Former Washington County Drug Court Judge Mary Ann Gunn is active again on the Northwest Arkansas political scene, serving as consultant and strategist for a prosecuting attorney candidate.
Gunn, whose Emmy Award-winning television show “Last Shot With Judge Gunn” was launched in 2011, was at the 5NEWS newsroom in Fayetteville on Friday (March 7) with Kimberly Weber, a Rogers attorney seeking to replace Van Stone as Benton County prosecuting attorney. Stone is not seeking re-election.
Gunn said she is serving as campaign consultant for Weber, who has been on the cast of Gunn’s show.
Weber was at 5NEWS on Friday to tape a segment for “5NEWS Sunday Morning.” (Gunn, left, and Weber are seen in the photo above.) The segment with Weber airs on March 9 during the morning broadcast, which runs from 6-8 a.m. That segment also will be available later on Sunday at 5newsonline.com.
Gunn also attended a candidate forum on Saturday (March 8) in the Rogers Public Library hosted by the political action committee Conservative Arkansas.
Weber’s opponent in the May 20 nonpartisan race is Nathan Smith, a deputy prosecuting attorney in Stone’s office.
Smith is not without some major players on stage with him. He is being endorsed by Stone and by state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs. Smith’s father, Philip Smith, is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Bentonville.
The current Drug Court judge for Washington and Madison counties, Cristi Beaumont, is running unopposed in the May 20 election.
