The board of directors of Little Rock, Arkansas, voted March 17 to issue up to $16.5 million in bonds to purchase 27.7 acres near the city's River Market District and prepare the land for a Clinton presidential library.
Although three speakers at the board meeting spoke out against the president and the library, the directors voted 10-0 to pursue the bond issue. "It's not about Bill Clinton," said City Director Brad Cazort, "It's about economic development. There's nothing in it that is a detriment to this city, and I wholeheartedly support it, even as a Republican."
A nonprofit group is expected to eventually lease the site from the city and build the library and museum at an estimated cost of $80–$100 million. It would be run by the National Archives.
Posted March 23, 1998.