LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe was named Thursday as one of Governing magazine’s 2011 Public Officials of the Year.
He is the only governor on the list.
“Followers of Arkansas politics say the state’s stability is largely due to the governor’s steady fiscal hand, which explains why Beebe enjoys such wide bipartisan support and a 67 percent job approval rating,” the release stated.
Last summer, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities listed Arkansas and three other states as the only state governments that did not face a deficit in 2010. Since he was elected governor in 2006, Beebe has pushed an incremental cut to the state sales tax on groceries to 1.5 percent from 6 percent.
Beebe said, “Obviously, I’m grateful, don’t get me wrong ... but if you really want to say where the award goes, it ought to be to Arkansas.”
Beebe and the other recipients will be honored at a dinner Nov. 17 in Washington, D.C.
Among others on the list are Atlanta’s mayor; an Onondaga County, N.Y., county executive; a Utah state senator; and the Dearborn, Mich., police chief.
Beebe will be profiled in the November issue of the magazine, according to a news release. The profile is online at www.governing.com/poy/ mike-beebe.html.
Arkansas, Pages 18 on 10/30/2011