By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — The Lincoln Parish School Board appointed Juan Hooper to fill the District 10 seat left vacant by the death of longtime board member Otha Anders during a special-called meeting Tuesday, voting 7-2 after an hour-long process that included presentations from three candidates and a brief dispute over how the vote itself would be conducted.
Board President Gregg Phillips opened the meeting with a prayer remembering Anders before turning proceedings over to Superintendent John Young, who said the board had received a letter from the Secretary of State’s office authorizing it to appoint a replacement at the conclusion of Tuesday’s vote. Board members Joe Mitcham and Hunter Smith were absent.
Young said three district residents had applied for the seat: Jennifer Mamon, Juan Hooper and Dr. Lorie Ann Hopkins-Brown. Each was given five minutes to address the board, followed by questions from members.
Mamon, director of destination sales for Experience Ruston, told the board she has lived in District 10 her entire life and came up through Lincoln Parish schools alongside her four children, two of whom have graduated. She said her background includes juvenile behavioral development, human resource management and psychology, and that she began her career as a substitute teacher and bus driver assistant at Lincoln Total Community Action’s Head Start program.
Hooper, a fourth-generation educator with 36 years in the field — including 27½ years with Monroe City Schools teaching pre-K through second grade — said she is a Louisiana Tech graduate and currently serves as education coordinator for Lincoln Head Start under Lincoln Total Community Action. She described herself as a longtime neighbor and family friend of Anders and said she wanted “to pick up the baton” he carried for nearly 30 years.
Hopkins-Brown, pastor of Liberty Christian Center West and a business owner in residential and commercial construction and real estate development, said her platform would rest on parental and family involvement and full accountability for public funds. She told the board she has been in ministry more than 30 years and described her approach as rooted in a “servant mindset.”
During public comment, Veda Emerson of the Ruston Voters League read a letter she said she was given on behalf of the Anders family recommending Hooper for the appointment. The letter, addressed to the board, said the family believed Hooper “possesses the character, commitment, and leadership necessary to continue the work that Mr. Anders began” and that her appointment would “provide continuity of leadership and honor the legacy of public service” Anders devoted to the community.
After the letter was read, Hopkins-Brown withdrew her name from consideration, saying she wanted to honor the family’s request.
Several community members spoke in support of Hooper before the board moved to a vote, including one speaker who noted Hooper had previously run unsuccessfully against Anders for the seat in a previous election.
The board’s method of voting became a point of contention before ballots were cast. Board attorney Neal Johnsonhad prepared written ballots with the names of the three candidates requiring members’ signatures, which he said would be attached to the meeting minutes as part of the public record. Some board members and audience members questioned why a written ballot was necessary rather than a voice vote, with one member calling the paper process needlessly complicated for a two-candidate race. Phillips ultimately opted for a roll-call vote instead.
The board first voted on Mamon’s nomination, which failed 5-4. Voting no were David Ferguson, Dr. Danielle Williams, Clark Canterbury, Patricia Mims-Brooks and George Mack Jr. Voting yes were Phillips, Vice President Donna Doss, Danny Hancock and Debbie Abrahm.
Mack then nominated Hooper, who was appointed 7-2. Voting yes were Ferguson, Williams, Canterbury, Phillips, Doss, Mims-Brooks and Mack. Voting no were Abrahm and Hancock.
The board then adopted a resolution formally appointing Hooper to serve the remainder of Anders’ unexpired term, with copies to be sent to the Lincoln Parish Clerk of Court and the Secretary of State as required by law. Johnson administered the oath of office to Hooper immediately following the vote.
“It means so much to me to be able to serve District 10, to follow such a leader as Mr. Anders,” Hooper said. “He has set a standard that I think will be hard to follow, but I’m going to do my best to live up to what I think that he would have loved to see as we move forward.”
Young said the process marked a departure from how the board has typically filled vacancies.
“This process may have been a little bit different from our standard appointments,” Young said. “I do think, if you lived in District 10 and wanted a shot to be on a school board, you’d come out tonight and you’d have a discussion. It’s about increasing some transparency for us as a school board. We usually just brought one person in the past, but I think tonight you got to see a bit of a shift in terms of our ideology to give an open forum for candidates.”
Phillips thanked all three candidates and encouraged them to remain involved with the district.
“I really appreciate all three candidates who put their name forward; all three obviously want the job, and I really appreciate the fact that all three of them have the heart of public service,” Phillips said. “I hope all three of them stay engaged, uh, beyond tonight, throughout the rest of this year, and next year, and beyond. We have an opportunity to make a positive impact in our community.”
Mack, who represents District 11, said he was confident in the board’s ultimate choice.
“Ms. Hooper will be an outstanding addition to the board,” Mack said. “She epitomizes the legacy of Mr. Otha Anders, now and moving forward.”
As board attorney, Johnson also noted before the vote that Anders’ unexpired term does not extend beyond the next regularly scheduled school board election, meaning a permanent District 10 representative will still be decided by voters this fall. Both Hooper and Mamon confirmed during the open forum that they intend to run for the seat in that race.
