Jim Wood (Arkansas)
Encyclopedia
Jim Wood is the former State Auditor of Arkansas, and is a former State Legislator. He served from 2003 to 2011.
http://www.arkansas.gov/auditor/biography.html, 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,http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=10959, before running for State Senate. He later served as a State Senator from 1979–1988, and as a State Representative from 1997-2002 http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=10959. 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 http://www.arkansas.gov/auditor/biography.html, including several from Disabled American Veterans
and the Veterans of Foreign Wars
association.
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 http://www.state.ar.us/auditor/general_information/general_info.html.
2006 General Election
2002 General Election
Biography
Jim Wood was born in Newport, ArkansasNewport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County....
http://www.arkansas.gov/auditor/biography.html, and attended elementary school in Tupelo, Arkansas
Tupelo, Arkansas
Tupelo is a town in Jackson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 177 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tupelo is located at ....
. He attended college at Arkansas State Teacher's College
University of Central Arkansas
The University of Central Arkansas is a state-run institution located in the city of Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, north of Little Rock and is the fourth largest university by enrollment in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and the third largest college system in the state. The school is most...
in Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
.
Wood has worked as a farmer and businessman, serving two years on the Woodruff County Quorum Court,http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=10959, before running for State Senate. He later served as a State Senator from 1979–1988, and as a State Representative from 1997-2002 http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=10959. 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 http://www.arkansas.gov/auditor/biography.html, including several from Disabled American Veterans
Disabled American Veterans
The Disabled American Veterans, or DAV, is an organization for disabled veterans that helps them and their families through various means. It currently has over 1.2 million members...
and the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
association.
Statewide Politics
Wood was first elected in 2002, winning 57.65% of the vote, defeating Republican Mary Jane Rebick http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2002&off=11&elect=0&fips=5&f=0. In 2006, he was reelected with 85% of the vote against third party opposition http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2006&off=11&elect=0&fips=5&f=0. He won reelection with nearly six hundred thousand votes. He is a lifelong Democrat.State Auditor
As State Auditor, Wood ran 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 http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2007/10/03/News/343532.html. 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 http://www.state.ar.us/auditor/unclprop/.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 http://www.state.ar.us/auditor/general_information/general_info.html.
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 | |||