EDITORIAL: Twenty four candidates are seeking to replace Elaine Lamb, who is retiring as East Baton Rouge Parish registrar of voters. The job, which pays $85,000 to $117,000 and oversees an annual budget of about $870,000, could be filled by the Metro Council on Wednesday night. But does former Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison already have the inside track with many of his former colleagues?
I sure hope not.
One Metro Councilman, John Delgado, made some strong claims to The Advocate yesterday. “The fix is in. They are making Bones the registrar of voters,” Delgado said, according to the newspaper. “There is no consideration being given to candidates of actual quality.” Several council members denied the accusation but did say they were considering Addison as a top candidate.
Really? Have they looked at Addison’s qualifications versus those of the others? He has a marketing firm he runs out of his home, and his main qualification is that he belonged to the “fraternity” known as the Metro Council. For example, how does that compare to one applicant who is a former registrar of voters in the Fort Worth, Texas area, and worked in the East Baton Rouge office for 13 years prior to that?
The Metro Council has a chance tomorrow night to hire the best candidate who has the experience to do the job for the citizens of East Baton Rouge. That person is not Ulysses “Bones” Addison.
I would also add that it is not former East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Jerry Arbour, either. Though both of these applicants are now out of office, they seem dying to get another government job. The voters are expecting the Metro Council to put the interest of the people first and foremost and select the most qualified candidate for this important job.
—Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister
