Governor reveals picks for Cabinet

7 new secretaries women, he notes

 Gov. Asa Hutchinson is shown in this file photo.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson is shown in this file photo.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday revealed who will be in his newly formed Cabinet come July 1, and his selections include elevating the law enforcement standards director to become the secretary of public safety.

He also promoted the head of the Department of Arkansas Heritage to take charge of the agency that merges the heritage department with the Department of Parks and Tourism.

The governor noted that seven of the 15 appointees are women, including Jami Cook, the new public safety secretary, and Stacy Hurst, who will take charge of parks, heritage and tourism.

"No surprises," said Rep. Andy Davis, R-Little Rock, who sponsored the law that contained the governor's reorganization plan. "I would say it was what I was expecting. It looks like a good group."

The salaries for the secretaries will total $2.59 million -- up $154,302 from their current salaries -- according to the governor's office.

Hutchinson said that $154,302 "is a very modest increase when you look at 15 new secretarial positions with the responsibilities that they will be undertaking, so it is a very conservative approach to the salaried positions, and all that ... will come out of existing budgets."

Most of the appointees would have received the same pay increases in the next fiscal year if their jobs stayed the same, said Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis.

Cook, now the director of the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, will receive the largest raise, $56,916, from $99,000 a year to $155,916 as secretary of the Department of Public Safety, according to the governor's office.

The Arkansas State Police will be part of the Department of Public Safety. The state police director, Col. Bill Bryant, makes $152,859 a year, according to the state website, transparency.arkansas.gov.

Amy Fecher, executive vice president of operations at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the governor's chief transformation officer, will get the second-largest raise of $29,916, to $155,916 a year as secretary of the new Department of Transformation and Shared Services, according to the governor's office.

The Department of Information Systems will be part of the transformation department. Information Systems Director Yessica Jones makes $152,859 a year, according to the transparency website.

The raises for Cook and Fecher will ensure they earn more than the highest-paid person reporting to them, J.R. Davis said.

At a news conference in the governor's office, Hutchinson said he has spent the past 30 days interviewing people, primarily those already working for the state.

"There were a few instances that I looked externally," he said.

"Really, the good news from my standpoint is I recognized through this process as to the incredible talent that I have serving the people of Arkansas and there is any number of people in the administration that could have handled these secretarial roles efficiently and very well," he said.

Hutchinson said many people may have speculated that Bryant would be the public safety secretary. Along with serving as secretary, Cook will continue in her current post, where she has been since January 2015.

The Department of Public Safety also will include the Department of Emergency Management, Crime Information Center and the Crime Laboratory.

"I chose Jami Cook first of all because she has incredible law enforcement experience. She has incredible educational experience and she has run the law enforcement training academy and she also has a good vision for transformation as to how to make the Department of Public Safety work over the long term," he said.

"But in addition, I looked at Col. Bryant and his mission with state police. I need him there, so it's not any different than the FBI in Washington is part of the Department of Justice. But the head of the FBI has a relationship and reports and meets daily on the briefings with the president," Hutchinson said. "I expect that same type of close relationship and tie that will exist with me and the state police."

Bryant said in a written statement, "I've had a long standing professional relationship working closely with Jami Cook in her role as director of the law enforcement training academy and law enforcement standards.

"I'm looking forward to the common goal we'll share making Governor Hutchinson's state government transformation plan a success. Her former job here as an Arkansas State Trooper will be a genuine asset for the state police and I have the highest regard for her ability to do the job as DPS secretary," Bryant said.

As for the secretary of the new Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, Hutchinson said he considered some applicants from outside state government.

"But that choice came down to the fact that Stacy Hurst understands transformation, understands change and what's needed there. And she also has been so engaged in terms of the mission of parks and tourism, even though she has been in the heritage arena, so she has been a key player in my administration for four years and I selected her to be a secretary," he said. She also will continue as head of Arkansas Heritage.

Hurst will get a $14,094 raise to her proposed salary of $137,094, according to the governor's office.

"My immediate future will be devoted to meeting with and getting to know better my new hard-working colleagues in State Parks and the venerable Arkansas tourism industry," Hurst said in a written statement.

Hutchinson said Wes Ward, who is now over the Department of Agriculture, will have the added responsibility of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission when he is elevated to agriculture secretary.

The governor said he doesn't expect "dramatic changes" in deciding how to integrate the commission into the department.

Ward will get a $9,000 raise to his proposed salary of $132,000 as secretary, according to the governor's office.

Department of Veterans Affairs Director Nate Todd will get a $9,000 raise to his proposed salary of $132,000 as secretary, according to the governor's office.

"The governor wanted to elevate Veterans Affairs to show the importance of it," J.R. Davis said.

The Department of Human Services has undergone transformation the past four years, "so I don't expect to see dramatic changes [there] either," Hutchinson said, but he did expect "dramatic changes" in the new Department of Commerce because of the breadth of agencies coming on board.

Human Services Director Cindy Gillespie will get a $4,245 raise to $287,245, according to the governor's office.

Commerce Secretary Mike Preston will continue to be the head of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, his current job, Hutchinson said.

"What is beautiful about this transformation is that he will now be able to influence and shape the policy on the No. 1 need of industry that comes to Arkansas or expands here and that's the work force. We will now have as part of the Department of Commerce the [Department of] Workforce Services and the Office of Skills Development. That is going to be an incredible additional responsibility for Director Preston," he said.

Preston would get a $3,000 raise to his proposed salary of $153,000 as secretary.

Charisse Childers, now director of the Department of Career Education, will lead workforce services, J.R. Davis said.

Hutchinson said he promoted Education Commissioner Johnny Key to secretary because "he has accomplished a great deal in the K-12 education arena.

"It is certainly the largest span of control in education right now, so as you bring on higher education, career education, the School of the Deaf, the School of the Blind, that each of these will be easier to be under the umbrella of Secretary Key," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said he also interviewed Department of Higher Education Director Mariah Markham for education secretary.

"I think they can work together very well in making education more seamless and to improve the delivery of service in both higher ed and K-12," the governor said.

Key will get $3,540 raise to his proposed salary of $239,540.

The proposed raises for Key, Gillespie and Department of Health Director Nate Smith will require approval of the Legislative Council in June, said state budget administrator Jake Bleed.

Smith will get a $3,330 pay raise to $225,300 as health secretary, according to the governor's office.

The governor was asked whether he considered Department of Community Correction Director Kevin Murphy to be secretary of the Department of Corrections. Wendy Kelley, now director of the Department of Correction, will be secretary.

Hutchinson said there were some he interviewed who led major departments, but "didn't win the competition."

"But in this instance, Wendy Kelley has a broad breadth of experience in corrections, which is the largest agency within the new Department of Corrections," he said. "In this instance, Kevin Murphy will continue to lead community corrections, but Wendy will be able to spend more time on transformation efforts" and she'll have to delegate.

Hutchinson said he selected Department of Workforces Services Director Daryl Bassett to be secretary of the Department of Labor and Licensing. The governor said he expects Department of Labor Director Leon Jones to be offered a different role.

Bassett will get a $3,040 pay raise to his proposed salary of $155,040 as secretary, according to the governor's office.

Hutchinson said between now and July 1, he'll have a training session for the secretaries to outline his expectations.

He said he will ask each secretary to form "transformation action teams within each department that will engage the state employee at every level that will help share ideas to be a part of the transformation ... to make sure that it is seamless, that it works, and that it can meet the needs of our citizens.

"This transformation and the creation of these secretarial positions will be done with no new positions in state government and no new dollars. ... Over the next 40 days, I expect the secretaries to draw up what they would envision as to the makeup of the secretary's department, whether there is going to be communications there, or whether they are going to bring up the CFO at that level or whether they are going to have a chief of staff, what will be the resources they need at the department level to carry out their mission in transformation," he said. He expects the secretaries to change their departments without needing new positions or more money.

The governor said the reorganization is expected to save $15 million starting in fiscal 2021, which starts July 1, 2020.

Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, said, "I think it is going to take a little bit of time to get reorganized and then we'll have to see where the savings are at."

Hutchinson said his current group of 42 department heads has probably met a few times each year and the 15 Cabinet secretaries will be able to meet more frequently.

"It is not going to be a Cabinet-led government. It is going to be a governor-led executive branch with the good advice and counsel of the Cabinet that will be closer knit and we'll have an opportunity for significant counsel," he said.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

In announcing the appointments Wednesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson noted the “incredible talent” serving the state.

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Governor's Cabinet

A Section on 05/23/2019

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