Filing period opens for District 1 vacancy on city board

Application packets for the vacant District 1 position on the Hot Springs Board of Directors were made available Wednesday.

The board established a May 7 filing deadline Tuesday night and acknowledged the resignation of former District 1 Director Suzanne Davidson, who announced at the conclusion of the April 2 board meeting that she was moving to her home state of Texas.

The applicant selected by the board will serve the remainder of Davidson's second term, which expires at the end of next year. The timeline the board established Tuesday night calls for it to receive packets May 9 and convene an executive session May 14 to interview applicants and select a replacement. According to the 2009 resolution detailing the procedure for filling board vacancies, the selection will be made by secret ballot.

Registered voters 21 or older and residing in District 1 are eligible to apply. The 2009 resolution requires applicants to provide a statement of financial interest, a nominating petition supported by the signatures of 50 registered voters in the district and a resume. The applicant selected by the board will be eligible to run for the seat in the 2020 election.

District 1 is the city's northernmost political boundary. It includes Park and Whittington avenues, the Central Avenue Historic District and the east ends of East Grand Avenue and Spring Street. The Majestic Hotel site is also in District 1. The new director will participate in approving a request for proposals and selecting a proposal for the site's redevelopment.

City director is an unpaid position that serves on the city's supreme legislative and executive body. They are responsible for approving the city's budget, setting its policies and implementing measures affecting the health, welfare and safety of city residents.

Davidson was elected to a second term after defeating Dennis Magee 852-678 in 2016. She defeated Tom Wilkins four years earlier.

Local on 04/18/2019

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