Shane Perry is the new city attorney for Pea Ridge.

Approved at the Feb. 20 City Council meeting, Perry fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Howard Slinkard, long-time city attorney and Michael Bearden, who bought Slinkard's law firm, and served for about a year.

"We had advertised quite some time ago," Mayor Jackie Crabtree said, adding that "about three different ones" turned in proposals. Crabtree said Perry has worked for the Arkansas Municipal League, for Walmart and was a Bentonville City Council member. "He has been in your seats for some time, too. That's the kind of experience that is really going to be an asset for us."

In following references, the mayor said the head of the legal counsel, Mark Hayes, highly recommended Perry saying he was one of the brightest lawyers he's worked with.

"Thanks for your consideration... I look forward to serving the city," Perry said.

Perry is a resident of Bentonville. He earned his bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Mississippi and his juris doctorate from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law.

Perry worked for law firms in Jackson, Miss., and Birmingham, Ala., before moving to Arkansas to work for the Trammell Law Firm in Little Rock in 2\1994. He worked for the Arkansas Municipal League from 1995 to 2002 and began working with Walmart in 2002. He served in various positions there and is currently senior director of Strategy, Governance and Administration, Walmart U.S. Ethics and Compliance.

He served on the Bentonville City Council from 2007-2014, Bentonville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board from 2007-2014, and currently serves on the Bentonville Parks Conservancy. He served on the Girls on the Run Board of Directors from 2008-2013 and i active in the First United Methodist Church of Bentonville.

General News on 02/28/2018