Princella Smith, director of education for Secretary of State Mark Martin has resigned, Martin’s press spokesman Alice Stewart said.
Smith, a Republican candidate for 1st district Congress in 2010, was ticketed by State Police last week for driving without a vehicle license or insurance and for driving with a suspended driver’s license. She was taken to jail on the citations and required to post bond, which led to her photo appearing on the Cross County sheriff’s website in her hometown of Wynne. She was put on leave with pay while the office undertook an internal review.
Smith submitted a letter of resignation that said she was disappointed she had cast a “negative light” on the secretary of state’s office. She said she’d taken swift action “to correct these issues.” Smith, often described as a rising Republican star, occasionally does stints as a conservative commentator on cable news programs. She also has a political consulting firm from which the photo was drawn. Stewart declined further comment except to say the letter had been accepted and they wished Smith well.
The Democrat-Gazette noted that employees in the secretary of state’s office must produce a driver’s license, proof of insurance for use of a personal vehicle on state business and information about any driving violations.