Little Rock metropolis board member has missed each assembly since mid-Might

Ward 2 Metropolis Director Ken Richardson hasn’t been current for a Little Rock Board of Administrators assembly for nearly two months, and metropolis officers are staying close-lipped concerning the cause for his absence. 

A overview of video recordings of city board meetings for the reason that starting of the yr exhibits that Richardson has missed seven voting conferences and 6 agenda-setting conferences since January, greater than some other board member. Of the 25 conferences this yr to date, Richardson has missed greater than half.

The town board meets each Tuesday. At agenda-setting conferences, the board goes over a listing of things to be thought of on the subsequent voting assembly.

The final assembly Richardson attended was a special-called assembly on Might 14 the place the board handed a single ordinance authorizing enhancements to Little Rock’s water reclamation system. Since then, the board has met seven extra occasions, and Richardson has been absent in any respect of them.

Little Rock Communications Director Aaron Sadler has repeatedly declined to touch upon Richardson’s absence. Richardson himself hasn’t responded to a number of requests for remark.

Different board members aren’t certain the place Richardson has been, both. Ward 4 Director Capi Peck instructed the Arkansas Occasions that “multiple of us requested” throughout an government session on the board’s June 4 assembly. “We had been instructed that he was fantastic,” Peck stated. On the similar assembly, Ward 1 Director Virgil Miller instructed the Arkansas Occasions that he didn’t know something about Richardson’s absence.

This isn’t the primary time Richardson has missed a big variety of conferences. In March 2017, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Richardson had missed 40% of the board’s voting conferences for the reason that begin of 2016 and had extra expense reimbursements for journeys than some other board member.

The board will meet July 9 to set the agenda for its July 16 assembly.