Miller County judge candidates face runoff after primary

MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KSLA) - Two candidates are competing in a Republican runoff election for Miller County judge after a six-person primary field was narrowed to two.

Lynn McDowell, 65, and Christopher Redfearn, 52, received the most votes in the primary and will face each other before the winner advances to the November general election against Ulysses Brewer, a Democrat.

McDowell touts decades of county experience

McDowell has served Miller County for more than 35 years, including as justice of the peace. He currently serves as chief security officer for Miller and Lafayette counties.

“I got more experience of my other opponent — I’ve been up there forever and I know what it takes to work together in that county building up there in the courthouse, but I’m going to need help on these roads,” McDowell said.

McDowell also said he would maintain an accessible office if elected.

“I’m going to have an open door policy — anybody can come in and see me and talk about what the problem is for Miller County,” he said.

Redfearn points to military background

Redfearn is a retired Army veteran with 24 years of service and describes himself as new to the political arena. He’s currently working in the private sector.

“Voting for me is a vote to move forward, not backward,” Redfearn said.

Redfearn said his military background prepares him to manage county operations.

“I bring strategic planning to the road department, to all the infrastructure, to each department in the county government,” he said.

Roads a top issue for both candidates

Both candidates identified roads as a primary concern in the race.

“I’ve got about 4,800 miles on my vehicle driving the county roads — some of them are in good shape and some of them are in disarray and need a lot of repair,” Redfearn said.

“The problem is our roads — we got a major drainage problem in our roads, we got to dig some ditches, we got to asphalt some roads and we got to get after it, we got to go to work,” McDowell said.

Early voting runs March 24 through 27. Election Day is Tuesday, March 31.