Former Conway mayor exits retirement into public works

Tab Townsell has come out of a brief eight-month retirement to join Pulaski County government as the new public works director.

Townsell previously served the city of Conway as mayor and was part of the Metroplan board of directors, later becoming its executive director from January 2017 to 2023.

Metroplan is Central Arkansas’ federally designated planning organization. It works with local governments, the state Department of Transportation and local transit providers to determine transportation needs and funding priorities for federal transportation investments. Metroplan also provides general planning, mapping and technical assistance to local governments.

His previous experience has given him a “regional perspective,” Townsell said.

“Then I married a lady in Sherwood who was on city council, so that brought me to Pulaski County as a resident,” he added. “My trips to Walmart as mayor were long, then they got short, now they’re getting long again.”

Mary Jo Heye-Townsell is now mayor of the city of Sherwood.

Tab Townsell recognized that there might have been a conflict of interest if he had stayed on Metroplan due to the various jurisdictions’ grant requests for planning.

“Even the federal folks can say, ‘We’ve got to make sure you allocate this money properly,’” he said. “And there’s a question of conflict of interest even with them, so it was just better for me to step back.”

This put Townsell “back at the house” with his four cats who “got bored” with him, too.

As part of the Public Works Department, Townsell will oversee the Planning and Development Department, Road and Bridge Department, Sanitation and Animal Services and the Office of

Emergency Management.

One of his ‘more favorite’ roles that he plays is being head of planning and development, Townsell noted.

“That’s why I ran for mayor in Conway,” he said.

During his time as executive director of Metroplan, Pulaski County became a “vigorous user” of grant funds, Townsell added.

“I just opened bids for the Southwest trail, the very first section of it to be bid across all three counties,” he said. “The first section is going to be built right here in Pulaski County, which is wonderful, parallel, springs to the county line — and that’s a recipient of grant funding.”

Townsell, 62, said that he has a ‘long history’ of building things thanks to his family’s construction business.

“I like building things, I had Lincoln Logs, tinker toys,

all of that,” he explained. “My father’s business was construction, which I share that background with Judge [Barry] Hyde, he came out of the construction business.”

Townsell’s ‘project mentality’ helps him focus and he finds the end results of his work with roads and bridges gratifying.

A project of ‘major importance’ to Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde at the moment is extending the Southwest trail to the Central Arkansas Greenway, and Townsell said the county judge is excited to accomplish that as president of the Board of Metroplan.

“He wants to do the county’s part and wants to be setting a high bar for that,” Townsell added. “So as it starts spreading out into the other counties, and throughout the incorporated cities, he can set the bar first, at a very high level.”

Ultimately, the trail will connect to the area of Little Rock Central High School

because it’s part of a federal lands access program grant.

From a National Park to a National Historic site, this trail will be tied to the city of Little Rock and connected to the Arkansas River Trail, a “hub” for residents coming in from the Central Arkansas Regional Greenway, Townsell said.

“I’m excited for Tab to bring his years of experience and a fresh perspective to Public Works,” Hyde said. “Pulaski County Government has a mission of data-driven innovation, and Tab will continue that mission.”