Emails: Ad account point of friction between former Tourism Sec. and first gentleman

Why it matters: The $15 million-per-year contract has been awarded to Little Rock firm CJRW, or firms controlled by its founders, since 1979.

• The current contract that started in 2017 ends June 30, 2024. It has a total projected cost to the state of nearly $124 million, according to the Democrat-Gazette.

The other side: Three days after Mills' email, Jordan Powell, director of public affairs for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, wrote in an email that Bryan Sanders did not want to take over an advertising account.

• Powell said he would "be serving as the point person in the Governor's office for all advertising at state agencies, including ADPHT."

Flashback: Mills was seeking a meeting with Bryan Sanders days before he resigned and emails revealed he planned to propose eliminating seven state parks.

• Bryan Sanders was appointed chair of the Natural State Advisory Council in January, which is tasked with growing the state's economy through tourism.

Between the lines: The executive order creating the council states, in part, that it is responsible for "coordinating with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism … to develop an innovative, data-driven marketing strategy to promote tourism and outdoor recreation in Arkansas."

What we're watching: The advertising contract with CJRW expires at the end of this fiscal year, so we'll be waiting to see when requests for proposals go out.