It came as no surprise when Talk Business mentioned this morning that Grant Tennille, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, had said Asa Hutchinson had informed him he’d be replaced at AEDC. Continue a Beebe loyalist (and, incidentally, an outspoken defender of same-sex marriage) in the agency on which Hutchinson focused so much of his campaign? Wasn’t going to happen. Scoop: I bet Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford won’t be around long either.
Hutchinson has promised changes and they will come by the carload. A better question would be which, if any, state agency leaders will survive. Hutchinson issued a statement on Tennille that I think can be interchangeable as to the first two paragraphs, only the name and agencies be changed.
LITTLE ROCK – Governor-Elect Asa Hutchinson issued the following statement regarding his decision not to retain current Arkansas Economic Development Commission executive director Grant Tennille:
“I want to thank Grant for the outstanding leadership he has provided as director of the AEDC. He served the people of Arkansas well, and I am grateful for his willingness to assist during the transition.
“Job creation and economic growth are my top priorities as I prepare to take over as Governor in January. At this time, our steering committee is already in the process of evaluating applicants and searching for a new leader in this critical position.”
On second thought, I can think of one or two he might not want to say served Arkansas well.