Welcome to Game and Fish
Gov. Mike Beebe rolls out his new Game and Fish Commissioner Emon Mahony at 11 a.m. this morning at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Natural Center. (A caller tells me that he's the second Mahony on the commission. His late brother Mike served by appointment of Gov. Dale Bumpers in the 1970s.)
In answer to a reader question: The eight-member commission has overseen the agency for 64 years, since the passage of Amendment 35. Of the 82 commissioners named during that time, one has been a woman (Pat Peacock of Stuttgart completed an unexpired term in 1994-95) and one was two were black, Tommy Sproles, appointed to a full term by Gov. Bill Clinton in 1983 and then his successor, also appointed by Clinton, Dr. James E. Moore.
NEWS RELEASE
Governor Mike Beebe has named Emon Mahony of El Dorado as the newest commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
"Emon is a true conservationist, the result of being a lifetime outdoor sportsman," Beebe said. "He understands both the environmental protection and economic opportunities that good stewardship can foster."
Mahony, 68, has been a trustee for the Arkansas Nature Conservancy since 2007. Governor Pryor previously appointed him to the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission in 1978, where he served for seven years, including one as chairman. He was one of the advocates who helped establish the one-eighth cent conservation sales tax for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and still works to create conservation easements to protect local ecosystems.
Since 1996, Mahony has been president of an oil-and-gas business in Union County. He spent the 20 years prior to that with the Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corporation, serving most of that time as the company’s president. He also worked for U.S. Senator John McClellan and as a private attorney.
Mahony fills the 4th Congressional District position on the Commission, replacing Freddie Black. His term will expire July 1, 2016.
Comments
Two black men have been Game and Fish commissioners. Tommy Sproles was succeeded by Dr. James Moore, also of Little Rock. Moore was on the commission 1990-1997. Nonetheless, the Game and Fish Commission has been heavily laden with rich white men all through its history. Something of an exception was last year's appointment -- Ron Duncan, a Springdale school counselor. White man, yes. Rich, no.
Posted by: Olefishbait![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 1, 2009 06:14 PM
I agree. Democrats need to make room for more blacks in Arkansas politics. Also, the legislators of this state should restore the Second Amendment rights which were taken away from blacks in the 1860's and 1870's. It is time for the black men and women in Arkansas to stand up for their gun rights and be able to defend themselves without having to pay an exorbitant fee.
Posted by: arkyhog![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 1, 2009 07:08 PM
Has anyone ever seen a AG&F Enforcement Officer smile?
Posted by: Alligatorgar![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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July 1, 2009 09:25 PM
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Posted by: aadhar![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 22, 2009 09:55 PM