Fort Smith man takes last empty Senate seat

The Arkansas Senate’s 35 seats are now occupied for the first time since mid-November.

Sen. Frank Glidewell, R-Fort Smith, was sworn in by state Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne on Monday. Glidewell, a retired electrical contractor, isn’t new to the Legislature; he served in the state House of Representatives from 2005-11.

Glidewell represents Senate District 8, which became vacant with the Feb. 8 resignation of Sen. Jake Files, R-Fort Smith. The remainder of the four-year term ends at the start of the regular legislative session Jan. 14.

Files resigned after he pleaded guilty in federal court to felony charges of wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud for pocketing state money he obtained for a Fort Smith softball complex and for pledging a forklift he didn’t own as collateral on a bank loan. In June, Files was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $89,903.77 in restitution.

“I guess I’m going to try to learn where we are at,” Glidewell said in an interview when asked what he plans to do as a state senator for the duration of the term.

“I still want to look at funding for Obamacare and otherwise try not to get in anybody’s way,” he said. He opposes Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion that provides health coverage to about 270,000 low-income Arkansans and is called Arkansas Works under Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Glidewell won election to the Senate in an Aug. 14 special election by defeating Libertarian Party candidate William Whitfield Hyman of Fort Smith.

The Nov. 6 general election will decide who assumes the office for the next four years, starting in January. Hyman faces state Rep. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith. Pitsch, prohibited by the state constitution from running in the special election, narrowly defeated Glidewell in a June 19 runoff election for the nomination.

Senate District 8 serves part of Fort Smith and Sebastian County.

The Senate has had several vacancies.

Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, resigned Nov. 15 to accept a federal appointment from President Donald Trump. Sen. Greg Standridge, R-Russellville, died Nov. 16 from cancer. The two Senate seats were vacant until Sens. Ricky Hill, R-Cabot, and Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, were sworn in on June 19 after winning special elections. Hill and Davis will serve terms ending in January 2021.