Hi, my name is AnneDella and I am running for Justice of the Peace for the Washington County Quorum Court.
What is the Quorum Court and what does it do?
Simply put, the quorum court spends county taxes and revenues. This year, Washington County’s 15 Justices of the Peace appropriated a budget of nearly $130 million dollars. Justices of the Peace choose county priorities using the power of your dollar.
I believe in Public Service, not Politics.
I have strong values that are the foundation for my goals for the court.
- Reduce jail overcrowding through evidence-based compassionate practices including investing in pre-trial services as described in the tax-payer funded report provided by the county’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee.
- Fund and re-establish the Washington County Mental Health Court and Crisis Stabilization Unit to divert people with mental health needs away from the jail.
- Re-establish a non-partisan, collaborative Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to ensure local law enforcement is meeting community needs.
- Ensure Washington County Jail prioritizes community needs over federal contracts that are excessively expensive to local taxpayers. This includes ending a contract that allows ICE to quickly move our community members out of state without warrants, criminal charges or court dates.
- Invest in community programs that benefit everyone, including regional transit, public media and mental health services.
- Protect our beloved natural state for all through collaborative environmental practices and policy that also balance the needs of local agriculture and land use.
- Ensure community dollars are prioritizing community needs and not partisan or federal ideology.
- Encourage collaboration between cities to address county needs, such as expanding the Washington County Library System to include all cities within the county, ensuring resources are available to all community members.
- Ensure all county employees have access to competitive salaries, retaining talent and ensuring economic stability.
- Make meetings more accessible by implementing an online meeting system so that the community may participate in public comment virtually.
- Conduct an outside comprehensive review of all public communication to evaluate it for timeliness, effectiveness and accessibility for the general public. Implement best practices as determined by the review.
- Increase transparency in contract bidding processes for county services, ensuring a competitive review process and effective use of tax payer dollars.
- Simplify and review the county code every 2 years rather than 5 and ensure all county codes, ordinances and resolutions are easy to find.
This Platform will EVOLVE! While my values are firm, my goals can change. I’m committed to learning and listening to my community members and prioritizing our needs. I always welcome challenges to my perspectives and am excited to discuss issues with all of my neighbors.
Endorsements
I am honored to have received endorsement from strong, progressive community leaders.
I am proud to endorse AnneDella Hines for JP District 7.
AnneDella is committed to smart, data driven statistics and evidence-based criminal justice reform that prioritizes both public safety and fiscal responsibility, such as proven pre-trial services, restoring our Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and Crisis Stabilization Unit. We need her on the quorum court!
AnneDella also recognizes that our jail should serve Washington County residents — not costly federal contracts that undermine families and strain local taxpayers. This is the kind of thoughtful, data-driven leadership our community deserves.
AnneDella Hines leads with heart and mind. She would be a great asset to Washington County government, improving the way it serves the people in our community.
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know AnneDella over the past year. She would make an excellent Justice of the Peace because she genuinely cares about people and is deeply committed to making Washington County a better place for everyone.
Meeting the moment.
In a moment such as this, one may be counseled to patience when urgency is demanded; one may be led to believe that one should be content with one’s efforts when more is demanded of one. In times of such uncertainty, civil servants must not simply be custodians of convention, but architects of moral clarity.
At a time that would have you believe it is simply realism that constrains us to accept a situation we cannot change, it is delusion to expect mercy from those who refuse to do justice. In such a moment, we need a fighter, a vision for the future. AnneDella Hines meets this moment for me. I could not, with fewer reservations, endorse her for Democratic candidate for Justice of the Peace.
Early vote TODAY! Polls close March 3.
Here's a little about me
I am a life-long Arkansan and passionate community advocate who loves to ask big questions, explore rabbit holes, and solve unseen problems. I am a proud believer in the power of our collective. In the political chaos of the last several years, I have grounded myself in work for and with my neighbors, recognizing the strength in our unity.
I moved to District 7 a little more than four years ago and fell in love with the community. As someone with proud hillbilly Ozark roots, I’ve spent most of my life living outside of city limits. So when my husband and I were lucky enough to buy a house in the town where we’ve spent the last 12 years together, I was nervous to share fence-lines with strangers. But rather than shy away, I dove in.
In my professional life
- I have a Master’s in Operations Management and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Arkansas and ten years experience in non-profit management.
- At the University of Arkansas, I proudly managed and supported programs designed for the underrepresented student population. As a first generation college graduate myself, I know how easily students without robust support systems can slip through the cracks.
- At Arkansas Children’s Northwest, I managed a large in-kind donation and volunteer program in partnership with various community groups and corporations. I also expanded relationships with local schools, establishing a junior internship program that targeted high school students seeking careers in healthcare.
- I work for a local healthcare consultancy, where I’ve recruited physicians for the region, evaluated operational efficiencies of local clinics, and developed strong local brands. Currently, I lead health-tech projects that are focused on improving patient outcomes. I’m driven by a passion for making healthcare systems more effective and accessible for all.
In my community
- I am incredibly passionate about immigrant rights, an issue that affects my family directly. I have become deeply involved in local advocacy and direct and indirect action against harmful policy.
- I volunteer as a board member for Junior Achievement Arkansas where I focus on community relationships that support various initiatives, such as Workforce Development.
- I have established an informal tool share system, particularily for teens in my neighborhood who are able to use my items in their summer businesses.
- I’ve built and established a new little free billingual library. With plans to include lots of “banned” books and books that represent all of us.
In my personal life
- I listen to an unhealthy number of podcasts every day. I have a few on daily lineup for current events, but some of my favorites are: Radiolab, Heavyweight, Science Vs., Search Engine and This American Life. I love to learn and I love human stories. Because I choose podcasts over music, my Spotify wrapped only featured one album…DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
- I am hard at work trying to learn Spanish. (I have two more months according to Bad Bunny.) This is something I’ve been trying to do for a while so that I can communicate with all of my family. I am to the point in my language learning journey that there are moments when I can’t find the word in Spanish nor English. (If you know you know)
- I am a major cat person. We have three and they are my soulmates.
- Recently, I’ve been reconnecting with my childhood roots and deer hunting. Sitting in the woods before sunrise while listening to the earth come alive is truly a soul restorative experience.
- I believe (sometimes to a fault) that I can fix anything or do any home project. We’ve done all of our home rennovations ourselves and you’ll catch me changing my own oil. If it’s broken, I’d rather buy a new tool and learn how to fix it myself.
- Once, a friend told me she would “follow me in the apocalypse” and it may be the highest compliment I’ve ever received.