Former Metro Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison hopes to get back into city government—this time as East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters. Addison, who served three terms on the council from 2001-2012, is among 24 hopefuls who have applied for the position, which longtime Registrar Elaine Lamb is vacating as she retires.
Addison is campaigning for the position and says he has received firm commitments of support from at least two council members, whom he declines to identify. But he says it’s too soon to say he has the seven votes necessary to be appointed to the position, which will pay between $85,000 and $117,000, according to the Council Administrator’s office.
“I’m not naïve but there have been at least a couple of people who say they think I have the qualifications and credentials to do the job, and that was great to hear from former colleagues and people I’ve worked with,” Addison says. “But the council is going to do their due diligence with everybody and go through all the resumes.”
Addison says he has contacted several of the council members individually and will continue to do so. He also plans to email them letting them know of his “desire to serve.” Among the Metro Council members Addison has spoken with is Joel Boé, who says he talked with Addison on Tuesday.
“We talked at length about why he wants to be in that position and why he thinks he’s right for the job; all those good standard interview-type questions,” Boé says, adding that he’s only discussed the position with one other applicant to date.
When asked if Addison is a frontrunner for the job, Boé says: “To say that he’s in the lead, I’m not sure about that, but I would expect he’s got a decent amount of support among the council.”
Boé says he will continue to review all the applicants’ résumés, adding he is not yet set on a candidate.
“I’m keeping an open mind,” he says. “I want to interview most of them before I make a decision,but it’s a lot to get done between now and next Wednesday.”
The Metro Council takes up the matter at its meeting on Wednesday, June 10. However, the council does not have to fill the position before July 1, which means it could defer a vote next week and take up the issue at its regular meeting on June 24.
Addison, who has his own marketing and consulting business, says he’s seeking the position because he wants to return to active service in city-parish government and be involved in the electoral process. He says he also wants to study the processes and procedures used by the Registrar’s office and make it as efficient and effective as possible.
Addison is one of the best-known names on the list of hopefuls for the position. Another former elected official—Jerry Arbour, who served on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for several years—also has applied. Boé says Metro Councilman and Mayor Pro Temp Chandler Loupe was considering applying for the job, but decided against it.
See the full list of all of the applicants for the job.
—Stephanie Riegel and Steve Sanoski
