Kane Webb of Little Rock, senior adviser to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, will succeed Richard Davies as executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism on Dec. 1, the governor announced Thursday.
Davies is retiring effective Nov. 30, after working for the department since 1973. He became executive director in 1990 when Democratic Gov. Bill Clinton appointed him.
The department, which promotes tourism and manages 52 parks, has 824 full-time and 811 part-time employees and an annual budget of $150 million, Davies said. Webb will be paid $130,000 a year, the same salary that Davies is paid, said J.R. Davis, spokesman for the Republican governor.
It's Webb's second promotion during the past several months in the Hutchinson administration. In the fiscal year that started July 1, Webb was promoted from deputy communications director to senior adviser and special projects. His salary increased by $25,000 to $85,000 per year.
Among other things, Webb previously worked as an editorial writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, editorial director for the Democrat-Gazette special publications and editor in chief of Louisville Magazine. Davis said the largest staff Webb previously has managed is roughly two dozen employees.
Hutchinson said that he has known Webb for almost 20 years, and Webb has "a deep and abiding passion for Arkansas" and written about more people, places and events in this state than he can count.
Webb "understands how important parks and tourism are to Arkansans and its economic importance to our state," the governor said in a written statement. "He's an outstanding communicator and I'm grateful for the work he's done as one of my senior advisors. While we'll miss him in the governor's office, I cannot think of a better person to lead our state's Parks and Tourism Department."
Hutchinson announced that the Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission confirmed his recommendation to appoint Webb. Davies said the commission voted 12-0 to support Hutchinson's nominee.
Davis, Hutchinson's spokesman, said the governor interviewed five individuals in person for the job, and several more candidates were vetted by the governor's staff.
Webb said Thursday that in an interview a few weeks ago Hutchinson asked whether he was interested in the job.
"We both thought about it for a while, and I think the governor made a few phone calls about me and heard good words, and it happened," he said. "I am honored and humbled by it because it is huge shoes to fill with Davies. The first thing I am going to do is hit the ground learning and listening.
"I am going to spend a lot of time with [Davies] learning, getting out and trying to hit as many state parks as we can and try to meet the staff. I want to go in and ask a lot of questions, and I want to learn as much as I can by the time when he's gone and I'm taking over."
Several weeks ago, Hutchinson said Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst and state Rep. Kelley Linck, R-Flippin, would be "top notch" for the job, but the Arkansas Constitution prohibited Linck from holding the position. The state constitution limits the ability of state lawmakers to accept state jobs during their terms.
Hutchinson did not formally interview Hurst, Davis said. She is paid $110,703 a year as heritage director.
"The governor had originally explored the idea of merging the Department of Arkansas Heritage with Parks and Tourism, but ultimately decided against that at this time," Davis said. "Since that was the case, it was important to have the leadership of Stacy at the Department of Arkansas Heritage, where she continues to do outstanding work."
She is a former member of the Little Rock Board of Directors who lost a state House race to Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, in November. She and her husband, Howard Hurst, own and operate the Tipton and Hurst floral chain.
Davis said Hutchinson "is confident that Kane can do the job at Parks and Tourism and hopes he stays there for a long time."
According to his resume, Webb worked for clients through Kane Webb Communications from 2014-15. He also was editor in chief of Louisville Magazine in Kentucky from 2011-14; editorial director of the Democrat-Gazette's special publications from 2010-11; a teacher at Little Rock Catholic High School from 2009-11; and assistant editorial page editor, columnist, Perspective section editor and feature writer at the Democrat-Gazette from 1998-2009. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Asked whether the governor is concerned about Webb lacking experience in managing hundreds of employees and multimillion-dollar budgets, Davis said that "Kane has managed staffs and personnel before."
"Whether the staff is small or large, the principles of good management still apply [such as] good communication and people skills, a quick learning curve, an ability to make wise decisions and listen, and, in this case, being a good steward of taxpayers' dollars," Davis said.
Linck, who is executive director of the Ozark mountain region's tourism marketing association and announced last month that he won't seek re-election in 2016, said Hutchinson "has found somebody very strong to put there" to succeed Davies.
Metro on 10/23/2015