Little Rock City Director Ken Richardson was a no-show at a virtual meeting of the city’s Board of Directors on Tuesday despite previously seeking authorization to attend sessions electronically.

City officials made Tuesday’s agenda-setting meeting a virtual session on the heels of a major winter storm in Arkansas.

Richardson, 59, has not attended meetings since May 2024 after facing a serious health crisis, although he and others have not fully explained his health issues or offered a timeline for when he might be able to return.

After Richardson missed a series of meetings in 2024, the city issued a statement Aug. 1 of that year acknowledging that Richardson had undergone multiple life-threatening surgeries and was hospitalized.

Since 2007, Richardson has represented Ward 2, which encompasses a southern section of the city around Scott Hamilton Drive, Geyer Springs Road and Baseline Road.

His latest four-year term expires Dec. 31, 2026, having been reelected in 2022 without an opponent. The Ward 2 seat will appear on the ballot during the November 2026 election.

Richardson was the only one of the 10 city directors who did not appear via teleconference during Tuesday’s meeting.

In March 2025, the board voted to do away with the virtual-attendance procedures that had allowed members to attend meetings electronically during the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent period.

Several months after the board changed the rules, a new Arkansas law took effect that requires members of municipal governing bodies to attend meetings in person unless the governor has declared an emergency.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Jan. 22 in anticipation of the winter storm.

In a letter addressed to Mayor Frank Scott Jr. in late October, Richardson asked to attend meetings virtually, citing the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

The city’s Human Resources Department later asked that Richardson and his health care provider complete paperwork detailing his request for reasonable accommodation under the law.

The board typically meets every Tuesday, alternating between formal meetings in which action is taken and agenda-setting meetings in which officials review the agenda for the following week’s meeting or discuss other policy matters.

To date, board members have not been presented with a measure that would authorize Richardson to attend meetings virtually as a disability-related accommodation or for other reasons.

In December, the board rejected a measure sponsored by City Director Lance Hines of Ward 5 that would have called on Richardson to resign. Scott spoke out against the proposal and had pledged to veto it if it passed.

City code lacks provisions that could lead to Richardson’s removal from office based on nonattendance.

Last year, an effort by some of Richardson’s constituents to gather enough signatures from Ward 2 residents to initiate a recall election fell short. At the mid-December deadline, organizer Pam Noble said they obtained fewer than 500 signatures out of the nearly 1,400 required to trigger the election.

John Brummett

jbrummett@arkansasonline.com

John Brummett’s career in news began when he was in high school, as a part-time reporter for the Arkansas Democrat. He moved to the Arkansas Gazette in 1977.

He wrote a political column for the Gazette from 1986 to 1990. He was an editor for the Arkansas Times from 1990 to 1992.

In 1994, his book, “High Wire: From the Back Roads to the Beltway, the Education of Bill Clinton,” was published by Hyperion of New York City. He became a columnist with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 1994. In 2000, he signed a deal with Donrey Media Group, now known as Stephens Media, and wrote for them for 11 years.

He rejoined Democrat-Gazette as a columnist on Oct. 24, 2011.

With the snow and ice still sticking around and many schools and jobs announcing tomorrow will be a day off also, we decided to help everyone pass the time while still getting the kids a valuable education by putting together a Razorbacks sports quiz.

Only super fans will ace the whole thing, but for most, it will be a fun trip down memory lane. Let’s see how many you legitimately get right.

Which Arkansas Razorback quarterback has the record for most passing yards in a game?

Tyler Wilson, 510 yards vs. Texas A&M

Who owns the record for most baskets made in a game for the Razorbacks?

Dean Tolson, 20, vs. Texas A&M, 1974
He is also No. 2 with 17 against Rice a month earlier

Which Arkansas Razorback running back has the most 100-yard rushing games?

Both Alex Collins and Darren McFadden lead the way with 10. Collins most recently did it in 2015 and McFadden in 2007.

Which Razorbacks basketball team scored the most points per game?

Nolan Richardson’s 1990 team put up 99.6 points per game. This team featured Todd Day, Lee Mayberry and Oliver Miller and was ranked No. 2 before losing to Kansas in the Elite 8.

Out of the 16 SEC teams, how many do the Hogs have a winning record over and can you name the teams?

Five
Ole Miss 37-34-1
Mississippi State 19-16-1
South Carolina 14-10
Texas A&M 42-36-3
Vanderbilt 7-3

Who holds the record for most points in a basketball game for Arkansas and for how much?

Rotnei Clarke, 51, 2009 vs. Alcorn State

Against which SEC team does Arkansas have the worst winning percentage in football?

There are numerous teams the Hogs have only beaten 25% of the time or less, but Alabama holds the highest win percentage with the Razorbacks only winning 20.6% of the time, due in large part to the Nick Saban era.

Which Arkansas baseball player was picked highest of all time in the Major League Draft?

Jeff King went No. 1 overall in the 1986 draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Heston Kjerstad narrowly missed the honor when he went No. 2 overall in 2020 to the Baltimore Orioles.

Which SEC team has beaten Arkansas football the most times?

Texas has sent the Hogs home with a loss 55 times.

Name the only coach in Arkansas Razorbacks history to have an outright national championship in a major sport.

Nolan Richardson, basketball, 1994
Frank Broyles claims the only other national championship in football, but it is highly disputed with Alabama being the commonly recognized champion for that year and the only champion acknowledged in sports almanacs. Because of this, rules were changed the following year to include bowl games as part of consideration for the national title because the Football Writers Association of America decided to break with tradition and name Arkansas its champion after Alabama lost its bowl game to Texas even though bowl games were only to be considered exhibitions at the time.

What basketball player averaged the most points per game for Arkansas?

Martin Terry, 28.27 in 1973. He is also No. 2 with 24.35 in 1972. 

Which football coach has the highest winning percentage in Arkansas football history?

Ken Hatfield, 76%, 55-17-1, 1984-1989

What are the most points the Razorbacks have ever scored in a basketball game? 

166 vs. U.S. International in 1988. The Hogs held on to win 166-101 in a shootout.

Which football coach has the lowest winning percentage in Arkansas football history?

Chad Morris, 18.2%, 4-18, 2018-19

Well, how did you do? Be honest?

Head over to one of our social media pages and let us know how you did. Which answers surprised you?

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