Beebe names 3 to Ark. lottery commission

By The Associated Press

Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday appointed the last three members of the Arkansas Lottery Commission, moving the games closer to becoming a reality later this year.

Beebe on Monday named George J. Hammons of Pine Bluff, Dianne Lamberth of Batesville and Ben Pickard of Beebe to the nine-member panel. Legislative leaders had already named the others.

Hammons is the chairman of Philander Smith College's Department of Chemistry and was named to a two-year term on the panel. He also is a former member of the Arkansas Racing Commission.

Pickard is a former vice chancellor of student services at Arkansas State University-Beebe and is also the former financial aid director at the college. He was named to a four-year term.

Lamberth is secretary of the Lyon College Board of Trustees and was named to a six-year term. She had previously served as a chairwoman of the Task Force for the 21st Century Economy.

The commission will hire an executive director. Legislators hope the first tickets are sold by the end of the year.

Voters in November approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the games to raise money for college scholarships, and legislation Beebe signed into law last month puts the operation of the games under the control of the independent commission.

DeCample said the governor's office had talked to a couple of dozen potential appointees about the commission. DeCample said the governor wanted appointees with higher education experience along with other areas.

"It's obviously important given the aims of the lottery that you have people with some good higher ed knowledge and also some variety of background," DeCample said.

For more information see Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.