Merryman appointed to Arkadelphia city board

An Arkadelphia native was appointed Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to fill a seat on the city board.

Emily Merryman was the sole applicant for the Ward 1 seat that was recently left vacant by Taylor Chaney, who announced he was moving out of the area.

Merryman is an alumna of Ouachita Baptist University and the wife of Jon Merryman, now the executive vice president of the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce. The couple met during the aftermath of the March 1, 1997 tornado that crippled Arkadelphia and when a newly organized Tiger Serve Day doled out supplies to families whose homes were damaged. As a student, Jon was a member of that first-ever Tiger Serve Day, and Emily, who was a senior in high school, resided in a home that sustained damage.

Emily is chief of operations at Taylor King Law’s firm headquarters in Arkadelphia.

Prior to making the decision official, directors met for about two minutes in executive session after hearing introductory remarks from Merryman. After a unanimous vote from the board for Merryman to fill the position, she was sworn in by city clerk Chama Williams.

The addition of Merryman makes for a full roster of city directors, a seven-member panel now comprised of five males and two females. Merryman’s appointment also marks the third filled vacancy in recent months; other wards were vacated when former Ward 3 director Keith Crews failed to turn in election paperwork on time, and when former Ward 4 director Reo Cummings followed his career path to Texas. Those seats were respectively filled by Robin Jones and Robert Davis.

The four-year term for the Ward 1 position ends Dec. 31, 2028.