Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley is running for reelection.
Kelley was first elected coroner in 2008 and assumed office in 2009. He has served seven terms, according to a news release.
“I am honored and humbled to announce my re-election bid for an eighth term as your Jefferson County coroner,” he said. “I am the most qualified person to be the Jefferson County coroner due to the experience and training that I have received. I care greatly about the people of Jefferson County, the coroner’s office and want to continue the procedures that have been in place since the coroner’s position was made full-time in 1978 by the Jefferson County Quorum Court.”
“I have strong ties to Pine Bluff/Jefferson County as I am a lifelong member of the community and am proud to call it ‘home.’ I was born in October of 1976 to James R. ‘Rick’ Kelley and Linda K. Tidwell-Kelley. I grew up in the Sulphur Springs community of Pine Bluff, graduated from Watson Chapel High School in May of 1995 and graduated as an honor graduate from Southeast Arkansas College,” Kelley said.
Kelley has been associated with the coroner’s office since he was 16 years old. For the last 16 years, he has worked as the coroner.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Eight years prior to that, I worked for the previous coroner, Holly Watkins-Sperry, as her deputy coroner and office administrator for the first four years then was appointed as her chief deputy coroner for the last four years,” he said.
Some of his achievements over the last 25 years include:
Received certificate for completing two-hour training program in vital records registration for death certificates
Received certificate for completing 16 hours in child injury investigation
Received certificate for completing 16 hours in domestic related homicides
Received certificate completing training on the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program Chemical Awareness
Received certificate for completing the Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Course at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, sponsored by the Division of Forensic and Environmental Pathology
Received certificate for completing the Medicolegal Master’s Death Investigator Course at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, sponsored by the Division of Forensic Environmental Pathology
Received certification as an Arkansas certified medicolegal death investigator conducted by the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy
Received certificate of completing four hours of forensic toxicology.
Kelley is also a past member of Children’s Advocacy Center Committee, a member of Arkansas Counties Coroners’ Association and a member of the Democratic Central Committee.
The party filing period is Nov. 3-11, according to the secretary of state’s office.