Kathy Webb (born 1949) is an American restaurateur and politician from Little Rock, Arkansas. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she was re-elected and currently served as Vice Mayor of Ward 3 of Little Rock, and previously served as Vice Mayor of Little Rock from 2015 to 2017. She formerly served in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

, representing the state's 37th district from January 8, 2007, to January 13, 2013. She was re-elected as Vice Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas in January 2023 and replacing Ward 5 City Director Lanes Hines.

Early life, education and career

Webb grew up in Arkansas and in sixth grade volunteered for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. In 1967, she graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock. Webb went on to earn a B.A. in political science from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and attended graduate school at the University of Central Arkansas. In 2007, Webb complete
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government
program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as
David BohnettLGBTQ Victory Institute
Leadership Fellow. After working full-time in the women's movement for several years, Webb took a job in the hospitality industry. She worked her way up at a large franchisee of Domino's Pizza, then went on to take a position as vice president of a bagel chain in Chicago before starting her own barbecue restaurant. Webb moved to Little Rock in 2002 as co-owner of Lilly's Dim Sum.

Political career

After winning a four-way Democratic primary on May 23, 2006, with 57 percent of the vote, Webb was elected without Republican opposition and was sworn into the

in January 2007. Webb ran unopposed in 2008 & 2010. In the

, Webb served as co-chair of the Joint Budget Committee, the first woman to hold that position. Webb also served on the Rules, Education and Facilities Committees, as well as the executive committee of Legislative Council. She served as co-chair of the Governor's Working Group on Public Safety and Corrections, Co-chair of the Sustainable Building and Design Task Force and co-chair of the Governor's Commission on Global Warming. Due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

, Webb was ineligible for re-election in 2012. In 2014, Webb was elected to represent Ward 3 on the Little Rock City Board.

Community service and awards

Webb serves on the boards of the UAMS College of Medicine Board of Visitors, Arkansas Hospice and FUMCLR Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Missions Committee at FUMCLR and the United Methodist Conference Finance and Administrative Board. Webb is a member of the Pulaski County Democratic Women, Pulaski County Democratic Committee, and the State Democratic Committee. She will serve as a Party Leader delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. She co-founded the Legislative Hunger Caucus and was the founding president of the Chicago area affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Webb received the Legend Champion Award from Arkansas Kids Count Coalition, JCA Humanitarian of the Year Award, First Branch Award from the Arkansas Judicial Council and Pioneer Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners. Webb has also been honored by the Sierra Club, Arkansas AIDS Foundation, Arkansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Pulaski County CASA, Interfaith Alliance for Worker Justice, National WAND/WiLL, Arkansas AARP, Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Municipal League. Webb received the Hendrix College Ethel K. Millar Award for social justice and the Rev. Negail Riley Award from Black Methodists for Social Renewal. In 2012 TALK BUSINESS rated her as the Most Effective Member of the House of Representatives. In September 2023, Webb announces that she will step down as CEO of Arkansas Hunger Alliance on January 31, 2024.

Personal life

A lesbian, Webb was the first openly gay person to serve in the

Arkansas General Assembly The General Assembly of Arkansas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 ...

. She resides in Little Rock where she is executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. Webb is a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry, most recently as co-owner of Lilly's Dim Sum, Then Some. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church. The acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams is her cousin.

References

External links

Legislative homepage

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Kathy 1949 births Living people American women chefs American lesbian politicians LGBT state legislators in Arkansas Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas People from Blytheville, Arkansas Women state legislators in Arkansas 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians Hall High School (Arkansas) alumni American women restaurateurs LGBT chefs