President Donald Trump plans to appoint state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, to serve as the federal representative to the Southern States Energy Board, Trump announced Thursday.
Williams said he expects to be sworn in within a month or so, and he will resign then as a state senator. He said he will serve at the president's pleasure and that he has not been informed about what his salary will be.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Williams' eventual resignation will require calling a special election to fill the vacancy. The Republican governor said he will be working with party and election officials regarding the timing of the election.
"Sen. Williams has been very active in the Southern States Energy Board," Hutchinson said. Williams said he has served on the board's executive committee for three years.
"As immediate past Chairman of the organization, I am personally familiar with Eddie Joe's knowledge and passion for a diverse energy supply in our nation," Hutchinson said in a written statement. "He will be an excellent choice as the federal representative for the SSEB, and he will play a key role in supplying energy policy in the future."
The Southern States Energy Board is a nonprofit interstate compact organization created in 1960 with the aim of enhancing economic development and the quality of life in the South through innovations in energy and environmental policies, programs and technologies, according to its website.
Representatives from 16 Southern states, Puerto Rice and the Virgin Islands comprise the board's membership. Each jurisdiction is represented by the governor and a legislator. Nonvoting board members include a federal representative appointed by the U.S. president, the Southern Legislative Conference's Energy and Environment Committee chairman, and the Southern States Energy Board's executive director, who serves as secretary.
Williams, 63, represents Senate District 29, which includes part of Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski and White counties.
He has served in the state Senate since 2011 and is the chairman of the Senate Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee. He has been a proponent of proposed constitutional amendments that would limit certain damage awards in lawsuits. He also successfully sponsored a law that bars the state Department of Environmental Quality from submitting a plan to the EPA to cut carbon-dioxide emissions from coal-fired electricity generation plants until the Legislative Council approves the plan or the governor directs the submission of a state plan.
He was Cabot's mayor from 2007-11 after serving five years on the Cabot City Council. He is retired from Union Pacific Railroad, where he worked for almost 40 years in jobs ranging from laborer to regional director of transportation.
Williams said Thursday in an interview that he was asked by someone affiliated with the energy board whether he would be interested in serving as the Republican president's representative.
U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman "both were big supporters of mine being considered," said Williams.
Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, called Williams "a very good choice."
"Eddie Joe Williams has extensive experience in both the private and public sector," Cotton said in a written statement. "He understands protecting the environment and developing American energy aren't mutually exclusive goals; in fact, they can support each other. And with his unique mix of talents and skills, I believe he will be able to turn that vision into a reality. I wish State Senator Williams all the best in his new position, and I thank him and his family for accepting the call to serve."
Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, said in a written statement that "Eddie Joe's energy expertise will serve him well in this new position.
"He's served honorably in public office and I'm confident he will continue to do so as the federal representative to the SSEB," Boozman said.
Williams said he won't have to move to Washington, D.C. His offices will be in Arkansas and Atlanta. The job will require a lot of travel among Southern states, he said.
"I love Arkansas and what I'm doing as a state senator," he said, and this opportunity to serve on this board came "as a bit of a shock." He said he would fill a vacancy formerly filled by Jim Powell, named by President Barack Obama.
"I can see spending a lot of time in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and being a liaison in rebuilding the infrastructure and power grid," Williams said of the hurricane-damaged islands.
Powell said he served nearly four years in the post, and Williams will do "fine" based on his previous experience.
As for the state Senate seat, the law requires the governor to notify the state committees of the respective political parties of the Senate vacancy. He will ask the committees to notify him within 10 days whether they wish to choose a nominee by holding a special primary election or a convention of delegates. The governor will then set a date.
The law requires a special election to be held as soon as possible after a vacancy occurs, and within 150 days after occurrence of the vacancy, unless the governor determines that won't work. In that case, the special election will be held as soon as practicable after 150 days following the occurrence of the vacancy.
In the 2016 primary election, Williams survived a challenge from Cabot Republican R.D. Hopper, who owns Sonny's Auto Salvage and served as a Lonoke County justice of the peace. Hopper campaigned as an opponent of Arkansas' version of Medicaid expansion for which Williams voted to authorize the use of federal funds.
As of June 30, Hopper reported a debt of $105,202.68 that his 2016 campaign owes him based on his loans to it.
Hopper said Thursday that he would consider running in a special election for the Senate seat because "there is still work to be done" to make state government smaller and cheaper.
Williams said he hopes to support a candidate who promises to represent the entire district.
Metro on 10/27/2017