Speaker Carter To Serve As Acting Governor This Week
by July 13, 2014 8:09 am 82 views
Arkansas Speaker of the House Davy Carter — third in succession to be Governor — will serve as Acting Governor for nearly seven days starting Sunday (July 13).
As Talk Business & Politics reported two weeks ago, Gov. Mike Beebe (D) is headed to Europe on a trade mission to England, France and the Czech Republic, part of an effort to meet with new and existing trade prospects.
According to state law, when the Governor leaves the state’s borders, the next in line serves as Acting Governor.
That would have been Lt. Governor Mark Darr (R), but he vacated the office earlier this year, leaving Senate President Pro Temp Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville) to fulfill that role.
However, Lamoureux is also out of state for the week and Carter (R-Cabot) will serve as the state’s chief executive in a rare play-out of the state’s chain of command.
“Gov. Beebe has had an excellent working relationship with Speaker Carter and is very comfortable with him as acting governor while he is on an economic development mission in Europe,” said Beebe spokesperson Stacey Hall.
Carter, who is the first Republican Speaker of the House and who recently presided over a rare special session at the Old State House Museum, said he doesn’t carry a lucky rabbit’s foot.
“The odds of these circumstances are pretty rare. I recognize that it doesn’t happen every day. I’m looking forward to it and I’m humbled by having the opportunity,” Carter tells Talk Business & Politics.
His agenda is “no agenda,” said Carter, who hopes to just “hold the fort down.”
“I’ve been in communications with the Governor’s staff and don’t expect there to be anything unusual to happen this week. Of course, the Governor will be available by phone or other means if we had any crisis come up,” he said.
Carter flirted with running for Governor last year after coming out of the 2013 regular legislative session, but opted not to.
When asked if he planned to take any executive action, Carter said he hasn’t scheduled anything although he hoped to be in the Governor’s office for part of one day just to experience the formality of the role.
“I told the Governor I’d try not to mess anything up.”