The head of Louisiana’s gambling regulatory board is out after state senators refused to confirm his reappointment on the final day of the regular legislative session.
Ronnie Jones, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, was among 11 appointees selected by statewide elected officials to serve on boards and commissions who did not receive approval Monday from the Senate, according to a list provided to The Associated Press.
Senators debated the confirmation decisions behind closed doors in an executive session. They didn’t discuss the appointments publicly, but rather crafted a list of hundreds of appointees who were confirmed in one vote. Jones wasn’t on that list.
“There’s not a whole lot I can really say about that,” said Republican Sen. Sharon Hewitt, who chairs the Senate committee that holds confirmation hearings and manages the process.
Jones, an appointee of Gov. John Bel Edwards, said Tuesday he was blindsided by the decision.
“It was a total surprise to me,” he said. “After the Senate had adjourned, I got a call from a staffer with the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee. He said, ‘I have to tell you that you were not confirmed.’ I said, ‘Excuse me?’ He said it again, and I said, ‘Wow.’”
The Senate traditionally has given individual members the privilege to block confirmation of appointments from their home districts to boards and commissions. No reason has to be given. Jones says he lives in the New Orleans district of Democratic Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, who didn’t immediately return a phone call Tuesday.
Hewitt said she could not say what objections any senator may have raised to reconfirming Jones for the position he’s held since August 2013, or comment on how many senators objected to the confirmation because the discussions were held in executive session.
The 11 people who weren’t confirmed to their jobs include appointees of Edwards, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain. One of Strain’s top assistants, Fred Bass, was blocked by the Senate, and former Rep. Walt Leger was rejected for his position as president of the New Orleans convention center board.
Two other members of the Gaming Control Board received approval for their appointments, Hewitt said.
The nine-member board regulates Louisiana’s riverboat casinos, the New Orleans land-based casino, more than 2,000 video poker sites and the slot machine facilities at four racetracks. Board members serve staggered, six-year terms.
Besides Jones, two other members of the Gaming Control Board received approval for their appointments, Hewitt said.
The nine-member board regulates Louisiana’s riverboat casinos, the New Orleans land-based casino, more than 2,000 video poker sites and the slot machine facilities at four racetracks. Board members serve staggered, six-year terms.
Jones, a retired state police deputy superintendent, was appointed chairman of the board by Republican former Gov. Bobby Jindal. Edwards, a Democrat, reappointed Jones in July.
“I am deeply disappointed that Ronnie Jones was not confirmed after his decades of service and experience in gaming regulation,” Edwards said in a statement. The governor described Jones as “uniquely qualified to fairly and ethically lead the group that regulates the gaming industry.” Read the full story.
