Amendment raising parish president's pay fails; Jones to stay on School Board

St. Mary Parish voters on Saturday rejected a proposed charter amendment that would have roughly quadrupled the parish president's salary as a step toward making the position full time.

And in School Board District 4 in the Franklin area, voters chose to keep Debra R. Jones in the seat that she has held on an interim basis since last year.

The charter amendment was defeated by a margin of 1,747 no votes, or 60%, to 1,160 in favor, or 40%, according to complete but unofficial returns from the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office.

The office said the turnout for the parishwide proposition was 9.2%.

The amendment would have raised the parish president's pay from $12,000 annually, where it has been since the charter was enacted four decades ago, to the average of the mayor's salary in each of the five St. Mary municipalities.

That would have raised the president's salary to more than $49,000 annually.

The amendment had been put forward as a way to turn the parish president post into a more active advocate for the parish, especially in economic development.

Parish Council member J Ina had also said making the parish president post a full-time job would open it to people who otherwise couldn't afford to serve.

The turnout was better, 22.5%, in School Board District 4. There, Jones drew 419 votes, or 56%, to 323, or 44%, for Mark R. Romero. Both candidates are from Franklin.

Since late last year, Jones has served as an interim member to fill the seat left vacant when member Pearl Rack of Franklin resigned after qualifying closed for last fall's elections.

Jones will serve the remainder of what would have been Rack's four-year term, which started in January.

Jones is part of new wave of School Board members. Between members who have stepped down and last fall's election, seven of the 11 members have served less than two years.