The Arkansas Ethics Commission has issued a public letter of caution and fined the county judge of Faulkner County $100 for using a government-owned cellphone and email account to handle some campaign-related matters.
The commission's director, Graham Sloan, notified County Judge Jim Baker and Bob Gregory, the Conway man who filed the complaint against Baker, of the case's outcome in a separate letter dated May 31 and released to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this week.
The letter noted that Baker had already signed a written offer of settlement and sent the commission a $100 check.
Signed by Sloan, the letter said the matter related to Baker's use of the county cellphone and email address for about 10 email exchanges involving Baker's 2018 re-election campaign. Baker, a Democrat, defeated Republican Damon Edwards in that race.
In the separate "public letter of caution," commission Chairman Tony Juneau said it was "advisory in nature and serves to give clear notice that your conduct violated the law."
"You are advised not to engage in the same activity again," Juneau wrote.
Contacted Wednesday, Baker said, "I guarantee you, you live and learn." He said the commission had "listened to everything" and was doing its job.
"I put it behind me and we drove on. ... I put it behind me and learned from it," Baker said.
Juneau said Baker had violated Arkansas Annotated Code 7-1-103(a)(3)(A), by using personal property provided with public funds for campaign purposes.
The issue earlier already had cost Baker $187 when a circuit judge in November 2018 signed an order saying Baker had violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and ordered him to pay the court costs.
During the campaign, Baker had declined to provide Gregory with two months of emails that Baker had sent and received on his government-funded email account. Gregory sued, and Baker released the emails the next day.
Gregory sought the emails after he learned of one that Baker sent on Oct. 24, 2018, to numerous people in response to an email advising him that a water infrastructure measure had been signed into federal law. The measure included an initiative that addresses modernizing such infrastructure, especially in rural areas.
In his reply from his government-owned email account, Baker wrote, "This is great, right now I am trying to get votes for re elect to help on these issues. Please contact all you can to go vote,......I need it."
State Desk on 06/20/2019