EBR Republican Party chairman hired as assistant to Holden

John J. Price, a local attorney and chairman of the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Party, started work today as an assistant chief administrative officer to Mayor Kip Holden. Price is not replacing anyone in the mayor’s office, but rather is filling a vacant position, says Holden’s media relations aide, Scott Dyer. The mayor’s office did not release any information about Price’s salary or the specific duties he’ll be responsible for, saying only he “will work on projects assigned by Mayor Holden” in a prepared release. Attempts to get Price’s salary from the mayor’s office, human resource office and public information office were unsuccessful. Price holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in communications from LSU and is a graduate of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law School. He has practiced law for the past 27 years, has had his own law practice since 2000 and is a member of the LSU Law School Hall of Fame. Along with his work on the local level with the Republican Party, Price serves on the State Central Committee of the Louisiana Republican Party. Meanwhile, Dyer says, William Daniel is no longer interim public works director, and has taken over permanently as director. Daniel previously served as an assistant to Holden and interim director of the department.