CONWAY — State Sen. Gilbert Baker will become executive assistant to the president of the University of Central Arkansas on Jan. 15, one day after his legislative career ends.
UCA P resident Tom Courtway, a former Democratic state lawmaker, announced his plan Friday to hire Baker, a former chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party.
Baker, 56, of Conway was term-limited and could not seek re-election.
A former music professor at UCA, Baker will make $132,000 a year in his new position. His duties will include work on special projects; university development and communications; community outreach; and government relations on the federal, state and local levels, the university said in a news release.
In the news release, Courtway said, “Gilbert Baker knows the University of Central Arkansas very well” and “is coming back home.”
“For over twenty years, he was a valued employee of UCA until his election to the Arkansas State Senate in 2000,” Courtway said. “Although he began his service to UCA as an instructor in the music department, and later was granted tenure as an Assistant Professor, he also served UCA as an academic adviser, Associate Dean, and was a member of the UCA Faculty Senate.”
UCA spokesman Jeff Pitchford said Baker would not have tenure in the administrative job.
Baker’s addition to the UCA executive staff comes at an important time politically. Tuesday’s election gave Republicans control of the Arkansas Senate for the first time since Reconstruction.
Even so, Baker said he does not plan to register as a lobbyist.
“I will not be lobbying for the university,” Baker said. “We’ve decided it’s best for me to have a cooling-off period, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Baker stressed, though, that he has many friends in state government. “Having good relations with policymakers throughout the state is obviously a positive thing,” he said.
He said he called Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, and state Sen. Paul Bookout, D-Jonesboro, with his news Friday.
“I’m really looking forward to not having [to wear] a partisan hat,” Baker said.
Baker is free to take the university job under Arkansas law as long as he waits until his legislative term ends.
Arkansas Annotated 21-1-402 says in part that unless a person resigns first, “no person elected to a constitutional office ... after being elected to the constitutional office and during the term for which elected, may enter into employment with” a state agency among other positions.
Jobs in public higher education would be covered by the law, said Herb Scott, deputy state personnel administrator.
The statute also says, “A former member of the General Assembly and his or her spouse shall not be eligible to be employed by any state agency within twenty-four (24) months after the member leaves office in a job or position that” was newly created by legislative action within the 24 months before that lawmaker left office.
In this case, the position already existed at UCA.
“Courtway was paid out of that line item in our budget from June 2009 through June of 2012,” Pitchford said in an e-mail. “He did not use the Executive Assistant title but used the General [Counsel], Interim President and President titles instead.”
The position has been vacant since July 1.
Courtway made more than Baker will in that position, meaning any salary restriction provided for in the statute also will not apply.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/10/2012