Arkansas Lt. Gov. To Resign In Ethics Scandal
Lieutenant Governor Mark Darr of Arkansas was facing certain impeachment and conviction.
The state Ethics Commission last month had fined Darr, a Republican, for 11 separate violations, including making personal use of more than $30,000 of his campaign funds. The Office of Legislative Audit said Darr improperly spent $3,500 on his state credit card and improperly filed for an equal amount in travel reimbursements. “Politics can be a toxic business. I will no longer subject my family to its hard lessons,” Darr said in a statement released by his office Frodau evening. Darr had submitted his resignation to House Speaker Davy Carter and Senate President Michael Lamoureux.
Darr signed a letter Dec. 30 in which he agreed to pay the $11,000 Ethics Commission fine, and he has pledged to reimburse the state for findings in the legislative audit. Darr insisted the violations were unintentional and had vowed to stay in office.
A day after the former pizza shop owner agreed to the Ethics Commission’s fines, Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe and Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation called for Darr to resign.
