Former County Judge Buddy Villines is one step closer to re-entering county government as a Verizon Arena board member, thanks to a unanimous vote from justices of the peace Tuesday night to move his appointment to a final Quorum Court vote later this month.
Villines, who sat in the back of the Quorum Court room and said only, "Thank you, all," before leaving, was a Democratic county judge for 24 years until deciding not to run for office again in favor of retiring in January.
Justice of the Peace Phil Stowers, R-Maumelle, thanked Villines for his "vision" that led to the Verizon Arena's opening in 1999, then known as the Alltel Arena.
"It opened in 1999 debt-free," he said. "Thank you for that."
Justice of the Peace Tyler Denton, D-Little Rock, applauded and other justices of the peace joined in.
Alltel Arena opened in the fall of 1999 with the help of a one-year, 1 percent county sales tax and millions of dollars in private contributions, including from Alltel Corp.
Villines' appointment was moved to a final vote Oct. 27 after all 15 justices of the peace approved it and added their names as sponsors of the appointment.
If approved, Villines would serve on the board through October 2020.
Metro on 10/15/2015