Stodola: Won’t quit position in league

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said in a letter Friday to the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police that he would not resign as president of the Arkansas Municipal League.

In a letter addressed to Jarred McCauley, the president of the police organization, and distributed to the media by Stodola, the mayor said he appreciated “the concerns raised in your November 24 letter” about the city’s decision to switch its health insurance from QualChoice to one provided by the Municipal League.

The Little Rock Board of Directors approved the switch in an 8-0 vote Nov. 19. Ward 2 City Director Ken Richardson was absent, and Ward 1 City Director Erma Hendrix voted present. The mayor, who was not at the meeting, did not vote.

The vote came after John Gilchrist, the vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, raised concerns that city employees would have reduced benefits under the Municipal League plan.

Stodola wrote Friday that the decision to change insurance providers was made by the Board of Directors, adding, “The City Board … believes the health benefits provided to employees under the MHBF [Municipal Health Benefit Fund] are equal to or better than those offered by QualChoice and at a reduced cost to both the City and its employees.”

Hendrix was one of the first to bring up Stodola’s new position with the Municipal League, saying at the board meeting that she was concerned about a conflict of interest. The Fraternal Order of Police later raised similar concerns about Stodola’s elected position with the Municipal League.

“Finally, as to your request that I resign as president of the Arkansas Municipal League, I respectfully decline,” Stodola wrote, adding that the position is unpaid.