I expected many who’ve held government jobs would apply for the soon-to-be-vacated government relations position at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
That’s the vice chancellor’s position Richard Hudson has capably filled for years. Hudson, who effectively lobbies the state on behalf of a state institution, retires July 31st; his annual salary is $202,000. Not too bad for artfully cultivating good will.
Thus far, 32 people have applied to try and fill the sizable hole Hudson leaves. They include aides and former aides for Gov. Mike Beebe, U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor and former Sen. Blanche Lincoln; state Sen. Johnny Key of Mountain Home also applied.
The field of candidates also includes several policy directors for politicians and top-level public affairs executives with advertising firms and corporations.
Hey, I can’t fault anyone for seeking such a visible and lucrative position at the state’s most prestigious and influential university.
The most unlikely candidate who, for me, stuck out like, well, hmmm, kinda like a camel in a hog factory, is recently resigned Lt. Gov. Mark Darr. You’ll likely recall Darr as the onetime pizza mogul turned politico who wound up neck-deep in boiling water after the Ethics Commission fined him $11,000 for improperly spending public money and campaign funds.
Darr, who now apparently would like to earn his living representing the U of A (following its own mega-publicized budgeting deficit in one of 100-odd departments), apparently believes he’s the ideal person to replace Hudson as the chief lobbyist and person who speaks for the institution in all things governmental (cough, ’scuse me).
Who knows, my friends? Perhaps stranger things have happened in the employment world.
And, after all, one news account said Darr (in a move that may rewrite acceptable job application techniques in Arkansas) did write the words: “Woo Pig Sooie and Go Hogs Go!” on his application for the position. Surely that combined stroke of genius and maturity ought to count for something. Maybe in the athletic department or as head of stadium concessions?
Yet somehow I won’t be too surprised to see Darr return to his former domain of extra cheese and pepperoni after all is said and done here. If so, I’m pre-ordering a thin crust with Canadian bacon and pineapple. Because as readers surely know by now, I do love crispy bacon grown anywhere but the Buffalo National River watershed.
Voyeur violation
Odds are you missed that bizarre story about the scorned Fayetteville couple arrested and accused of video voyeurism after they reportedly took pictures through a living room window of their respective spouses in, well, I’ll just call it a compellingly compromised position.
It seems the wife who was supposedly being cheated on learned her husband was at a home with another man’s wife. So she contacted that other man and they drove together to his former home where the alleged rendezvous was under way.
There, police say, the man located a ladder and climbed to peer inside while apparently using a cell phone to document the goings-on to prove the indiscretion. Well, it appears they were spotted outside the window, a brouhaha ensued and deputies were summoned.
Little did this pair who sought to prove their suspicions know they would be charged with a crime and jailed on $2,500 bond.
While consenting adults legally can behave as they choose (even to the point of apparently violating vows), it is against the law to peek inside others’ windows, even to prove one’s suspicions.
I honestly don’t know how I feel about this arrest, valued readers. We will wait to see how the prosecutor and court feel about it. But it does serve as a warning to all about invading each other’s privacy.
Hogs backfield
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ new defensive backs coach Clay Jennings will earn $320,000 a year to teach the players who perform their assignments in the backfield. These are the teammates who defend against passes and stop running backs who manage to enter their secondary realm. They also are the players, with 3 minutes or less remaining, who can win or lose close games.
In light of the performances we’ve witnessed in this particular section of defense with our Hogs, I believe Jennings is bound to earn every crimson cent of his salary. Having coached cornerbacks last season at TCU, he’s certainly no stranger to some unfortunate defensive debacles we’ve watched for two seasons now.
Count me among those fans who hope (pray is a tad too strong) Jennings will instill plenty of toughness and strong tackling fundamentals while somehow mentoring senses of speed and instantaneous decision-making in the backfield. That would include training players how to stay in step with receivers, the timing to turn and meet the ball’s arrival and to understand when and where to expect a pass in their direction.
Not much to ask. Yet it’s always been a mystery to me how Division I SEC players can possibly lack tackling fundamentals or sufficient instincts and smarts to put them in the proper place at the moment to foil or intercept a pass.
So you go, Coach Jennings. I’m solidly in your corner. And I strongly suspect thousands across the state echo my rear-in-the-bleachers layman sentiments.
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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.
Editorial, Pages 19 on 03/01/2014