Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.'s chief of staff, Charles Blake, will step down effective Monday to pursue an opportunity in the private sector, Scott announced Wednesday.
"I am forever grateful to Blake for his counsel and leadership through change and crises and his willingness to serve the residents of Little Rock," Scott said in a statement. "I look forward to seeing his strategic prowess and leadership shared in his future endeavors."
Scott's senior adviser Kendra Pruitt will become his new chief of staff, according to the news release from the mayor's office.
"It's been an honor to serve my city, my home, the past two and a half years," Blake, 38, said in a statement. "I'm happy to leave the City in strong and capable hands and look forward to serving from a new vantage point."
In May 2019, Blake resigned from the Arkansas Legislature, where he was the House minority leader, to take the job with the mayor's office. A Democrat, Blake was first elected to represent the Little Rock-area House District 36 in 2014.
He served as Scott's campaign manager during the 2018 mayoral race in which Scott ultimately defeated lawyer Baker Kurrus in a runoff to win a first term and succeed Mark Stodola.
During city board meetings held at the board's latest pandemic-era venue -- the Centre at University Park -- Blake could often be seen standing or sitting by a wall just past the stanchions while across the room his boss presided over discussions of the 10 elected city directors.
Along with at-large City Director Antwan Phillips, Blake for a time hosted the "Rock the Culture" podcast from the Arkansas Times, both before and after his jump from the House to City Hall. (A new episode has not been released since last May.)
In a June 2019 episode, Blake suggested that his decision to move from the Legislature to the mayor's office spoke to "the quality and capacity that we have as a brotherhood and a friend group because to me being me ... yes, that's the mayor, but that's my brother, that's my friend."
Blake's resignation from City Hall follows the departure of Scott's chief spokeswoman, Stephanie Jackson, a part-time city employee and fellow 2018 campaign team member.
Jackson resigned as communications director effective Jan. 3.
Blake was hired for the at-will job of chief of staff at $95,000 annually, along with a $400 monthly car allowance, according to records contained in his personnel file.
A graduate of Little Rock Central High School, Blake received his undergraduate degree in political science from Grinnell College in Iowa, graduating in 2005, according to a copy of his resume.
He went on to work in the banking and finance sector in Little Rock, taking positions at Regions Bank and Morgan Keegan & Co. Blake later became the director of advancement for Little Rock Preparatory Academy.
Pruitt is set to start in the chief of staff role Tuesday, according to the mayor's office.
Since joining City Hall in 2019, Pruitt "has demonstrated strong leadership and adept counsel in the midst of crises, leading our administration's policy efforts related to COVID-19 response, neighborhood safety, and equitable economics," Scott said in a statement.
"She will now be responsible for the city's overall strategy development for our various departments in an effort to improve efficiency, while promoting and ensuring equity, to enhance our diverse neighborhoods and improve quality of life for all residents," he added.
Pruitt, 33, is a 2010 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and the University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville, according to her LinkedIn page.
Before joining the mayor's office, Pruitt worked for law firm Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, where she handled regulatory and compliance for companies and provided clients lobbying and government relations services.
It is not clear if Blake or Jackson will serve in some capacity in Scott's expected reelection campaign. Scott has yet to make a formal announcement on his reelection.
The general election is Nov. 8, with a runoff election to follow Dec. 6 if no candidate receives 40% of the vote.
So far, four people have said they plan to seek the mayor's office: food blogger Greg Henderson, real-estate broker Loretta Hendrix, auto dealer Steve Landers and nonprofit founder Pamela Whitaker.
Local races in Little Rock are officially nonpartisan.