HOT SPRINGS -- Mike Pettey, owner of the Ohio Club in Hot Springs, resigned his position on the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission on Friday morning.
Pettey was faced with calls to resign on social media this week after a complaint filed by his wife, Dona, with the Arkansas Department of Health against four local bars over violations of covid-19 guidelines surfaced online.
Dona Pettey issued a statement apologizing on Thursday.
A statement posted on Mike Pettey's Facebook page on Friday morning said, "I would also like to apologize for any ill will this may have caused. I echo her statement exactly.
"In order to not bring any ill will towards Hot Springs and the Advertising and Promotion Commission, I resigned my position this morning. Again, I'm truly sorry."
Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, confirmed Friday that Pettey had resigned by email.
"The A&P does a tremendous good for our community and is filled with great people that have a passion for Hot Springs and are highly respected for that. I resigned because I don't want anything I've been involved with to tarnish the A&P's reputation. It has been a pleasure to serve these last few years," Pettey later told The Sentinel-Record.
A copy of the Department of Health complaint, which was posted this week on Facebook, is dated June 26. Dona Pettey is listed as the complainant. It names four businesses, and states under a section called "details" that "They are having bands and afraid they are not following social distancing and mask rule."
A Health Department representative said Thursday the department called the establishments to readvise them on the state's directives regarding covid-19, and has closed the complaints.
One social media post this week called the accusations "unwarranted and unsubstantiated," based on "hearsay."
Another post, which included an electronic version of the complaint, drew more than 500 comments, including calls for Pettey to resign.
"In an effort to be vigilant, I rushed to judgment, overreacted, and overstepped," Dona Pettey said in an email to The Sentinel-Record on Thursday. "I truly believe that Hot Springs restaurateurs and bar owners/operators have stepped up to address the challenges presented by COVID-19 and are doing their best to keep patrons and staff safe and healthy. My actions were my own and I sincerely apologize."
The commission administers the collection and expenditure of the city's 3% tax on prepared food and lodging for the purpose of promoting Hot Springs, according to cityhs.net.
Commission Chairman Elizabeth Farris said Thursday she was unaware some people were calling for Pettey to step down, but she has not yet talked with him involving the matter.
"In my opinion, these are tough times and our local hospitality [industry] seems to me to be working very hard to follow the directive set out by the governor," Farris said. "I don't know about the cases she was talking about; I wasn't there and I would just be guessing what her motivation was."
The next regularly scheduled commission meeting is Aug. 24.
The Ohio Club is a bar that was established in 1905, according to its website.