Three Red Bank city commissioners began another week without commenting on a high-profile firing of the police chief, inviting questions about whether the city's political wing influenced an administrative decision.
Monday marked the 11th straight day City Manager Chris Dorsey declined to say why he fired police Chief Larry Sneed, who ran the department for seven years.
Commissioner Floy Pierce identified herself as one of several commissioners who conveyed "issues" with Mr. Sneed to Mr. Dorsey. She said residents should know the truth behind the firing, but she would not reveal any information herself.
At the start of 2014, the team behind Big Orange announced plans to open a brewery, and then were able to make it happen before the end of the year. Officially opened the weekend before Christmas, here are a few things to know before you visit Lost Forty Brewing, a Q&A with the head brewer, and a photo tour of the facility. (Oh, and also this year, Big Orange — along with liquor stores around the state — began filling growlers.)
Diamond Bear Brewing Co. moved it's headquarters from Little Rock to North Little Rock this year (and now they offer food!). Also new to DB in 2014? Southern Blonde in can form.
We held our first-ever Sync Craft Beer Tournament, narrowing a field of 32 regional beers down to 16, eight, four and then finally a winner. (Here's a recap of how we picked which beers to include, in case you're wondering.)
In April, there was noise of new brews making their way to Arkansas shelves. Local distillery Rock Town had similar news as its rum hit local shelves shortly after. This year also saw the ABC working to catch up with the boom of craft breweries in the state in terms of regulation.
Two independent brewers — Matt Foster and Josiah Moody — kept us up-to-date on what their recent endeavors in the world of brewing, and nanobrewery Stone's Throw Brewing celebrated its anniversary with news of expansion.
It was actually late last year that Joel Antunes hinted about big changes at Ashley's, and this year saw those changes come to life in the form of One Eleven at the Capital. Updates worth getting excited about: a predictably still-delicious menu and a new wine program.
In the fall, more breweries: news of a River Market brewery. One of Blue Canoe's brewers, Laura Berryhill, is one of the few females currently behind craft-beer production in the state.
Speaking of the River Market, Boscos closed, and soon after, Damgoode Pies announced plans to fill the space with an eatery and its first brewery. Plus, Raimondo Family Winery announced that it'd be moving its production facility and tasting room to downtown Little Rock.
Along Main Street, Maduro owner Michael Peace closed his cigar bar and reopened the spot as a speakeasy called 109 & Co. And lastly, down the street, Samantha's Tap Room — set to open in early 2015 — released a first look at its menu.
Plus, it's worth noting that in November, voters elected to make alcohol sales legal in Saline County.
What a year, right?
Bonus: Take our quiz on where to drink in the metro.
"It is our city manager's place to tell what happened," she said. "What he did with certain information is his business, and I wasn't involved in that."
Mr. Dorsey took responsibility before clamming up.
"That is true," he said. "And we can't comment now."
Mayor Joe Glasscock, who said he still doesn't know why Mr. Sneed was fired, said it was clear that certain commissioners are "controlling their city manager."
"If Commissioner Pierce or any other commissioner knows, then the entire city of Red Bank should know about it," Mr. Glasscock said.
Another commissioner felt the heat at last Tuesday's commission meeting, when a few Red Bank residents insinuated that Vice Mayor Monty Millard's two arrests by the Red Bank Police Department led to Mr. Sneed's firing.
The vice mayor again denied asking for Mr. Sneed's dismissal. He said he only "encouraged Chris Dorsey to do the right thing" after hearing about personnel issues at the police department.
Commissioner Greg Jones declined comment and repeated his support for Mr. Dorsey.
"I don't know that there's anything to hide," Mr. Jones said. "But maybe some things don't need to be said at this time."
At least one resident argued for transparency during last week's commission meeting.
"It's especially dangerous when the city manager acted without sufficient documented data to support his decision," resident John Westmeier said. "If his judgment is at fault, I'm concerned about the job he may do in the future."
Reached Monday afternoon, Mr. Sneed's attorney, Lee Davis, said he was drafting a lawsuit against several commissioners, Mr. Dorsey and the city.
Mr. Davis successfully sued the city of Chattanooga on behalf of two police officers in an age discrimination case earlier this year. The city is appealing a combined $750,000 settlement.
When asked about the strength of Mr. Sneed's lawsuit, Mr. Davis declined comment except to mention that his firm turns away 90 percent of employment cases.
"We hope they get the message and give Larry his job back," Mr. Davis said.
Red Bank City Attorney Arnold Stultze said the unexplained situation is "unfortunate," but said the threat of a lawsuit creates the need for silence.