By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — House Speaker Robbie Wills’ makeover of the House Information Office is drawing drew mixed reviews Wednesday from House Republicans, with some applauding the move and others questioning whether the office is being politicized.
Wills, D-Conway, announced Tuesday that the House Information Office will henceforth be known as the House Communications Office and will transform into a more comprehensive communications office that will advocate for the membership. Democrats control the chamber.
The speaker also said the House had entered into a contract with Craig Douglass Communications of Little Rock to guide the office through the transition and that House Information Director Stephen Steed, who had held the job for 10 years, had been fired.
Douglass will receive $5,000 per month, plus expenses and a 15 percent commission on additional contracted work.
Rep. Rick Green, R-Van Buren, is among those who support the change.
“What I think he’s trying to do is to bring our communications office more in line with some of the offices of the Houses of Representatives across the nation, as far as technology and getting information out to our members and our constituents, so I see that as a positive move,” Green said.
House Minority Leader Bryan King, R-Berryville, said Tuesday he was concerned that Wills could be turning the office into “a personal publicist” for himself and other Democrats. On Wednesday several other Republican House members joined King in criticizing the announcement.
Rep. Dan Greenberg, R-Little Rock, noted that Wills said in a news release, “Instead of merely distributing information, we believe it is our responsibility to advocate for our membership, and communicate on their behalf to the news media, our various constituencies, and the public at large.”
“In fact, the House has exactly 100 points of view … that deserve respect,” Greenberg said. “There is no 101st. There is no view of the entire House. The idea that somehow taxpayers ought to be supporting the view of the majority of the House, or the consensus of the House, or who’s in control of the House — that’s a large mistake.”
Rep. Ed Garner, R-Maumelle, said, “Certainly it’s an expansion of the mission of what would come out of the House, and it would essentially be in the control of House speaker and house management, and the speaker appoints House management, so how does that accurately represent all members of the House?”
But some Republicans say all House members will benefit if the House gets a stronger public voice.
“There are times when the House disagrees with, say, the governor. I would like for that information to be disseminated the way we want it to rather than the way it is related to you by the governor’s office,” said Rep. Bill Sample, R-Hot Springs.
Wills said Wednesday that his use of the word “advocate” has been misinterpreted.
“Advocacy for the House of Representatives would come into play, for instance, if the House had passed a bill and the Senate decided they were going to sit on that bill or not pass it. Then we would certainly advocate on behalf of the House of Representatives for that House bill … to be passed in the Senate,” he said.
The office’s services will be available to all House members, regardless of political affiliation, Wills said.
“If I walked in and said, ‘I’m in favor of a cigarette tax,’ they would prepare a press release for me. If Bryan King walks in 5 minutes later and says, ‘I’m opposed to a cigarette tax,’ they would prepare a press release for him,” he said.
Some Republican lawmakers said Wills consulted with them before announcing the change, but several others complained that they had no advance notice. Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, who supports the change, said the speaker is not required to get the approval of the entire House before making management decisions.
“I voted for him (Wills) to make these decisions,” Woods said. “If you tried to get 100 people on board, it would take a lot of time to get these things done.’
