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Gilbert Baker
Gilbert Baker (b. September 5, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 30 from 2001 to 2013.
Baker was the chair of a group that sponsored the Secret Ballot Amendment. This amendment wasproposed as an initiated constitutional amendment; it would require that ballots in union elections be private.[1]
Baker was ineligible to run for re-election to the Arkansas State Senate in 2012 due to term limits. In his post-legislative career, Baker was a lobbyist for the University of Central Arkansas and political fundraiser throughout the state.
Biography
Baker earned his B.F.A. from Louisiana Tech University in 1977 and his M.M. from the University of Arizona in 1978. His professional experience includes working as a Teacher, Academic Advisor and Administrator for the University of Central Arkansas for 22 years. He was Chair of the Faulkner County Republican Party from 1997 to 1999.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Baker served on these committees:
- Subcommittee on Claims
- Subcommittee on Peer Review
- Subcommittee on Personnel
- Subcommittee on Special Language
- Education Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Senate Efficiency Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Legislative Facilities Committee, Arkansas Assembly
- State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, Arkansas State Senate, Vice Chair
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Baker served on these committees:
- Children and Youth Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- Senate Efficiency Committee, Arkansas State Senate
- State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee, Arkansas State Senate
Elections
2008
On November 4, 2008, Baker won election to the 30th District Seat in the Arkansas State Senate, defeating opponent Joe White (D).[2]
Baker raised $466,049 for his campaign, while White raised $450,027.[3]
| Arkansas State Senate, District 30 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
 Gilbert Baker (R)
|
20,253 | |||
| Joe White (D) | 16,561 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Scorecards
Arkansas’s Freedom Scorecard
The Advance Arkansas Institute, an Arkansas-based nonprofit research and educational organization, released Arkansas's Freedom Scorecard in 2012 and 2013. The scorecard graded legislators based on how they voted on the principles the group sought to promote. The group identified the following six categories as interest areas tracked by this scorecard: "economic freedom, education reform, good government, personal liberty, small government, and tax/budget policy." Scores range from 100 percent (the highest score) to 0 percent (the lowest score). A higher score indicates that the legislator voted more in favor of the values supported by this group.[4] Gilbert received a score of 90% in the 2012 scorecard, ranking 1st out of 34 members of the Arkansas State Senate that were evaluated for the study.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Baker and his wife, Susan, have eight children.
Post-legislative activities
After working in the Arkansas State Legislature for 12 years, Baker became a lobbyist with the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) and worked to organize fundraisers for Arkansas politicians. According to Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times, Baker had "been organizing fund-raisers and putting political candidates in touch with potential donors, particularly in the nursing home industry."[5] One of Baker's chief donors in the nursing home industry is Michael Morton, whose companies operate about 15 percent of the nursing homes in Arkansas and "have given more than $1.3 million to dozens of political races in Arkansas" since 1999.[6]
In November 2014, Baker and Morton were named as defendants in a lawsuit over political contributions to former judge Mike Maggio and their influence on a decision against one of Morton's nursing homes. According to the Conway Log Cabin Democrat, the lawsuit alleged that "Maggio reduced Morton’s sentencing from $5.2 million to $1 million, which resulted from the influence of campaign contributions from Morton toward Maggio’s Arkansas Court of Appeals campaign." Baker has since taken a leave of absence from UCA.[7] The lawsuit alleges that Baker "acted as an agent for Maggio soliciting campaign contributions."[8] As of November 2015, the lawsuit was ongoing.
See also
- Arkansas State Legislature
- Arkansas State Senate
- Arkansas Senate Committees
- Arkansas state legislative districts
External links
- Official Arkansas State Senate website of Senator Gilbert Baker
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart biography of Senator Gilbert Baker
- Campaign Contributions: 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000
Footnotes
- ↑ WXVT-15, "Ark. AG rejects secret ballot amendment," May 14, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ VoteNaturally.org, "2008 general election results, Arkansas," November 4, 2008
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Arkansas Senate spending, 2008," November 4, 2008
- ↑ Advance Arkansas Institute, "Arkansas’s Freedom Scorecard 2012," accessed January 14, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Times, "Courtway: UCA lobbyist Baker, as political fund-raiser, 'like any other state employee,'" February 12, 2014
- ↑ THV 11, "Arkansas Business: Morton expanding elder care despite legal woe," March 16, 2015
- ↑ Conway Log Cabin Democrat, "Baker deflects Maggio lawsuit talk, discusses UCA leave," January 15, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Matters, "Lawsuit Claims Campaign Contributions Influenced Ruling by Former Judge Mike Maggio," November 18, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas State Senate District 30 2001–2013 |
Succeeded by Linda Pondexter Chesterfield (D) |
