Clayton questions Lomotey’s contract

Newly elected Board of Supervisors chairman Tony Clayton and certain board members are unsure if current Baton Rouge campus chancellor, Kofi Lomotey, should have a guaranteed three-or four-year contract.
Clayton, who was unopposed for the position after immediate past chairman Myron Lawson decided not to seek re-election, was likened to president-elect Barack Obama by Lawson, a compliment Clayton said was “pushing it.”
The Port Allen resident, along with Johnny Anderson and Dale Atkins claim that Southern System President Ralph Slaughter failed to bring a written contract to the board, after it approved a $295,000 pay package for Lomotey.
The chairman-elect said the board could find another chancellor if Lomotey refuses to accept an “at-will” status.
As an “at-will” state, Louisiana employees or employers can break employment status without liability. Should Lomotey decide not to accept the status, the board may vote next month on his employment status.
Clayton, a West Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor, plans to collaborate with the state legislature and the Louisiana Board of Regents to ensure Southern’s representation with-in the state budget.
He said he wants to decrease out of state student fees in order to “compete globally, not just locally,” while getting more private funding for the schools, something he thinks is ‘imperative’ to Southern’s future.