An 11-member committee has been appointed to study Little Rock city government and report later this year.

Each of the 7 ward directors  made a pick and Mayor Frank Scott Jr. had final say on the other four.

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Here are the members:

* Loretta Hendrix, an education strategist, Ward 1 (Director Erma Hendrix.) She is Director Hendrix’s daughter.

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* Justice of the Peace Donna Massey, a community group activist, Ward 2 (Director Ken Richardson).

* Preston Eldridge, a lawyer, Ward 3 (Director Kathy Webb).

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* Rick Campbell, a lawyer, Ward 4 (Director Capi Peck)

* Daryl Coker, sales consultant, Ward 5 (Director Lance Hines).

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* Ann Marshall Grigsby, former federal court Pulaski school desegregation monitor, Ward 6 (Director Doris Wright).

* Don Shellabarger, an Otter Creek retiree who makes regular appearances in the Democrat-Gazette letters column with conservative points of view, Ward 7 (Director B.J. Wyrick)

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Then there are four people to represent the three at-large directors and the mayor. Scott told me they all were appointed by him, after he’d solicited input from the three at-large directors. This was the result.

* Karen Buchanan, dean of academic affairs at Shorter College and a former Little Rock school administrator, was an appointee of the mayor.

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* Robert Coon, a political consultant at Impact Management, was an appointee of the mayor.

* Gary Smith, businessman and former Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce chairman, was suggested by at-large Director Dean Kumpuris.

* Ronnie Jackson, president of the East Little Rock Neighborhood Association, was among three people suggested by at-large Director Joan Adcock.

Scott said at-large Director Gene Fortson did not suggest an appointee for the committee, which left him with two picks.

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Scott campaigned for changing Little Rock to a mayor-council government. Past efforts to elect all directors from wards have been turned back by the City Board. Such a measure could be put on the ballot by petition.

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