The Arkansas Senate narrowly voted Monday to confirm former Gov. Asa Hutchinson's appointment of his former aide Doug Smith to the Parole Board.
The Senate voted 18-13 to confirm Smith, with two senators not voting, a senator voting present and a senator absent. Eighteen votes are required to confirm a gubernatorial appointment in the 35-member Senate.
The action came after a majority of senators voted Monday to reconsider the chamber's decision not to confirm Smith to the Parole Board on Wednesday.
Smith, of Cave City, fell one vote short of the 18 votes required in the Senate for his appointment to be confirmed on Wednesday. That vote was 17-10 to confirm his appointment, with five senators not voting and three senators absent.
In September, Hutchinson announced his appointment of Smith, who was the public safety liaison for the governor's office, to the Parole Board. He was appointed to replace Boyce Hamlet after Hamlet was appointed as Arkansas’ drug director, with Smith’s term expiring on Jan. 14, 2029. Smith had served in the governor’s office since 2015.
He worked in law enforcement for more than 20 years, with police departments in Osceola and Manila, and as a town marshal in Dell. He retired from law enforcement in 2006 and worked as a field representative for U.S. Congressman Rick Crawford from 2010 to 2014, and was a field representative for Hutchinson’s gubernatorial campaign in 2014.