LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After news hit that a state employee had been removed from the Franklin County prison project for reportedly sending an email that appeared to mock residents, opponents of the plans have since made public more emails that show state employees knew of the project months in advance.
The project, first announced to the public on Oct. 31, would put a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said the prison would address a bed shortage, but residents and local leaders alike are not on board.
The Franklin County and River Valley Coalition (FCRVC) was established in response to the plans, and the group has since taken aim at Sanders and the state government.
The coalition has accused the governor and state employees of lacking transparency and failing to properly inform the public on this project.
The state drew more ire after the coalition discovered an email between two state employees that showed apparent mocking of Franklin County residents upset with the prison.
The email in question, received by 5NEWS via FCRVC's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, showed Jonathan Duran messaging Shelby Johnson on the day the announcement was made. Duran is the Deputy Director at the Office of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), while Johnson is the director of that office. The email read as follows:
"Do you think a possible town hall meeting in Franklin County about the proposed state prison might go a little like this?"
Accompanied was a video of the adult cartoon South Park, which some Franklin County residents interpreted as mocking those affected by or upset about the incoming prison.
Duran was reportedly involved in the development of the prison, and a statement shared by the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS) on Dec. 10 called the email "unprofessional." The full statement can be read here:
"This employee's correspondence displayed a level of poor judgment and unprofessional behavior that are uncharacteristic of his 14 years of public service to the State of Arkansas. He has reached out to Franklin County Judge Bowman to apologize personally, and we have removed him from any further work on the prison project."
FCRVC's request yielded other emails, which it shared with 5NEWS.
From the documents that 5NEWS has obtained from FCRVC so far, emails dating back to July show discussion between state employees about the proposed Franklin County prison.
In an email thread from July, GIS Officer Shelby Johnson asked DBA Deputy Director Chris Bell if there were any code names or words for when talking about the site.
"Do we have a code word [aka - Operation Star Dust] or name [aka – Vesta or Mill Creek Mountain] for this site? I’ve been using Charleston, but that’s not real accurate," Johnson said.
Bell replied that in his head it's "the Franklin County Farm Site."
In one email from Aug. 26, Arkansas Development and Finance Authority President Mark Conine addresses state employees Kimberly Helble and Jake Bleed, asking for a reminder to "put the land purchase for the new prison on the September board agenda."
In response to the email, Bleed replied "It's not for a prison though. It's a land purchase in Franklin County and we are purchasing it to pursue our own corporate purposes."
In separate emails from August, Conine, along with state employee Anne Laidlaw, discussed the Oct. 31 land purchase months before it happened.
"When do you expect the purchase to take place," Conine said. Laidlaw replied, "I think realistically it will be October within our purchase option period."
Later that day, Laidlaw said "We may have to wait until your October meeting to avoid disclosure of the property too soon in our process."
On Oct. 23, Conine sent an email discussing the necessary discretion needed for the project.
"Our board meeting is scheduled for next week, October 31st, at 10:00 a.m. I will be asking our board to approve the option to purchase the identified land in Franklin County. I would like to circle-back with you, Selby, and/or Allison tomorrow and get some guidance on how discreet I need to be at our board meeting next week," Conine said.
"I appreciate everyone’s work on this project," Conine added.
Another email, this one from Nov. 5, showed State Architect Nathan Alderson addressing state employees for the then upcoming town hall, confirming that Sanders would not be in attendance and acknowledging concerns in the community.
"We do know that the surrounding community is surprised by the news and is a little concerned about the prison being located in their community," Alderson said.
The emails didn't stop after the Nov. 7 town hall, however.
Laidlaw, the director of TSS's Division of Building Authority, was shown in a Nov. 8 email congratulating Department of Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace on the town hall.
"It was a very tough situation to be in, but you all handled it beautifully. It was a very difficult situation which I know is weighing very heavily on you, but I was very proud of you," Laidlaw said.
These emails, among others, have left Franklin County residents and opponents of the prison plans feeling frustrated about perceived disrespect and lack of transparency.
Residents React
On Dec. 11, in the wake of these emails coming to light, 5NEWS spoke to multiple members of the coalition about how they got them and what they want residents to know.
Jonathan Tedford said that he and his family own land on the north and south of the prison property.
Tedford owns his own business, and his wife stays home and homeschools their kids. He said that they moved here because they wanted to live in this community and raise their children there because it's a great place to live.
"We just wanted a life away from everybody, where it's quiet, where our kids could hunt and fish," Tedford said. "We're raising our kids to be self-sufficient, smart, tough people, the kind of people you find in country communities and country towns and in places like where we're living out on Mill Creek Mountain."
Tedford explained that the plans put the safety and security of his family, and their community, at risk.
"It changes the community for the worse almost every time. Never does it bring something where it's like, this community is going to be way better now, since we put a prison in it," Tedford said.
Tedford added that more than anything, this is an issue of government transparency.
"This is in our backyard. You know, we hear a lot about the 'not in my backyard' people, and that's not what we want to be labeled as. Really, we want people to know that this is a transparency issue with government," Tedford said.
"We've elected government officials that we've trusted with our word to represent us at the capitol and what they've done is made a decision without telling anybody," Tedford continued. "People need to understand this isn't an issue where we're mad that our legislators got together and voted and passed a bill or passed a law or did something like that. Nobody knew."
Tedford said that this could be just the beginning.
"Right now, we're talking about a prison in Franklin County. What's it going to be next year? What else are we going to have to worry about? You know, tax money going to what else? Are we going to have to worry about the legacy that the governor and her team wants to leave, that nobody else agrees with and nobody else is voting for" Tedford asked.
Members of the coalition have taken trips to Little Rock to talk with legislators, and Tedford personally thanked Gary Stubblefield, Brian King, and Greg Leding, who have all voiced concerns about the project.
On the other side of that, Tedford said that Ben Gilmore has spread "blatant lies" about community involvement meetings taking place before the announcement.
Tedford concluded that he believes the state underestimated the people of Franklin County.
"I think they looked at that and looked at a small population and said, even if they cause a big stink, it's not gonna be a big deal. It's not gonna stop anything," Tedford said.
Franklin County Justice of the Peace Lacey Clark said that she's angry, and that Charleston and the surrounding area is more than what the state government is making it out to be.
"I was angry because Charleston is so much more than what was deflected from that email," Clark said. "We are a tight knit community that takes care of one another, and for someone in power to show us like that made me very angry."
"They don't take us seriously, and as someone that's supposed to represent us, it's pretty hard not to be mad about it," Clark added.
Clark shared that she's concerned about what project Duran might be assigned to next.
"The next project he's on, is he going to treat that community the same way? I think that you need to have a certain amount of respect for people whose tax dollars are paying your salary. I think that you need to have a certain amount of respect that I just don't think that we have gotten. I don't know that a formal apology will suffice," Clark said.
Clark added that the coalition won't stop until there are no other options.
Speaking alongside Clark and Tedford was Adam Watson, the legal and legislative chair for the coalition.
Watson shared that he moved to Charleston from Houston two years ago in search of a quiet life, to get away from everything. However, he said that when the coalition came together, it was an opportunity to use his skills and help out.
"Being born and raised in a big city and being from there and moving here? It's not shocking to hear that's how government feels about people in places like this. It's really disappointing, though," Watson said.
Watson explained that the FOIA request that first revealed the emails first came from a community member who was just trying to do their part, and he has since been able to sift through information.
"From a strategic perspective, my goal was determining where we could have the most impact with it, and what our best course of action was with being such a small group," Watson said.
He added that the coalition's ultimate goal is to stop the construction of the prison before it's too late.
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