Jim Wood (Arkansas politician)
Jim Wood | |
|---|---|
| Arkansas State Auditor | |
| Assumed office 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Gus Wingfield |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Newport, Arkansas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ann Wood |
| Residence | Newport, Arkansas |
Jim Wood is the current State Auditor of Arkansas, and is a former State Legislator. He was sworn in 2003, and is currently serving his second term.
Biography
Jim Wood was born in Newport, Arkansas [1], and attended elementary school in Tupelo, Arkansas. He attended college at Arkansas State Teacher's College in Conway, Arkansas.
Wood has worked as a farmer and businessman, serving two years on the Woodruff County Quorum Court,[2], before running for State Senate. He later served as a State Senator from 1979-1988, and as a State Representative from 1997-2002[3]. He is currently serving his first term as a constitutional statewide officer. He is an active member of the Southern Legislative Conference, and Agricultural Advisory Board.
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[4], including several from Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars association.
Statewide Politics
Wood was first elected in 2002, winning 57.65% of the vote, defeating Republican Mary Jane Rebick[5]. In 2006, he was reelected with 85% of the vote against third party opposition[6]. He won reelection with nearly six hundred thousand votes. He is a lifelong Democrat.
State Auditor
As State Auditor, Wood has run a massive program to give unclaimed valuables back to Arkansans, with over one hundred million dollars worth of assests in all, including twenty one million dollars collected in 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[7]. The goal of the project is to find the owners of the assets, which companies hand over to the government when legal owners cannot be found [8].
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 is a de facto member of the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System and the Arkansas Teachers Retirement System, which manages their retirement funds[9].
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
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Jim Wood (D) | 597,550 | 84.87 | |
| Michael Joseph Bolzenius (G) | 106,515 | 15.13 | |
| Jim Wood (D) reelected State Auditor | |||
2002 General Election
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Jim Wood (D) | 442,349 | 57.65 | |
| Mary Jane Rebick (R) | 324,279 | 42.35 | |
| Jim Wood (D) elected State Auditor | |||