Sanders names former state representative to the Arkansas Highway Commission

Former legislator Haak applauded

David Haak (left) and Robert Moore Jr. are shown in these file photos from 2019 and 2011, respectively. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has nominated Haak to the Arkansas Highway Commission. He would replace Moore, who was appointed by then-Gov. Mike Beebe to a 10-year term in 2013. (Left, Texarkana Gazette file photo; right, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo)
David Haak (left) and Robert Moore Jr. are shown in these file photos from 2019 and 2011, respectively. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has nominated Haak to the Arkansas Highway Commission. He would replace Moore, who was appointed by then-Gov. Mike Beebe to a 10-year term in 2013. (Left, Texarkana Gazette file photo; right, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo)

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday appointed David Haak, a former state lawmaker, to the Arkansas Highway Commission.

In a news release, Sanders said Haak would "play a critical role in bringing new, high paying jobs to the state while improving the quality of life for all Arkansans.

"David's lifetime of public service, community involvement, and strong leadership will make him an asset to the commission -- and I am confident that together we will ensure that U.S. Highway 82 finally becomes a four-lane interstate, unleashing south Arkansas' full economic potential," Sanders said in the release.

Haak will replace Robert Moore, Jr., who was appointed to the commission by former Gov. Mike Beebe in 2013. Haak's term will expire Jan. 14, 2033.

The Arkansas Highway Commission is a five-member panel responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of Arkansas' highways. The current commission was created as a constitutionally independent board by Amendment 42 of the Arkansas Constitution.

All members of the board serve 10-year terms and are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state Senate. Nominations to the highway panel, along with those to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, are among the most coveted state commission appointments.

A lifelong resident of Texarkana, Haak served in the Arkansas House from 1999 to 2004. As a state representative, he held seats in several committees including the Joint Budget Committee, Revenue and Tax Committee, and Insurance and Commerce Committee. Haak also has served on the Arkansas Economic Development Commission from 2005-2008 and on the Arkansas Waterways Commission in 2021, according to the news release.

"It is an honor to be appointed to the Arkansas Highway Commission by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders -- a longtime friend and bold, visionary leader for the state of Arkansas," Haak said in the release. "I'm ready to get to work empowering our people with strong and reliable highway infrastructure and prioritizing the completion of an interstate from Texarkana to Lake Village."

The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently widened a roughly 5.5-mile portion of U.S. 82 between El Dorado and Texarkana in Columbia County to four lanes. The construction, which began in 2020 and was completed last year, helped increased the thoroughfare's capacity and allowed for safer travel between the two cities, according to the Department of Transportation website.

Haak has served as a city director, chamber of commerce board member and zoning and planning commissioner in Texarkana, according to the release.

In 2021, the Texarkana city Board of Directors named Haak as city manager after Kenny Haskin resigned from the post unexpectedly.

Haak started and runs First Tape & Label, a label business in Texarkana. In 1990, he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Texas A&M University Texarkana and in 2006 was named the Texarkana Arkansas School District "Distinguished Alumni," the release said.

Haak is a longtime member of Beech Street First Baptist Church and a graduate of Texarkana Arkansas High School and Henderson State University.

Efforts to reach Haak on Thursday afternoon by phone were unsuccessful.

Investing in "strong, sustainable infrastructure" including roads, bridges and broadband is among Sanders' priorities, spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in an emailed statement. While pursuing federal funds and grant programs to maintain infrastructure, Sanders' administration also will push "back against the radical green-new-deal-like fantasies of the radical left that prevent economic growth," Henning said.

CORRECTION: The Arkansas Department of Transportation recently widened a roughly 5.5-mile portion of U.S. 82 between El Dorado and Texarkana in Columbia County to four lanes. The extent of the construction was incorrectly described in an earlier version of this story.

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