Jim Wood (Arkansas)

Last updated
Jim Wood
Arkansas State Auditor
In office
2003–2011
Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Beebe
Preceded by Gus Wingfield
Succeeded by Charlie Daniels
Personal details
Born Newport, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s)Ann Wood
ResidenceNewport, Arkansas, U.S.

Jim Wood, an American politician, is a former State Auditor of the U.S. state of Arkansas, and is a former State Legislator. He served from 2003 to 2011.

U.S. state constituent political entity of the United States

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders.

Arkansas U.S. state in the United States

Arkansas is a state in the southern region of the United States, home to over 3 million people as of 2018. Its name is of Siouan derivation from the language of the Osage denoting their related kin, the Quapaw Indians. The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta.

Contents

Biography

Jim Wood was born in Newport, Arkansas , and attended elementary school in Tupelo, Arkansas. He attended college at Arkansas State Teacher's College in Conway, Arkansas.

Newport, Arkansas City in Arkansas, United States

Newport is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Arkansas, United States, located on the White River 84 miles (135 km) northeast of Little Rock. The population was 7,879 at the 2010 census.

Tupelo, Arkansas Town in Arkansas, United States

Tupelo is a town in Jackson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 180 at the 2010 census.

University of Central Arkansas University in the United States

The University of Central Arkansas is a public research university in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the university is one of the oldest in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As the state's only normal school at the time, UCA has historically been the primary source of teachers in Arkansas. Today with a more academically diverse mission, UCA is noted for its nationally recognized programs in nursing, education, physical therapy, business, performing arts, and psychology.

Wood has worked as a farmer and businessman, serving two years on the Woodruff County Quorum Court,, before running for State Senate. He later served as a State Senator from 1979–1988, and as a State Representative from 1997-2002 . He is an active member of the Southern Legislative Conference, and Agricultural Advisory Board.

In 1986, Wood was a surprise entry against First District Representative Bill Alexander in the Democratic Primary. In a campaign managed by Darrell Glascock, the consultant credited for the victory of Tommy Robinson in the Second District two years before, he pushed Alexander to his narrowest win since his election in 1968. Alexander prevailed by a vote of 81,409 (52.15%) to Wood's 74,701 (47.85%). http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/Documents/Historical%20Election%20Results/1986%20Election%20Results.pdf

William Vollie Alexander Jr. Arkansas politician

William Vollie Alexander Jr. is a retired American politician who represented the U.S. state of Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1993, rising to the post of Chief Deputy Majority Whip.

Darrell Glascock is a US media consultant who once challenged Bill Clinton to a drug test.

Tommy F. Robinson American politician

Tommy Franklin Robinson is a politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas.

He has won many awards over the courses of careers, starting with being named one of the top three Young Ranchers and Farmers in Arkansas by the Farm Bureau in 1974, and 1976. The State Employees Association named him Outstanding Freshman Legislator in 1979, and numerous awards for his service to the military , including several from Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars association.

Disabled American Veterans veterans’ organization

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created by the United States Congress for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has nearly 1.3 million members. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, it is outside the purview of – and therefore not rated by – Charity Navigator.

Veterans of Foreign Wars organization of U.S. war veterans

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, (VFW) is an organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The Veterans of Foreign Wars was established by James C. Putnam on September 29, 1899, in Columbus, Ohio. Its membership consists of veterans who, as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen served that Nation in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign soil or in hostile waters.

Statewide politics

Wood was first elected in 2002, winning 57.65% of the vote, defeating Republican Mary Jane Rebick . In 2006, he was reelected with 85% of the vote against third party opposition . He won reelection with nearly six hundred thousand votes. He is a lifelong Democrat.

State Auditor

As State Auditor, Wood ran a program to give unclaimed valuables back to Arkansans, with over one hundred million dollars' worth of assets in all, including twenty-one million dollars collected in the 2006–2007 fiscal year alone. It is part of the State Auditor's job to locate abandoned bank accounts, stock certificates, mineral royalties and other lost assets. [1] The goal of the project was to find the owners of the assets, which companies hand over to the government when legal owners cannot be found .

The other duties of State Auditor are primarily concerned with fiscal matters. The Constitutional office serves as an accountant, keeping track of state money that is used and spent by various departments, and also disburses federal money to various offices. As Auditor, Wood was a de facto member of the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System and the Arkansas Teachers Retirement System, which manages their retirement funds. [2]

Election history

Jim Wood has faced several statewide reelections with relatively easy victories, winning against only an unheralded third party candidate in 2006.

2006 General Election

CandidateVotes%
Jim Wood (D)597,55084.87
Michael Joseph Bolzenius (G) 106,51515.13
Jim Wood (D) reelected State Auditor

2002 General Election

CandidateVotes%
Jim Wood (D)442,34957.65
Mary Jane Rebick (R) 324,27942.35
Jim Wood (D) elected State Auditor

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References

Political offices
Preceded by
Gus Wingfield
Arkansas State Auditor
2003-2011
Succeeded by
Charlie_Daniels_(politician)