NASHVILLE – Filing fees for Democrats will remain unchanged in Howard County from previous years for the upcoming election cycle after a vote of the local committee Tuesday evening.
The group heard commentary from several local elected officials, who either expressed support for keeping the fees at three percent of the annual salary of the office sought or stated they had no opinion about the rate. County Sheriff Bryan McJunkins stated before the meeting that he in particular was happy with the rate, because it provided the local committee with operating funds and it was high enough that people must be serious about running to file. He characterized the filing fees as “just part of the job.”
At the three percent rate, filing fees range from $72 for quorum court members to $1340.97 for county judge and sheriff.
Another major issue dealt with by the committee was ending the practice of giving honoraria. Honoraria, or gifts of money to officers of the group, were initially approved decades ago to help the chairperson and secretary/treasurer of the committee defray costs they incurred on behalf of the committee.
Recent questions about the practice from the state party prompted the local committee to re-examine the long-standing committee rule. Neither chairwoman LeJeana Jones nor secretary/treasurer Albert Motta expressed a desire to continue receiving honoraria, and the committee voted unanimously to end the practice.
The committee also heard reports from several recent and upcoming events, with Victoria Motta speaking about the efforts to register people to vote at the Stand Up for America event at the Nashville city park on Independence Day and Jones speaking about the recent Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner hosted at Little Rock where a delegation of nearly two dozen from Howard County were among more than 2,500 who gathered to hear former First Lady Hillary Clinton speak.
In upcoming events, the committee appropriated the fee to have a booth at the Howard County Fair, which they have done since the foundation of the fair, and also to provide small cash awards to each young livestock presenter in the premium sale that concludes the fair.
Albert Motta also notified members that he had purchased seats at the Clinton Day dinner in Arkadelphia on August 8, and that he would be hosting a picnic and membership drive at his home north of Nashville the following afternoon on August 9. The picnic event, Jones said, would stand in place of the group’s regular August meeting.
A final item discussed was the resignation of the committee’s vice-chair, Isaiah Motta, who is moving out of the county, and the election of his replacement. Rev. Willie Benson, longtime committee member and former chairman, was elected to the position.
