The Little Rock Board of Directors on Tuesday selected City Director Lance Hines of Ward 5 to serve as vice mayor.
Hines succeeds City Director B.J. Wyrick of Ward 7 in the two-year role. As vice mayor, he will preside over board meetings in the event of the mayor's absence.
Hines has served on the Board of Directors since 2011. His experience includes a previous stint as vice mayor between 2015 and 2017.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced Hines' selection at Tuesday evening's board meeting, the first such meeting of the year for the newly constituted board.
The board's newest member is at-large City Director Antwan Phillips, who was sworn in last week. He replaced Gene Fortson.
During an executive session, in addition to choosing Hines as vice mayor, board members named their peers to various boards and commissions.
Scott announced Hines' appointment as well as the appointments of city directors to boards and commissions after the board returned from the executive session, where any debate on the vice mayor and other matters, if it occurred, happened out of public view.
Hines represents the city's Northwest corner. Recently, he has clashed with Scott over the leadership of the mayor's appointed police chief, Keith Humphrey.
Late last year, Hines proposed a symbolic no-confidence resolution as a vehicle for board members to publicly weigh in on Humphrey. However, he ultimately withdrew the resolution at a Dec. 29 board meeting after several city directors indicated they would not support it.
During the fight over the measure, Scott had accused Hines of putting the city in legal peril in light of concerns raised by City Attorney Tom Carpenter related to active litigation involving the city and the police chief.