy policy at a national level, I’ve witnessed how seldom those factors are considered in our local government decisions. Yet, these factors influence every Arkansan,” Smith added. Failure to learn from the mistakes of other developing regions is crushing our citizens financially and crowding them out of the housing market. There is plenty of investor money and big ideas here, but we have too few leaders exploring unintended consequences. This was a major driver in my decision to run for county judge.”
There is little conversation about economic development outside the city limits that helps build the tax base and offers professional opportunity. The right activity can maintain quality of life while providing necessary services to our rural communities. It is critical for Benton County to remain a great place to live, work, and run a business. Smith understands that it looks different for every community in the county. Concerns and interests of the residents of our rural communities need to be considered in those decisions.
Benton County will soon be the most populated county in Arkansas. Meanwhile, Benton County is one of the top producers in poultry and cattle and number one overall in agricultural sales. We are also home to major company headquarters and satellite offices. This makes Northwest Arkansas the economic engine of the state. The epic growth isn’t stopping.
Unfortunately, leaders are just now awakening to the future strain on our electrical capacity by population growth, business and residential development, and advancing artificial intelligence computing needs. Water and sewer infrastructure is strained, and disaster preparedness needs improvement. About 30 percent of Benton County lacks high-speed internet. Rapid development is causing flooding during our rainy months that places our citizens at risk. Smith is running for county judge to make sure plans are developed and executed over the next four years to ensure our region overcomes these issues.
“As a 25-year student of leadership and studying leaders like Sam Walton, I’ve learned we must lead with a servant heart,” Smith said. “I work for the people of Benton County. The greatest gift of running for office in a competitive district is that I must knock on thousands of doors every election cycle. Voters teach me what issues matter most to them, and I serve as their voice. That perspective shapes the decisions we make on the Quorum Court. My constituents trust me to serve them as an honest elected representative with a track record of service who takes the time to get to know them and watch out for issues that affect their lives and livelihoods.”
If you would like to help with Smith’s campaign or weigh in on the concerns you have about county government, please contact her directly at 479-903-0208 or carrie@carrieworksforyou.com.
Carrie Smith, age 60, moved to Rogers from the Dallas area in 1993. She was born and raised in the Tulsa area. She worked for Walmart for 7 years before launching her publishing, training, and communications company. Her husband, Tom Smith, retired from Walmart in 2019 after 36 years of service, closing out a 46-year retail career. They married in 1999 and have one daughter and two grandchildren. Over the last 24 years, she has served in leadership roles in more than 20 nonprofit and professional organizations. She was elected to her current role as Justice of the Peace in 2018. She earned her Master’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Leadership and Ethics in 2002 from John Brown University. Click here to learn more about her experience and qualifications.
Arkansas is one of only seven states that call their county legislative body the Quorum Court and the elected county representative Justice of the Peace. Similarly, the county administrator is called County Judge. An article on the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service website provides this explanation: “Over their four-year term, a county judge is responsible for: Maintaining and having custody of county property; Overseeing public roads and bridges outside city limits; Administering county ordinances; Presiding over the Quorum Court, where the judge has veto power but not a vote; Authorizing county spending or paying of bills; Accepting grants from outside entities, Hiring county employees that don’t work for another county official, Hearing property tax appeals (this is where that judge title comes in); Meeting with local mayors at least once a year for intergovernmental meetings. In some counties, judges have created community service programs.”
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Paid for by the Campaign to Elect Carrie Perrien Smith