SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Ed Bowerman now has his first Washington County Quorum Court meeting under his belt.

The experience for him was a little different than the times he’s watched the meetings on YouTube.

“It was a little overwhelming at times in the sense of how things go,” Bowerman said. “There’s a little bit of a learning curve there, but I thought it was great.”

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Bowerman was appointed to fill the District 4 justice of the peace seat on the Washington County Quorum Court — a position that has been vacant since Fred Anderson’s death in March 2023.

The full-time minister at Cross Church in Springdale said he was recommended to apply, so he did. He hadn’t heard back for weeks and thought another candidate had been appointed.

However, a few weeks ago, he heard back from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that he was her choice to fill the position.

“When I told them, ‘Yes,’ I felt like, ‘Wow,’” Bowerman said. “Almost unbelievable moment. It’s a very big honor to feel you’ve been chosen for something like that.”

Bowerman said he loves serving and helping people. He recognizes District 4 is comprised of a high percentage of Hispanic and Marshallese populations, and the fluent Spanish speaker wants to make sure their voices are heard.

The Fayetteville High School alumnus welcomes conversations with members of District 4, giving them the opportunity to voice their concerns, issues that are important to them and ideas for the future.

His tenure as the District 4 justice of the peace will end in November when the seat is up for election — a race he won’t be able to run in. Over the next six months, Bowerman hopes to get a better sense of the community he lives in.

“I would like them to feel like they’ve been heard and represented real well,” Bowerman said. “If I can accomplish that, that will be the most important thing that I can do.”

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