Forty Under 40: Mark A. Darr, 38

Mark Darr wasn’t sure what to think the first time someone told him he should explore politics.

“In high school, a friend of mine told me I’d be a good politician,” Darr said, “but I don’t think he meant it in a good way.”

Fast-forward 20 years, and Darr, Arkansas’ lieutenant governor, believes he’s in the arena for all the right reasons. He considers himself among the group of public servants “who truly care more about their neighborhoods, community, state and country than they do themselves.”

Born in Fort Smith and raised in Mansfield the son of a preacher, Darr’s dream when he graduated from Ouachita Baptist University was to own a restaurant. That resulted in a pizza place in Little Rock and later The Mad Pizza Co. in Rogers, which he still owns.
Darr’s biggest political victory to date is the “online checkbook” set to launch July 1, 2012. The idea is to open state spending to the public and make it transparent.

“That’s not a party thing,” Darr said. “The public just needs to know.”

Such bipartisan teamwork is also high on Darr’s priority list.

“There are 35 [state] senators and I don’t think one of them would tell you I’ve treated them badly,” he said, “and the opposite is definitely true, too.”

Darr enjoys music, and said his family is the source of his “true joy.”