Clark looking at mayoral bid in Fayetteville
Posted on Thursday, March 20, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/220249/
FAYETTEVILLE — Steve Clark, the former Arkansas attorney general who was convicted of a felony while in office, said Wednesday that he’s considering running for Fayetteville mayor.
“I’ve been giving it some thought,” Clark said in an interview.
He said he’s not ready to talk about his possible candidacy or why he wants to be mayor. He said if he decides to run, he’ll talk openly about why someone convicted of misusing taxpayer money for his own benefit should be elected to public office again.
“I’ve told my story all over the country,” Clark said. “I’m very blunt and outspoken about it. I tell people, ‘ I’ve been to the top, and I’ve been to the bottom, and I like the middle better. ’”
Clark was attorney general from 1979-90. He was regarded as a likely contender for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1990 before misuse of a state-issued credit card derailed his candidacy.
An investigation began after the Arkansas Gazette reported that Clark’s office had spent $ 115, 000 on travel and meals and that some of his reported guests said they had had no such meals with Clark.
A Pulaski County jury convicted him of a felony theft charge, and he resigned. He wasn’t sentenced to prison. He was fined $ 10, 000 and ordered to pay restitution and court costs.
At the time, Clark blamed political opponents and others for the conviction, but he has since said that he self-destructed because of “very, very bad decisions” driven by ego and addiction to alcohol.
Clark has publicly apologized numerous times for those actions.
In 2004, then-Gov. Mike Huckabee pardoned him. Huckabee said at the time that Clark had gone beyond what he had to do legally to make restitution to the state.
Clark is now an instructor for the Texas-based Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and he’s able to live in Fayetteville and travel for work. He is also paid to speak to groups about addiction, ethics and the law.
Clark, who turns 61 on Friday, said he regained his right to vote when he paid his fine and court costs.
The pardon restored his right to run for office in Arkansas, said Natasha Naragon, spokesman for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels.
Article 5, Section 9 of the Arkansas Constitution prohibits people convicted of embezzling public money or “other infamous crimes” from holding any office of trust in Arkansas. That has been interpreted by the Arkansas Supreme Court to mean any felony.
However, the court has found that an expungement of a felony conviction is sufficient to restore eligibility. Naragon said a pardon counts as an expungement.
If Clark decides to run, he would join at least three other men who have announced for the mayor’s race: Walt Eilers, Jeff Koenig and Lioneld Jordan.
Mayor Dan Coody, who has held the office since 2001, has said he won’t run again. The filing period for municipal offices is from Aug. 6-26.
Clark said he moved to Fayetteville in 2006 to live closer to his children and grandchildren. He lives on Fairway Lane, on the southern end of town near the Fayetteville Country Club.
It’s his second time living in Fayetteville. He graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law and was a faculty member there from 1973-76. His wife, Suzanne, is about to graduate from the law school, he said.