By MELISSA PEACOCK

Last Thursday, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board in a 6-4 decision voted to allow LaPlace resident Phillip Johnson to fill the vacant seat of former Board member Clarence Triche, District 7, but the decision was not easily reached.

In two consecutive rounds, the deciding vote was tied between Johnson and opponent Herman Delatte.

St. John School Board President Gerald Keller called a “stand-still” and was prepared to send the matter to Governor Foster for a decision when Matthew Ory, District 10, conceded, changing his vote from first choice Delatte to Johnson – giving Johnson the win.

The decision, Ory said, was not an easy one.

It seemed that everything was finalized. Board members and parents could rest easy knowing that a new candidate would be sworn in at the very next meeting. Or could they?

Yes, a new district head was selected but there was no real win at the School Board Meeting – not for the candidates, not for parents and certainly not for the school system.

A state regulation gives the School Board only a 10-day window when a resignation is accepted for the appointment of a candidate to fill a vacancy – otherwise, the power to appoint is taken from the parish and given to the state. That small time frame leaves big room for error. The Board is forced to act quickly, not sensibly.

Do members of the Council really have time to question candidates, to get to know the leaders that will represent the interests of parish children? Are all candidates for the position given the same opportunity for the seat or do individuals already acquainted with Board members have an unfair advantage? It seems likely that Board members would choose a candidate already known in the community over someone whose agenda they do not know.

Just days before the District 7 seat was officially declared vacant, I talked to members of the School Board to find out a little about the candidates applying for the position. At that time, only one candidate had expressed interest in the post and little was known about him. Before the Thursday night meeting, he was deemed ineligible for the office. Five new candidates joined the race.

But eligibly alone does not mean that the candidate has the qualifications needed for the job. A smiling face and one good speech is not enough to make a good public official. When there are multiple candidates for the seat, there should be more time for competition and debate. The tied applicants should have had another chance to prove their qualifications and dedication to the job.

But the alternative facing the School Board was not much better – the decision to let the Governor decide on the Board replacement. While I am by no means an isolationist, I do believe that some decisions are best made by those that live nearest the problem. St. John the Baptist Parish needed a replacement School Board member; St. John should choose who that replacement will be.

St. John is lucky. Five very qualified and concerned candidates expressed an interest in the post. I feel confident than any one of them would have performed the job well. The winner, Phillip Johnson, is excited about the post, confident in his ability to lead and is taking a stand on some very important issues in St. John Parish. But in an ideal election, he would have won another way.

MELISSA PEACOCK is a reporter for L’Observateur. She may be reached at (985) 652-9545.