Spa City leader dies after a fall on home's steps

Officials recall Watkins, 61, as a ‘progressive thinker’

Hot Springs City Manager David Watkins
Hot Springs City Manager David Watkins

Hot Springs City Manager David Watkins died Monday morning in a Little Rock hospital after being injured in a Saturday fall at his home.

The death of Watkins, 61, was announced by the city in an emailed statement from spokesman Terry Payne. Payne said Watkins died at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock.

"Watkins' family would appreciate the thoughts and prayers of the community and asks for privacy at this time," she said.

The Sentinel-Record reported that Watkins was injured in an accidental fall on the back stairs of his Hot Springs home. He was being treated in the intensive care unit at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital for a broken hip and at least one broken rib. The broken rib punctured a lung, which collapsed.

Watkins was a "very dynamic individual and a progressive thinker," City Attorney Brian Albright said.

"[He] was really a big-picture kind of guy," he said. "I'm just saddened and shocked by the news of his passing."

Mayor Ruth Carney, who had been on vacation when she got the call early Monday from Deputy City Manager Bill Burrough regarding Watkins' death, told The Sentinel Record, "It was devastating and unbelievable."

Watkins had appointed Burrough acting city manager Saturday after learning that he would probably be out of the office for two to three months.

"I just can't believe it. Last night we got an email from Bill that said David was doing well and was talking, and even said it wasn't life-threatening. Then the next thing we got was this early morning call. It's just unbelievable," Carney said.

The Hot Springs Board of Directors meets at 7 p.m. today, and Albright said he expects the board to appoint a long-term interim city manager during that meeting.

Watkins was hired as Hot Springs city manager in April 2012 and started in June of that year with an annual salary of $148,000. The city manager oversees all departments and funds, along with the hiring and supervision of all city employees. The city manager also implements the policy decisions of the Board of Directors.

Watkins earned his bachelor's degree from Auburn University in 1976 and his master's degree from the University of Kansas in 1978, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He worked in city government in Kansas, including 19 years as the city manager of Lenexa, throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Watkins previously served as city manager in Auburn, Ala., and Bryan, Texas, before applying for Hot Springs' city manager position. He was working in the real estate industry in Texas when he applied for the Hot Springs position.

He replaced then City Manager Lance Hudnell, who announced in September 2011 that he planned to retire effective June 30, 2012.

Watkins was selected by the Board of Directors from a national field of more than 40 applicants.

At the time of his hiring, Watkins said in a statement released by the city that the job presented an opportunity to work with the Board of Directors on "tackling some issues that personally challenge me: downtown redevelopment, water supply issues, fiscal constraints -- all challenges that I've had in the past."

During his state of the city address to the Hot Springs Board of Directors in March 2015, Watkins reported that the city was "positioned for tremendous growth."

"Momentum is on our side," he wrote in the report. "The challenge before us is to maximize that growth and provide the environment to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability. No single initiative will be the silver bullet to reaching these goals. We will use every tool available to ensure that Hot Springs keeps building, progressing and moving forward."

Watkins and his wife, Kay, had two adult daughters.

Watkins' death brought forth several commemorations from Arkansas politicians.

"Watkins was a tireless advocate for the city of Hot Springs," U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, said in a statement. "He ... brought with him a wide range of experience and a passion for his adopted city. I join in prayer for his family and the city staff who worked with him each day."

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on Twitter that his thoughts and prayers are with the Watkins family.

Garland County Judge Rick Davis said in a statement, "The employees of Garland County were shocked and saddened to hear of the death .... We want to extend our sympathy and prayers of comfort to Kay and the entire Watkins family.

"While words are never adequate in moments like these, we want the city of Hot Springs and the Watkins family to know that we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers as they move through this time of mourning and bereavement."

Information for this article was contributed by Don Thomason of The Sentinel-Record.

Metro on 08/18/2015

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