Swearing-in event planned for Jan. 1
Elected municipal officials in North Little Rock will be sworn in to begin their new terms at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 at North Little Rock City Hall.
The ceremony will be open to the public.
Only one official faced an opponent in the Nov. 8 general election. Ron Harris defeated John Parker for a City Council position in Ward 3. The seat is currently held by Alderman Bruce Foutch, who didn't run for re-election.
Mayor Joe Smith will take the oath of office to begin his second term as the city's chief executive. City Clerk/Treasurer Diane Whitbey and Aldermen Beth White, Maurice Taylor and Charlie Hight also will begin new terms.
Assistant City Attorney Paula Juels Jones will be sworn in to replace retiring District Judge Jim Hamilton.
All terms are for four years.
Dillard set to speak at chamber banquet
William "Bill" Dillard III, vice president of Dillard's Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet in February, chamber officials announced last week.
The 32nd annual banquet will be held Feb. 16 at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. A cocktail reception is to begin at 5:15 p.m., followed by the dinner and program, which will include yearly awards presented by the chamber.
Tickets are $75 each, and tables of 10 are available for $750. Dress is business attire.
Tickets and more information are available by calling the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce at (501) 372-5959 or by emailing nlrchamber@nlrchamber.org.
2 named to board for library system
Valerie McLean and Kimberly Danielle Drake have been appointed to the board of trustees of the Laman Public Library System.
On Mayor Joe Smith's recommendation, the North Little Rock City Council at its most recent meeting appointed the pair to replace city Aldermen Murry Witcher and Steve Baxter.
Witcher and Baxter were intended to be temporary members when they were appointed to fill vacancies on the board last year during the library system's search for a new executive director and the transition after Crystal Gates was hired in September 2015.
Smith said city employees Charley Baxter and Bernadette Rhodes also will be replaced in the coming months to add other members of the general public to the library board.
Metro on 12/25/2016