Ward 2 City Director Ken Richardson hasn’t been present for a Little Rock Board of Directors meeting for almost two months, and city officials are staying close-lipped about the reason for his absence.
A review of video recordings of city board meetings since the beginning of the year shows that Richardson has missed seven voting meetings and six agenda-setting meetings since January, more than any other board member. Of the 25 meetings this year so far, Richardson has missed more than half.
The city board meets every Tuesday. At agenda-setting meetings, the board goes over a list of items to be considered at the next voting meeting.
The last meeting Richardson attended was a special-called meeting on May 14 where the board passed a single ordinance authorizing improvements to Little Rock’s water reclamation system. Since then, the board has met seven more times, and Richardson has been absent at all of them.
Little Rock Communications Director Aaron Sadler has repeatedly declined to comment on Richardson’s absence. Richardson himself hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment.
Other board members aren’t sure where Richardson has been, either. Ward 4 Director Capi Peck told the Arkansas Times that “more than one of us asked” during an executive session at the board’s June 4 meeting. “We were told that he was fine,” Peck said. At the same meeting, Ward 1 Director Virgil Miller told the Arkansas Times that he didn’t know anything about Richardson’s absence.
This isn’t the first time Richardson has missed a significant number of meetings. In March 2017, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Richardson had missed 40% of the board’s voting meetings since the start of 2016 and had more expense reimbursements for trips than any other board member.
The board will meet July 9 to set the agenda for its July 16 meeting.