Sebastian County leader plans to retire, reflects on his career of conservative financial management and improving services

FORT SMITH — Sebastian County Judge said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family and free from the responsibilities of a job after nearly five decades in county government.

County Judge David Hudson will retire after his term expires Dec. 31. He started working for Sebastian County in 1976 and was first elected as a county judge in 1998.

Hudson, 70, is mentally preparing to leave behind the life that his 46 years of service entailed. This life has meant working with a variety of county and quorum court officials, as well as four former county judges before getting the job itself.

“For me, the job isn’t just an 8-5 job,” said Hudson, a Republican. “You think about projects and priorities and what you need to do after hours, think about what you’re going to do next week, and just understand that I’m going to change the way I operate trying to prepare for it. .”

Steve Hotz, county treasurer and collector, will succeed Hudson as county judge effective Jan. 1. Hudson did not run for office this year.

Local elected officials and community members gathered to celebrate Hudson and his career at a reception at Ben Geren Park Safe Haven in Fort Smith on Dec. 8.

Sheriff Hobe Runion described working with Hudson as both rewarding and educational. He said he didn’t know if anyone else in the state knew about county government like Hudson.

“There may be some, but I don’t know them,” Runion said. “He was very helpful to me, and I think working with him we were able to do a lot of things and I considered him a friend.”

George McGill, mayor of Fort Smith, said he and Hudson frequently worked together, with Hudson always fair. McGill found out what Hudson is “made of” when Fort Smith was about to be hit by the 2019 Arkansas River flood.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to think about what to do, but I saw him take action and practice leadership at his best as our city and our people suffered very , very little, how he managed to work with all of us,” McGill said.

EDUCATION, ACHIEVEMENTS

Hudson was born in Clarksville in 1952 and said he grew up in Fort Smith from the age of about 3½. He went to Northside High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 1976. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration from the university in 1981.

Hudson’s career in Sebastian County began as an administrative assistant under County Judge Glenn Thames in 1976. He previously articled with the Western Planning and Development District. Arkansas.

His new job offered Hudson an opportunity to serve in local government. A project he was working on was to help Thames administer a new system in which there would be only one county quorum court and one budget. It entered into force in January 1977.

“In 1976 in Sebastian County, since we have two county seats, Fort Smith and Greenwood, we actually had two quorum courts and two county budgets,” Hudson said. “There was only one set of county elected officials.”

Hudson’s first term as a county judge came when the Court of Quorum nominated him to serve the remainder of County Judge Bob Boyer’s term in 1982. He said it was an exciting chance for him to essentially run the county.

“It allowed me to prioritize and work with the court and other elected officials to implement some changes,” Hudson said. “One of the first things was to develop an approach to getting an internal IT system.”

Hudson continued as an administrative assistant after his appointment ended in 1983. He continued in that role under County Judges Bud Harper and Frank Glidewell before being elected to the County Judge’s seat in 1998. He would go on to win a total 10 two-year terms. county judge terms, as well as a four-year term that began in 2018.

Hudson believes “conservative financial management while improving services” has been the theme of his career. He said that involved being responsible for county money and multi-year planning for improvements while setting aside money in capital accounts, which enabled large projects to be implemented without increase in county taxes.

Some of these projects include:

• Renovation of the Fort Smith County Courthouse for approximately $2 million in 1999.

• Expansion of Fort Smith County Jail for approximately $4 million in 2007.

• Construction of a new courthouse in Fort Smith for approximately $14.8 million between the county and the city in 2008.

• Construction of the $10.9 million Parrot Island water park with Fort Smith in 2015.

• Construction of a new county emergency medical services facility in Greenwood for approximately $3 million in 2018.

Hudson also established a county road asphalt program and a bridge replacement system, implemented county park improvements, and oversaw criminal justice system initiatives.

Even so, Hudson said he would leave office with unfinished business: the ongoing consolidation of the county’s 911 dispatch centers, construction of a $5 million-plus library in Greenwood, and two towers to upgrade the county’s emergency communications radio system. The prison also has overcrowding issues that need to be addressed.

AND AFTER

Hudson, however, said he was confident Hotz would do a great job as a county judge.

“I’ve worked with Steve for several years and he has a master’s degree, he’s well-educated,” Hudson said. “I think he’s basically quite conservative in his approach to financial management. He’s certainly knowledgeable in the HR area, and that’s a really good asset. He’s knowledgeable in county finances.”

Hotz, 66, said he started working as the county’s human resources manager in 2011. The quorum court appointed him county treasurer/collector in late 2019.

Hotz defeated fellow Republicans Denny Altes and Jeff Turner for the county judge seat in the May primary election. No Democrats applied for the position.

Hotz said he always works with Hudson to produce the best results for the county. He recalled that Hudson worked collaboratively in that he tried to bring in people who could contribute or had information to help them “come to the right decision” on county matters.

Hotz remarked that he had big shoes to fill to succeed Hudson, given the knowledge Hudson has accumulated over the course of his career. But Hudson helped Hotz prepare for his new role by bringing him to meetings about ongoing issues to update him and providing him with information such as important contact information and file locations.

“I feel like I know the people, I know the finances, I know the elected officials,” Hotz said. “So I feel a bit comfortable being ready to go to work and continue the progress the county has made.”