Maumelle reopens sign-ups for Civil Service Commission

MAUMELLE — The Maumelle City Council Tuesday approved a motion to reopen applications for the Civil Service Commission after one applicant said the city’s approach caused him “an emotional rollercoaster.”

Postings online by the city advertised that applications to fill the commission role would be accepted until June 14 at 8 a.m., with council members appointing the new commissioner at the June 20 meeting.

However, at the June 5 City Council meeting, members appointed former Police Chief Sam Williams to the commission for a full term.

Williams had been appointed by the council through votes in December and January to fill an unexpired term on the commission.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Caleb Norris and City Clerk Tina Timmons said the application date advertised online had been a typo.

“I was here at 8 a.m. [June 14] when the doors were unlocked to turn in my resume,” commissioner applicant Mark Nettles said Tuesday. “I was told by the receptionist that that was a typo.”

Nettles said the mayor’s chief of staff Jay Grelen contacted him later the same day to apologize for the misunderstanding and to honor his resume.

“I was a little disappointed when I left that morning,” Nettles said. “I was late for work for something I was told was a typo and later told that it was not. I kind of went on an emotional rollercoaster right there.”

Nettles then asked for the council to consider his application and his request to apply.

Andrew Thornton, the city’s attorney, highlighted that although it was legal to appoint Williams ahead of the June 14 deadline, he sympathized with the applicant’s frustrations.

Thornton informed the council that they could do one of two things: have Williams resign and approach a new batch of applications afterward or approve a motion to reconsider applications and the appointment.

He added that the motion to reconsider would need to come from a council member who had voted in favor of appointing Williams in the June 5 meeting.

“I mean, I know it was legal that we appointed somebody but out of fairness I think we ought to consider doing a redo,” council member Jess Holt said.

Holt had voted to appoint Williams on June 5, but lead the motion to reconsider Tuesday.

Holt added that at least one woman was interested in the role and asked to be notified the next time applications opened.

“If we repost it, it would open it to everybody once and for all,” Holt said. “Let’s make sure everyone’s been notified and go through the process so this doesn’t happen again.”

Council members agreed Tuesday that applications for the commissioner role will be open until June 28.

Once applications are in, the council will appoint one of the applicants to the role during the July 3 council meeting.