There are two Republican candidates for the position of McDonald County County Clerk in the Aug. 5 Primary Election, Debbie Serr and Kimberly Bell. There are no Democrat candidates for the office.
The McDonald County Press sent out questionnaires to both women, each a long-time resident of the county with varied experiences that bring them to the political table.
(1) List name of family members and number of grandchildren,etc.
Bell: I have been married to Travis Bell for nine years this August. Travis works for Walmart in the regional operations Center in Bentonville, Ark. He is retired from the U. S. Army with 22 years of service. We have four children. Dakota Bell is 21 and lives in Korea. Carley Hendrix is 18 and will be attending the University of Arkansas and marching in the Razorback Marching Band this fall. Mason Hendrix is 16 and will be a junior this year at McDonald County High School. Madeleine Bell is 12 and will be in seventh grade at Pineville Junior High. Baseball, softball, high school band, junior high band, football games, fundraisers, Pineville Christian Church youth group, American Legion functions, fire department activities, and school activities keep us pretty busy within the county year-round. Travis and I have raised our kids with the understanding that we would do our best to support them in anything they wanted to try. That meant being at as many ball games, school activities, and extracurricular activities as we could. We also tried to instill a sense of accountability, responsibility and teamwork that would stay with them a lifetime. We do not have any grandchildren.
Serr: I have two grown children. My son Kenny Bowers, his wife Bobbi, and three children reside in Bella Vista. My daughter Mallory (Bowers) Terry, husband Robert, and two children reside in Branson. I have been blessed with five amazingly beautiful grandchildren. They are Kenyon, Kennedy, and Lillian Bowers and Dylan and Madison Terry.
(2) What is your educational background?
Serr: I have extensive certifications and training through Walmart Stores, Inc., along with my cosmetology license from Neosho Beauty College. Certifications and training includes: Dale Carnegie; extensive media training; human resource certification and law assessment; professional administrative certification; dimensions of leadership; HR-labor and recruiting; HR-hourly investigation; HR-hourly compensation and benefits; behavioral interviewing; communication and listening; in-depth ADA training; valuing diversity; leadership/supervisor school; conflict management; sensitivity training; how to defuse and handle angry people; customer service seminar by Fred Pryor; powerful presentation skills; The Birkman Method; Franklin Covey, "What Matters Most;" writing advantage; powerful presentations; advanced excel and formulas.
Bell: I graduated Mount Vernon High School in 1988. I was a member of Future Teachers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Homemakers of America, Junior Rotarian and Spanish Club. I joined the U. S. Army Reserve in October 1988 and left for basic training in Fort Dix, N. J. in February 1989. Upon completion of Basic Training, I went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for my Advanced Individual Training, in which I learned skills to become a patient administration specialist in a medical reserve unit. I attended Missouri Southern State College (now a University) from 1989-1993. I contracted into the Army Reserve Officer Training Corp as a cadet (1990) and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves and received my B. S. degree in Business Administration from Missouri Southern in December, 1993. The Army ensured I received many types of training, both in the classroom and online, to prepare me to lead soldiers. These include: Officer Basic Course, Officer Advance Course, Commander's Course, Unit Movement Course, Army Container Inspection class, Commander's Safety Course, Personnel Course, Information Awareness, Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Level 1, Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt classroom training), Anti-Phishing and countless others.
(3) List your qualifications and experience.
Bell: Although the jobs I held in the Army and the duties and responsibilities of the county clerk are not exact matches, many jobs prepared me for the intensity of the county clerk position. I was a medical platoon leader, executive officer and company commander. Two deployments required me to be a medical intelligence officer, assistant operations officer, personnel officer and liaison officer. I also spent four months working for the commanding general of all forces in Afghanistan. I was responsible for the management of the general's office in his absence as well as working with all the agencies in the United States Embassy. I have had to lead others, work with others, work for others, be a peacekeeper, stand up for what was right and just, manage daily tasks, make tough decisions, organize, create and be creative, analyze, listen, speak up, be the tough "guy," operate under extreme pressure and conditions, learn everything, be patient and be brave. I have worked for McDonald County schools at Rocky Comfort since 2009. Being a paraprofessional in special education and seeing the "I finally understand" moment on a child's face, is one of the most exciting feelings I have ever experienced.
Serr: I currently work for the world's largest retailer in a very fast pace daily changing role. In my 13 years with the company, I've received extensive budget management training. I am responsible for providing financial data management for my department's budget, which includes verifying, thoroughly researching, then processing invoices and expense reports. I work to ensure statements and key messages are provided to the media by serving as a company spokesperson for corporate communications. This portion of my role includes drafting statements and talking points, coordinating the approval process with internal clients, developing, maintaining, and leveraging relationships with reporters and bloggers for proactive and reactive media stories A large portion of my position requires managing projects by establishing priorities and goals, developing action plans, monitoring progress toward project milestones, organizing, facilitating and directing cross-functional meetings to share information, evaluate and summarize project results, then sharing project status with key management. I provide support for internal and external clients of corporate communications providing counsel on strategies for responding to the media or related opportunities; building trusting collaborative relationships across organizational boundaries.
(4) What are your reasons for seeking public office?
Serr: I love McDonald County. We moved here when I was in fifth grade. I remember when we bought our groceries at Don's IGA, the library was off the square, and the junior high was where the library is now. I remember jumping off Mac's Big Rock and swimming in Crag-O-Lea. My kids are also graduates of McDonald County. I was blessed to be able to give back during that time and help with band, cheerleading, and various other functions through the years. I am actively involved with the First Baptist Church of Pineville. I feel my proven track record for leading multi-functional projects makes me an excellent match for the office. It's more than knowing how to do the job. It's a desire I've had to serve the county since high school, when I spent a summer working at the courthouse through a work study program. It is my desire to continue giving back to the residents by serving as the McDonald County Clerk. I have great respect for the folks in the office and their steadfast integrity. I will protect the public's interest and uphold the reliability and honesty established in the county clerk's office.
Bell: My family moved to McDonald County in 2001. Though I haven't lived in the county my whole life, I grew up in southwest Missouri. As a child, my family lived in Cassville, Washburn and eventually settled in Mount Vernon. We came to Pineville when I was young and canoed the Elk River. During my youth, my parents owned a pizza parlor in Cassville, a Sears Catalog Store in Mount Vernon and currently own appliance stores in Cassville and Mount Vernon. I understand the hard work and sacrifice it takes to run your own business. Through two deployments, one to Afghanistan and one to Kuwait, McDonald County took care of my family. The schools and local churches sent care packages. The teachers hugged my kids. They helped me surprise my kids on Skype during a Veteran's Day program. I missed ball games, concerts, band trips, award assemblies, parent/teacher conferences, Girl Scout Gold Award, prom, first day of kindergarten and an eighth grade promotion ceremony. When I came home, I was invited into our schools to talk to our children about the countries I had visited. I spent 25 years serving my country. Now I want to serve my county.
(5) What are your political views and philosophy?
Bell: My political views and philosophy are as follows. I am a moral and fiscal conservative. I am a strict constitutionalist; believing our framers made a near perfect plan, the Constitution of the United States of America, for our well-being. I believe in strength through power. Evil in the world does not always respect our goodness, but they must fear our power. Government, at any level, should be there as an aid and not as a crutch. We, as a free people, should rely more on ourselves and each other, and rely less on government and other's money. Summed up, I am a Reagan conservative: fewer taxes, limited government, more state and local rule. As an officer in the United States Army, I was held to a higher standard, both morally and ethically. The Army has what it calls the Seven Leadership (LDRSHIP) Values. Loyalty; Duty; Respect; Selfless Service; Honor; Integrity; Personal Courage. These are values my family and I live by daily. Faith, freedom and family are important to us. I am asking you to vote on Aug. 5. It is your right as a United States citizen.
Serr: I am a Republican. I believe in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception and marriage should only happen between a man and a woman. I believe we are one nation under God. I support the war on drugs and believe in the second amendment in our right to bear arms. With presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan as model Republicans, there are many lessons we can learn about how government ought to be run on every level. When we fail to study the past we cannot see clearly how the future ought to go. For instance Abraham Lincoln asserted in 1776, "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." He assured us, that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." I believe in the value of hard work and personal responsibility and the rights we are all given under the constitution.
Community on 07/31/2014