Smith, city clerk since 2003, dies

FAYETTEVILLE — City Clerk Sondra Smith believed in serving the public, embracing new technology to improve access to records, according to a news release from the city.

Smith, 65, died Monday. She was appointed city clerk in 2003 and first elected in 2004. She was re-elected three times, serving as the city’s primary record-keeper.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan announced Smith’s death at the beginning of Tuesday’s City Council meeting. He held back tears, describing his friend of nearly two decades.

“She loved her family. She loved her staff,” Jordan said. “She loved this city, and she was loved by all who knew her.”

Deputy City Clerk Lisa Branson is serving in Smith’s stead. City code says the deputy city clerk will perform the duties of the city clerk in the city clerk’s absence.

State law says the City Council will appoint someone to fill the vacancy. That person will serve out the term, which ends Dec. 31, 2020. The next election for the city clerk position is set for Nov. 3 next year. The person who filled the vacancy can run for election, as Smith did in 2004.

A lifelong resident of the city, Smith also held positions with the Arkansas City Clerks, Recorders and Treasurers Association and Arkansas Municipal League. She was a member of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and Association of Records Managers and Administrators International and was an internationally and state certified municipal clerk.

The state City Clerks Association named Smith municipal clerk of the year in 2015. She received the Adrian White Municipal Leadership Award from the Municipal League in 2014 and the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Brotherhood Award in 2015.

“The reliability and responsiveness of Sondra and her staff provided a sense of ease to other city employees and officials,” the release said. “One could always depend on the City Clerk’s Office to locate and provide documents, no matter how obscure. Her service to the community was inspiring; she will be missed.”

A funeral for Smith is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Ridgeview Baptist Church.

Smith