WASHINGTON -- Two Clinton School of Public Service students and a recent graduate have started fellowships that were created by Thomas F. "Mack" McLarty and his wife, Donna Cochran McLarty. McLarty was President Bill Clinton's first chief of staff.
The couple created the McLarty Global Fellows Program, which gives students at the University of Arkansas and the William J. Clinton School of Public Service the opportunity to do international work related to economic empowerment, human rights and political participation.
Mara D'Amico, 27, is the Hillary Rodham Clinton Communications Fellow at the Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University.
"I've been handling the institute's day-to-day communications," D'Amico said. "I'm also working to develop a long-term communications strategy for the institute. Since I'm the first person they've had in this role focusing solely on communications, I'll lay the foundation for the institute moving forward. It's been really exciting."
Anna Applebaum, 23, and Tshering Yudon, 22, are working at the Washington headquarters of Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nongovernmental organization focused on women's economic empowerment co-founded by Donna McLarty. They are still students at the Clinton School in Little Rock.
Applebaum is evaluating a Vital Voices fellowship program that trains and mentors female leaders around the world. Yudon is researching international networking for female business owners.
DELEGATION WEALTH
Arkansas had the financially poorest congressional delegation in the nation in 2013, with four of six members being in debt, according to a review of financial disclosure reports by Roll Call.
The newspaper, which annually compiles a list of the richest members of the House and Senate, ranked lawmakers, on the basis of their 2013 estimated net worths.
Members of the House and Senate are required to annually file financial disclosure reports that broadly outline their assets and debts, which can include bank accounts, student loans and mortgages.
By law, the reporting is within wide ranges, so it is not possible to precisely determine lawmakers' net worths from the reports. A detailed look can be found at media.cq.com/50Richest/.
According to the list, Sen. John Boozman led the state's Republican-dominated delegation with a net worth of at least $1.06 million. The richest member of the state's U.S. House delegation was Rep. Tom Cotton, who came in at number 352, with a net worth of $120,000.
Sen. Mark Pryor, the delegation's only Democrat, ranked 435th, with a net worth of minus $100,000. Rep. Steve Womack came in at number 445, with a net worth of at least minus $110,000. At 480th, Rep. Rick Crawford had a net worth of at least minus $250,000. Rep. Tim Griffin came in at 519th on the list, with a net worth of at least minus $520,000.
Overall, the richest congressional member was U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., whose net worth was at least $357 million.
COTTON, PRYOR
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is to headline a Republican rally for the state's 2nd Congressional District candidate French Hill in Conway at 5 p.m. on Monday with Boozman, Cotton, Griffin, Womack and attorney general candidate Leslie Rutledge.
Cotton, who is running for the U.S. Senate against Pryor, spoke to about 400 pastors last Monday at the Pastors and Pews conference in Little Rock. On Thursday, he attended the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce's 62nd annual Farmers Appreciation Fish Fry, honoring the agribusinesses community and the Jefferson County 2014 Farm Family of the Year.
The Arkansas Professional Fire Fighters Association endorsed Pryor on Monday. Last week Pryor campaigned in Little Rock, El Dorado, Camden, Magnolia, Melbourne, North Little Rock, Batesville, Paragould and Jonesboro. Pryor was scheduled to vote Saturday. His parents, David and Barbara Pryor, voted Monday afternoon in Little Rock.
Cotton and his parents also voted last week.
LOBBYIST LINCOLN
Former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is among those listed by The Hill as the top lobbyists in Washington, D.C.
"Huge clients were already lining up to work with the former senator before she opened her own shop last year," the newspaper said. She lost to Republican John Boozman in 2010.
Clients employing Lincoln's shop include the American Health Care Association, Comcast Cable, Monsanto and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The list of more than 100 influential lobbyists included several Clinton administration figures. Among them were Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies LLC, who served as a congressional liaison; Joel Johnson, The Glover Park Group LLC, who was a White House aide; Jack Quinn, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC, a former presidential adviser; and Dan Tate Jr., Forbes-Tate, who helped with legislation.
OTHER EVENTS
On Wednesday, Griffin was given an award at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Leadership Council/Government Relations Committee meeting for his role on the Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus.
On Thursday, Womack attended his sister-in-law's Army retirement ceremony at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Lt. Col. Sherry-Lynn Womack, an Army physicians assistant, served 33 years. She has earned a Bronze Star and a Meritorious Service Medal, completed two combat tours -- Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom -- and was the first female physician assistant to accompany Special Forces soldiers into military theater.
Womack was to attend the Bentonville-Rogers High School football game Friday night.
Ben Cantrell of Spanish Fort, Ala., joined Womack's staff as a legislative assistant for energy, labor, military and social security issues. He graduated from Auburn University and previously worked in the office of U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.
Boozman was to present military medals to four veterans Friday afternoon at the American Legion in Bella Vista.
Boozman worked with the Department of Defense to obtain the medals that the veterans earned, but never received. The medals will be properly awarded to the veterans or their next of kin.
Albert Harris of Rogers and Larry Wilson of Bella Vista will be present to accept their medals. Both served in Vietnam as members of the U.S. Navy.
Relatives of the now-deceased Travis McCullough and James Phillips will accept the medals for the two Air Force veterans. McCullough served during and after World War II, and Phillips served in Vietnam.
Lonnie, Robin and Madelyn Robinson of Mountain Home visited Crawford's Washington office last week and toured the U.S. Capitol.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Contact us at (202) 662-7690 or swire@arkansasonline.com.
SundayMonday on 10/26/2014