Rutledge appoints Fletcher to panel

After 17 months, ethics spot filled

In this file photo Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is shown during a news conference. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
In this file photo Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is shown during a news conference. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has ended her search and appointed attorney Denese Fletcher of Little Rock to the Arkansas Ethics Commission, succeeding Sybil Jordan Hampton of Little Rock, whose term ended Dec. 31, 2018.

The Republican attorney general announced Fletcher's appointment Wednesday.

Hampton -- who was appointed Jan. 15, 2014, by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, a Democrat -- ended up serving 17 months beyond the expiration of her five-year term because Rutledge hadn't lined up a replacement.

Under state law, that spot on the commission must be a Democrat and a member of a minority race. Fletcher and Hampton are both black.

Records in the secretary of state's office and the Ethics Commission show that appointments to the commission during the past 20 years usually have been made within three months of a term ending or a commissioner resigning.

Asked why the appointment took longer than usual to make, Rutledge spokeswoman Amanda Priest said, "the attorney general was committed to finding an excellent and qualified candidate for the position.

"The attorney general had identified Ms. Fletcher as her appointee early in 2020," Priest said in a written statement.

"However, Ms. Fletcher was actively volunteering for campaigns for the March election and thus, the Attorney General waited until there was no conflict. (unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic arose pushing so many matters back)," Priest said.

Asked if Rutledge gave any marching orders to Fletcher, Priest said, "the attorney general asked Ms. Fletcher to use her legal expertise and experience with campaigns to apply the laws and rules fairly to all issues coming before the Ethics Commission."

In response to a question about how many Democratic primaries Fletcher has voted in, Priest said, "we have been assured by Ms. Fletcher that she meets all of the qualifications."

A copy of Fletcher's voting history wasn't available through the secretary of state's office Wednesday afternoon.

Rutledge said in a letter dated Tuesday to commission Director Graham Sloan that the attorney general is required to appoint one of its five members under state law, and, "I wish to appoint Denese Fletcher to a term on the Arkansas Ethics Commission."

Fletcher has more than 20 years of legal experience, and an in-depth knowledge of law and Arkansas Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedures, Rutledge wrote.

"Over her legal career, she has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney, a deputy public defender, and as a panel attorney for the United States Criminal Justice Act panel," Rutledge said in her letter to Sloan.

Fletcher was an Arkansas deputy public defender from 2001-09; defense attorney for the U.S. Criminal Justice Act Panel from 1997 to 2014; and deputy prosecuting attorney in Pulaski County in the early 1990s, according to Rutledge's office.

"It is with these qualifications and experience that I believe Ms. Fletcher will provide competent, fair, and unbiased judgment when considering matters brought before her as an ethics commissioner," Rutledge said in her letter to Sloan.

Fletcher earned her bachelor's degree in English at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1988 and a law degree from the UALR law school in 1993, Priest said.

Fletcher said in Rutledge's news release that she appreciates the opportunity to serve on the commission.

Hampton, a former president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, could not be reached for comment by telephone Wednesday afternoon.

Hampton hasn't grumbled about continuing to serve on the commission beyond the expiration of her term on Dec. 31, 2018. "My continuing to serve has to do with the fact I am committed to the work," she said in an interview in October 2019.

The Arkansas Ethics Commission was established in 1991 after the passage of Initiated Act of 1990.

The commission consists of five members. The panel enforces certain state laws on ethics, conflicts of interest, lobbying, campaigning, campaign finance and ballot questions.

Arkansas Code Annotated 7-6-217 (b) requires that state officials making appointments to the commission ensure that there is at least one member of a minority race, one woman and one member of the minority political party. The latter must have voted in the preferential primaries of the minority political party over two primary elections.

The other four commissioners are Ashley Driver Younger of Little Rock, Alice Eastwood of Rogers, Lori Klein of Searcy and Scott Irby of El Dorado. All four are white.

Records in the secretary of state's office about their voting histories this year weren't immediately available Wednesday afternoon.

As of February, the four had voted in Republican primaries over two primary elections, while Hampton has voted in Democratic primaries, according to the secretary of state's records.

The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, Senate president pro tempore and House speaker each make appointments to the Ethics Commission under state law.

Metro on 06/04/2020

Upcoming Events