Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang has been acting governor since Friday, and he's trying to leave no trace behind.
Voters will decide in November whether he or anyone else is needed as a substitute head of state starting next year.
When Gov. Asa Hutchinson leaves Arkansas, the state constitution requires him to cede his power to an elected official within state lines. This week, both Hutchinson and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin are in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention. That left Dismang, a Republican from Searcy, in charge.
Griffin, Dismang and House Speaker Jeremy Gillam of Judsonia -- who have all served as acting governor -- are supporting a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow governors to retain their power when outside Arkansas. The proposed amendment will appear on the Nov. 8 general-election ballot.
"Technology's changed. Obviously, the way we travel has changed. It makes it a lot easier for the governor to influence what's happening here in the state while he's out of state," Dismang said. "I enjoy the novelty of being acting governor while the governor and lieutenant governor are out of town, but, again, I think with just the change in what's available, it probably makes sense for [voters to approve] the constitutional amendment."
On Wednesday, Dismang took the opportunity to show his two young sons the governor's suite and pose for pictures behind Hutchinson's desk.
Alison Williams, Hutchinson's chief of staff, greeted Dismang's sons, Sawyer, 6, and Cade, 12. Caleb Stanton, assistant to the scheduler and to the deputy chief of staff, gave the children lapel pins. Jennifer Siccardi, receptionist, offered lollipops and stickers.
Not much has changed since he took over as acting governor, Dismang said, though his two sons are entertained by it.
"Typically, when I am acting governor, they're the only two I tell, and so they get a pretty good kick out of it," he said. "I'm still driving myself. I'm going to go home this afternoon and mow my yard."
Cade confirmed that his father's routine doesn't change when he's acting governor.
"It's cool," he said of his father's service. Last time he visited the governor's office, when Beebe occupied the suite, there was a stuffed squirrel and a golf club, he said.
Asked whether the position goes to his father's head, Cade jokingly said, "A little."
Dismang said he's not sure how many times he's served as acting governor. It's not a job he wants to be known for.
"I'm trying to do as little as possible," he said.
In a phone interview, Gillam called the constitutional provision that requires gubernatorial substitutes archaic and said he hopes voters approve the proposed amendment.
He's served as acting governor -- when Hutchinson, Griffin and Dismang were out of state -- twice.
"The governor stays in contact with his staff and legislative leaders whenever he travels out of state, so it's not like it used to be," he said. "With technology, they're still able to call the shots and be very much aware of what's going on and be able to make the decisions that need to be made."
Like Dismang, Gillam has kept his time as the state's acting chief executive low-key -- no bills were signed, prisoners pardoned or staff members fired.
Others have made a name for themselves as acting governor.
In 2013, Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, a Republican, signed a bill as acting governor to exempt all information about holders of concealed-weapon permits from disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Act. Then-Gov. Mike Beebe called the signing inappropriate.
In December 1992, Gov. Jim Guy Tucker took office when Bill Clinton resigned the governorship to become president. When Tucker left the state to attend Clinton's inauguration, the lieutenant governor's office was vacant and Sen. Jerry Jewell, D-Little Rock, then the Senate president pro tempore, became acting governor for a few days in January 1993.
During that period, Jewell granted clemency to Billy Ray Davis, who had been convicted of murder in 1971 and sentenced to life in prison. He also pardoned Tommy McIntosh, the son of political activist and restaurateur Robert "Say" McIntosh. Tommy McIntosh had been convicted of cocaine possession in 1987 and given a 50-year sentence.
In 1987, Sen. Nick Wilson, D-Pocahontas, fired Clinton's chief of staff, Betsey Wright, while the governor and lieutenant governor were out of state. He also vetoed a handful of bills on the governor's desk. Upon Clinton's return, Wright was rehired.
Information for this article was contributed by Michael R. Wickline of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 07/21/2016