Bond approval gets bumpy

• By CHARLES LUSSIER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Nov 6, 2009 - Page: 4B

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What would ordinarily have been a routine vote to sell $21.4 million worth of bonds turned into an unexpected backroom drama at the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board committee meeting Thursday.

Board members Vereta Lee and W.T. Winfield sparked the drama when they, after saying nothing during the preceding debate, cast “no” votes on the proposal to allow the school system to sell the bonds.

With only eight of 12 board members present, the two “no” votes left only six “yes” votes.

That was one vote short of the seven votes needed for approval.

Although a committee meeting, the board was convened as a “committee of the whole,” meaning the whole board sits as a committee.

The absent board members were Randy Lamana, Darryl Robertson, Tarvald Smith and Derrick Spell.

Board President Jerry Arbour soon after called for a short recess and Superintendent John Dilworth and board attorney Domoine Rutledge and a couple of board members stepped out into the hallway to talk further.

After the meeting, Winfield said he wanted more specifics about the construction projects the bond sale will fund.

“I wanted a list of shovel-ready projects,” Winfield said.

After the meeting, Dilworth agreed that was part of the discussion, but acknowledged Lee and Winfield also raised other issues with him not related to the bond sale. He declined to offer specifics.

“I don’t want to air all this out in the media,” he said.

Whatever he said appeared to work. When Arbour resumed the meeting, Winfield moved to reconsider the item and the board recommended it unanimously. The board will take the matter up again at its Nov. 19 meeting.

Although just a committee vote, the bonding attorneys working for the school system said it should be sufficient to allow for an immediate sale of the bonds.