Hutchinson names finance director

A former state economic development director, Larry Walther of Little Rock, will succeed retiring state Department of Finance and Administration Director Richard Weiss.
A former state economic development director, Larry Walther of Little Rock, will succeed retiring state Department of Finance and Administration Director Richard Weiss.

A former state economic development director, Larry Walther of Little Rock, will succeed retiring state Department of Finance and Administration Director Richard Weiss, Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson said Friday.

Hutchinson also disclosed his choice for director of the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and his retention of the state forester.

The finance director is the state government's chief fiscal officer and is one of its highest-profile department heads.

"I think it's a good selection," said Weiss, adding that Walther knows both state government and the business community. "He'll do a good job.

"I feel relieved there's been somebody named."

The department has about 2,500 employees and performs some of the most wide-ranging functions in state government. It projects how much tax revenue the state will collect in future years, providing the basis for the state's annual budget. The department also collects child-support payments and issues driver's licenses and alcohol beverage licenses.

Hutchinson's announcement ended two months of speculation about who would succeed Weiss, a top official in both Democratic and Republican administrations for more than two decades.

Some state lawmakers had favored state Rep. Duncan Baird, R-Lowell, for the job, but Hutchinson appointed Baird as his budget director in late November. Some state lawmakers also backed former Gov. Mike Huckabee's budget director, Ted Thomas of Conway, but Hutchinson appointed Thomas as chairman of the Public Service Commission earlier this week.

Hutchinson, a Republican from Rogers, said Walther's breadth of experience and institutional knowledge have prepared him for this new role, predicting Walther would serve with distinction.

Walther, 69, was director of the state Department of Economic Development, which is now called the Economic Development Commission, from 2003-07 under Huckabee.

He also is a former director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. President Barack Obama appointed him to serve on the board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Walther previously worked for 30 years for SBC Communications, which is now AT&T, and ended his career as vice president for corporate services and chairman of the SBC Foundation.

Walther said in an interview that Weiss gets "tremendous respect" based on his work in state government under both Democratic and Republican administrations, and Weiss has "a wonderful organization established over there."

"There is a great team. I don't see any changes," he said.

Walther said he would retain Finance Department deputy director Tim Leathers and state budget administrator Brandon Sharp.

Weiss, 70, has been the Finance Department's director since May 2002. He previously was the department's director from 1994-99.

He began in Arkansas state government in 1970 as a maintenance man at Devil's Den State Park. Among other duties, he's also served stints as acting director of the state Department of Human Services and director of the Department of Environmental Quality.

In another appointment, Hutchinson said Friday that Arkansas State Police Program Director Jami Cook will be director of the Commission on Law Enforcement Training and Standards, succeeding Ken Jones. Jones' salary is $86,765 a year.

Cook, who serves on the commission, has been in law enforcement for two decades, starting as a Newport police officer in 1994.

Hutchinson also said Friday that he's retaining state Forester Joe Fox, saying Fox has done an outstanding job and his expertise in this field makes him the ideal choice. Fox has held the post at the state Forestry Commission since May 2012.

Fox's salary is $97,868 a year.

Hutchinson said Thursday that he'll appoint Mark Givens, executive director of Main Street El Dorado, to the Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission, to replace Steve Arrison of Hot Springs, and Robert Reynolds, president of the Shuler Drilling Company in El Dorado, to the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. Reynolds' appointment won't begin until March.

Metro on 01/10/2015

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