Board OKs interim members

• By DAVID J. MITCHELL
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Jul 9, 2008 - Page: 4B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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AMITE — The Tangipahoa Parish School Board appointed two interim board members Tuesday to fill seats vacated last week when two members resigned rather than comply with new state ethics law requirements on financial disclosure.

One of those “replacements,” though, who also were sworn in Tuesday, is one of the people who resigned last week, first-term member Danny Ridgel of Tickfaw.

The then seven-member board approved Ridgel’s appointment as an interim member without opposition.

But the board split 4-3 on the replacement for Robert Caves, selecting Sonya Traylor, a part-time criminal investigator for District Attorney Scott Perrilloux and longtime area basketball coach, over Mike Whitlow, 54, of Ponchatoula.

With a full complement of members, the board then set a special election to fill Ridgel’s and Caves’ seats, calling a primary April 4 and a general election May 2. Qualifying will be Feb. 11 to 13.

Before the votes, Traylor, 40, of Pumpkin Center, had asked the board to wait a few days and find an interim member who did not want to run for the seat.

Traylor, the daughter of former School Board member Irwin Jenkins, said after the meeting she plans to run for Caves’ seat and said she wanted to take the politics out of the appointment process.

An attempt to reach Ridgel was unsuccessful Tuesday. As Caves did, Ridgel has said he was stepping down because he did not want to deal with the new financial disclosure process as it related to his business.

Kathleen Allen, deputy general counsel for the state Board of Ethics, said she believes the new law also requires appointed interim members to comply with the new disclosure requirements.

“If you get appointed to an elected seat, you’re still going to have to file disclosures,” she said Tuesday.

In other board business, the board approved, 7-1, not to renew the contract of Hammond Westside Primary School Principal Marilyn Dunn, School Board attorney Chris Moody confirmed.

Board member Eric Dangerfield voted against the move. Traylor abstained.

The board also hired Lisa Matherne as acting principal at the school for next year.