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Scott Liles has officially hung up his hat as a journalist.
The former Baxter Bulletin reporter will be starting his first day of work as Mountain Home’s new City Clerk today after being sworn in early last Thursday after the resignation of former City Clerk Brian Plumlee.
“I’ll be here,” Liles said on opening the Clerk’s office on Monday morning after swearing-in.
Mountain Home’s Clerk’s Office has been unmanned since Plumlee’s loss against Baxter County Judge-Elect Kevin Litty earlier this year. Following the loss, Plumlee went on a vacation, returned for a short time, and then stopped coming in altogether, leaving his post to be filled by Mayor Hillrey Adams and his staff.
Plumlee could not be reached for comment.
With no City Clerk at the helm, the city and its residents have been frustrated with the creation and public release of city ordinances and updates to the city’s website. Those frustrations should subside now that Liles has filled the position early.
As City Clerk, Liles will be responsible for several roles, including serving as secretary to City Council, publishing agendas, releasing press releases to the media, preparing City Council minutes, publishing ordinances and resolutions as required by law, and acting as the legal custodian for the city’s records.
He is also responsible for assisting the Building Inspection Department in zoning and annexations, researching ordinances and resolution with the City Attorney, and writing grants as required by the Mayor.
He will also oversee Mountain Home’s city scrapbook. Unlike previous clerks, Liles will not maintain the city’s website. That responsibility has shifted to the staff within the Mayor’s Office. Liles is still responsible for creating much of the content that will be posted to the website.
He is set to earn $41,220 a year in his new position. He will serve a four-year term.
Liles is originally from Searcy and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Central Arkansas in 2000. In addition to his work with the Baxter Bulletin, he has been a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Harrison Daily Times. His byline has appeared in newspapers throughout Arkansas.
Liles is a lifelong Republican and is registered as such on his voter registration. For the past five years, he has served as a committeeman for the Baxter County Republican Committee, helping decide party matters at the local level. In June, he began another two-year term as committeeman.
He is the son of Kenneth Liles and the late Sue Liles of Searcy. As a child, Liles grew up around governmental operations, with his mother serving as White County’s tax collector for 16 years. She began working as a deputy collector in 1984 and was first elected collector in 2002.
Following her retirement in 2018, Sue Liles continued to serve White County as a Justice of the Peace and served in that position until her death earlier this year. Kenneth and Sue Liles also served the White County Republican Committee as that county’s state committeeman and committeewoman, helping set policy and lead the party at the state level.
