Proposed bill attempts to avoid repeat of city director turmoil

A bill filed recently by State Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, seeks to avoid the “turmoil” that resulted when former Fort Smith city director Velvet Medlock chose to live in a district other than the one to which she was elected.

Medlock was elected to represent Ward 2, which is the north side of Fort Smith. After that, she moved with her husband to an $800,000 home in Riley Farm, located in south Fort Smith. Medlock maintained that because she still maintained her north Fort Smith address she was within her rights to continue serving. City laws and even an Arkansas Attorney General opinion were vague on Medlock’s ability to continue to serve.

After much pressure and a nasty dispute between Medlock’s husband, Jeff Barrows, and Fort Smith Chief of Police Kevin Lindsey, Medlock resigned as city director.

Pennartz is hoping the bill — HB 1023 — makes residency requirements clear.

Language in the proposed bill includes:
• "The persons elected to fill director positions one, two, three, and four, respectively, shall continue to reside in the ward from which he or she was elected for the term for which he or she was elected."

• "The persons elected to fill the position of mayor and director positions five, six, and seven, respectively, shall continue to reside in the city from which he or she was elected for the term for which he or she was elected."

• "If a duly elected director shall cease to reside in the ward or the city from which he or she was elected, the director shall be disqualified to hold the office and a vacancy shall exist that shall be filled as prescribed by law."

“I believe the bill will provide stability and direction so that we don’t have a recurrence of what happened to us and the turmoil it created,” Pennartz told The City Wire.

State Rep. Frank Glidewell, R-Fort Smith, is a cosponsor of the bill.

“This issue of residency was a concern expressed to me by my District 65 residents back when the local situation was occurring. In turn, I talked, at that time, with local city officials/administration as to what could be done to alleviate my constituents’ concerns,” Pennartz added.

It’s unclear, however, if Pennartz’s bill will resolve the cloudy issue of how Arkansas law defines residency.