New city attorney prepares

Norris to assume job in Maumelle

Caleb Norris has spent the past few weeks preparing for his new role in Maumelle city government.

Norris, a Ward 4 alderman for the past two years, won election Nov. 4 to be city attorney and takes over the role later this week.

He will replace City Attorney JaNan Davis, who didn't seek re-election after 13 1/2 years in that position.

Norris, 35, will be sworn in Thursday in a private ceremony, then participate in the swearing-in of other elected city officials Jan. 5 at the start of the Maumelle City Council's first 2015 meeting. The council will then interview applicants and vote to appoint a Ward 4 replacement for Norris. Applications by qualified Ward 4 electors must be in by Tuesday.

Norris resigned as alderman at the Maumelle City Council's last meeting Dec. 15. Norris also resigned his attorney's position at the Arkansas Municipal League on Dec. 19 in preparation to become Maumelle's city attorney full time with an annual salary of $85,000. The city attorney is elected to a four-year term.

He had been with the Municipal League for two years, where he provided legal assistance to city councils around the state, something he said helped prepare him to become city attorney.

"JaNan's been doing it close to 14 years, so I have big shoes to fill," Norris said about the city attorney's job. "Since the election, she has been extremely helpful in my transition."

Davis praised Norris for his diligence in learning the position and said she will be available to help during the transition.

Maumelle's city attorney not only advises the City Council and drafts legislation for the council but also is the lawyer for all city boards and commissions, except for its Public Facilities Board. The city attorney is also a deputy prosecutor for Pulaski County in Maumelle District Court.

"It's pretty diverse and active," Davis said. "Caleb has been real good to be proactive to get ready for it. He's been to district court with me several times. He's been real good to get ahead of the curve."

The city attorney "prosecutes the violation of city ordinances and misdemeanors and traffic violations," Norris said.

"That is a huge undertaking. I have been leaning heavily on JaNan for that. I will probably give her a call from time to time, much like I will with some of the attorneys at the Municipal League."

Mayor Mike Watson said he appreciates Norris' approach and Davis' availability to help with the transition. Davis' institutional knowledge of Maumelle and its city codes has been a valuable asset to the city, he said.

Davis was first elected in July 2001 when Maumelle voters approved a change from a city manager-board format of government to a mayor-council.

"JaNan's been here since the change of government, the only one left basically," Watson said. "Just her working knowledge of city code and being able to recall things from years before, that's going to be missed for sure.

"Something could also come up in January that JaNan has been working on, so I think there could still be a lot of phone calls between him and JaNan to get him up to speed."

Norris, originally from Santa Monica, Calif., graduated from the University of Central Arkansas and received his law degree at the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He moved to Maumelle in 2003.

Norris won his first political race two years ago to become a Ward 4 alderman. He's leaving halfway through that four-year term to move to the city attorney's chair at council meetings, something he said wasn't planned until after Davis announced she wouldn't run for re-election.

"I don't know if there was one thing that caused me to run," he said of running for city attorney.

"It seemed like a good time to do that. I had a lot of folks asking me to run, so I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. If I got it, great, and if not, I loved my job at the Municipal League.

"I really enjoyed it," he added about his time as an alderman.

"I think we have one of the better city councils and city governments in the state. Even when we disagree and bicker, it's still tactful, intelligent debate and, at the end of the day, I think the council has the city's interests in mind."

Metro on 12/29/2014

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