The Arkansas Ethics Commission on Friday elected former state Sen. Sharon Trusty, R-Russellville, as its chairman for this year.
Trusty succeeds the five-member commission's departing chairman, Robert McCormack of Conway.
Trusty said she believes she brings a different perspective to the commission because she is the only commissioner who has served in elected office. "I look forward to working with the Legislature and implementing any legislation that can help fair and honest elections."
In 2013, then-state Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Lamoureux, R-Russellville, appointed Trusty to the Ethics Commission to a term expiring Dec. 31, 2017. At that time, Lamoureux said Trusty was a person of "high character" who would be a good watchdog and also understand what it's like to be regulated by the commission as a state lawmaker.
She served in the Senate from 2000-09, and she was an ally of former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee and the late GOP Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller. Huckabee appointed her to the Economic Development Commission, and she was chairman of a Senate panel that raised money for an artist to sculpt a bust of Rockfeller, who died in 2006.
McCormack is a retired University of Central Arkansas administrator. In 2012, Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe appointed him to the commission to a term that expired Dec. 31. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson hasn't appointed McCormack's replacement yet, so McCormack continues to serve on the commission.
The commission Friday also elected retired educator Sybil Jordan Hampton of Little Rock as its vice chairman to succeed Trusty in that post. In 2014, then-Democratic Attorney Dustin McDaniel appointed Hampton to the commission.
The other two commissioners are attorney Ashley Driver Young of Little Rock, who serves as executive director of Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals, and attorney Tony Juneau of Rogers. Young was appointed to the commission by Republican Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin in December 2015. Juneau was appointed to the commission by House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, in March 2015.
The commission enforces laws on ethics, conflict of interest, lobbying, campaign finance and ballot questions in Arkansas, and acts as a fact-finder and sanctioning body regarding allegations of violations of laws under its jurisdiction, according to the commission.
Metro on 01/21/2017