The Alexander City Council recently approved two appointments. One filled the vacancy in the prosecuting attorney's position. The other appointed a new member to the planning commission.
R. Margaret Dobson, Esq. has served as Alexander's prosecuting attorney since the summer of 2022. She was recently selected by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to serve as a judge.
"Effective May 6, 2024, 1 have been appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to serve as Circuit Judge for the First Division of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, a role I will uphold until December 31, 2027," Dobson said in her resignation letter. "As a result, I will be unable to continue practicing law during this tenure.
"It has been my honor to serve the City of Alexander as its prosecutor," she continued. "In light of the appointment, however, I am required to close my law practice. Please accept this as my resignation, effective April 30, 2024."
Two attorneys submitted resumes; Pamela Perry and Caleb Conrad. While Conrad's resume provides a list of positions as a prosecutor, an adjunct professor and as the owner of a law firm; Perry has the additional benefit of having served as City Prosecutor for the Town of Bauxite since 2012.
Conrad's resume includes Prosecuting Attorney, (11th West District of Arkansas: Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, First Division), November 2020 – September 2021; Office of the Arkansas Attorney General, September, (Assistant Attorney General, Civil Litigation), 2021 – January 2023; William H. Bowen School of Law, (Adjunct Professor), Spring 2023; Prosecuting Attorney, (22nd District of Arkansas, Part-Time Deputy Prosecuting Attorney), January 2023 – Present; and owner and Managing Attorney of Conrad Law Firm, PLLC, January 2023 – Present.
Perry's work experience listed in her resume begins working for the Oklahoma Department of Community Corrections, "Assisting inmates with successful re-entry and integration into the local community," from 1979 – 1985; Director, Markham UMC Mother’s Day Out Program 1986 – 1997; Personnel Recruiter, (Child Development Center), 1998 – 2001; In-House Counsel for several transportation companies under common ownership, 2001 – 2008; City Attorney, (Town of Bauxite), January 2013 – August 2014. Attorney, (Solo Practitioner), 2001 – Present; City Prosecutor, (Town of Bauxite), 2012 – Present.
Conrad started with one strike against him. In 2023, prior to hiring current City Attorney Chris Madison, Conrad was Alexander's city attorney for barely a month. He also did not attend the April 15 council meeting.
Perry, on the other hand, not only attended the council meeting but she also sat through the previous week's court session. She told council members it's similar to Bauxite with the same type of local violations making up the court docket. Alexander's court meets the second Thursday of the month.
In a roll call vote all seven council members present voted to appoint Pamela Perry as Alexander's Prosecuting Attorney. Attending the meeting were council members Joy Gray, Angela Griffin, Joe Pollard, Mitchell W. Smith, Gina R Thomas-Littlejohn, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson. Council Member Tony Staton was absent and counted as the lone "No" vote.
This isn't the first time Alexander lost an attorney to a State appointment. In 2015 former City Attorney Kevin Lemley was hired by the Arkansas Attorney General’s office.
The second appointment made during the Monday, April 15 council meeting involved the appointment of Jennifer Plunkett to the Alexander Planning Commission. A new term for one of the five seats on the planning commission began April 6. Rodney Chapman occupied the position but decided not to seek reappointment. A term lasts three years. Plunkett was the only Alexander resident to submit a resume.
"I have many years of management and communication skills along with years of customer service," Plunkett says in her resume. "I pride myself in being creative, imaginative, and professional. I believe in having good work ethics and being dedicated and loyal to my work and employer."
According to her employment history she has been working for the Arkansas Department Agriculture Division of Livestock and Poultry as an Administrative Specialist III since May 30, 2021. Other jobs included in her employment history are Stonemark Management (DBA) Breckenridge Square Apartments, Community Manager, 1999 - 2004; Richards Honda - Yamaha, (Receptionist/Bookkeeping/Cashier), 2004 - 2005; Department of Finance and Administration - Marketing and Redistribution, (Administrative Assistant II), 08/28/2005 to 12/20/2017; Arkansas Department of Health - Saline County Unit Health Service, (Specialist II), 12/03/2017 to 05/02/2019; and Arkansas Department of Health - ERAVE Health Statistics Branch, (Administrative Specialist III), 05/02/2019 to 05/29/2021.
In a roll call vote council members approved the appointment of Plunkett to the planning commission. As before the vote was seven "Yes" and one vote of "No" due to the absence of Council Member Tony Staton.
Plunkett must still be sworn-in. The next regular meeting of the planning commission is July 9.
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