McDaniel nominated to library board

Dustin McDaniel, a former Arkansas attorney general who at one time sought the Democratic nomination for governor, has been nominated for a seat on the Central Arkansas Library board.

McDaniel’s nomination comes from Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, who can name two library board members. The Pulaski County Quorum Court affirmed the nomination at a meeting Tuesday night.

McDaniel, 50, is a wellknown figure in Arkansas government and political circles. He is a former member of the state House of Representatives, serving from 2005-2007, and he was Arkansas attorney general from 2007-2016.

In January 2013, McDaniel withdrew from the 2014 race for Arkansas governor.

He practices law at Little Rock law firm McDaniel Wolff PLLC.

Library board members serve three-year terms. McDaniel’s term will run from Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2025. He will fill Andre Guerrero’s seat, said Tameka Lee, communications director of the Central Arkansas Library system.

The Central Arkansas Library System, with its headquarters at the Little Rock Main Library, has 14 libraries located in Little Rock (Main Little Rock Library and eight branches), Pulaski County (Wrightsville, Jacksonville, Sherwood, and Maumelle,), and Perry County (Perryville).

McDaniel joins the board at a time when the library system is planning a major renovation of the Main Library building, among other library facilities, in Little Rock. The Main Library moved into its present location, the renovated Fones building, constructed in 1920 as a warehouse for Fones Bros. Hardware, in 1997.