Martin names 2 to grounds panel

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Secretary of State Mark Martin on Friday filled two positions on the commission that chooses when and where monuments are placed on the grounds of the state Capitol.

The positions had been vacant for about four years.

Supporters of a memorial to fallen firefighters that has been in the works for more than 20 years pushed Martin to repopulate the commission so it can vote on the memorial. Martin’s spokesman said Martin is considering calling a meeting of the commission in the first week of February.

Johnny Reep, chairman of the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial, said he hasn’t heard about a scheduled meeting yet.

“I’m very pleased because that had been a holdup. We couldn’t do anything until he filled the board,” Reep said. “This is a big step.”

Martin appointed John Lane, the owner of Lane and Associates Architects of Fort Smith. The Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recommended Lane.

Martin also appointed Dave Roberts, vice president of planning for Crafton Tull in Little Rock. He had the support of the state Board of Architects, Landscape Architects and Interior Designers.

State law allows the Arkansas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects to nominate three candidates each for the board.

If they do so, Martin must select one name from each list and appoint them.

The secretary of state also appoints a landscape architect, licensed architect and two citizens at-large to serve four-year terms on the board. The other positions were filled in December.

The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission meets at the call of the secretary of state. It last met in 2008.

The last time a secretary of state appointed the four commission members was in 2005, Martin’s spokesman, Alex Reed, has said.

The terms expired when Charlie Daniels was secretary of state. The vacancies went unnoticed after Martin took office in January 2011.

The Senate president pro tempore and the House speaker also each choose a commissioner. Also on the commission is the director of the Department of Parks and Tourism, the director of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the secretary of state or his designee, and the governor or his designee.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 15 on 01/20/2013