Lottery Official Voted No but He’s Ready to Go

Newly appointed lottery commissioner William J. Johnston voted against the lottery initiative last November but said Wednesday he is now “just as anxious as anyone to sell that first ticket.”

Johnston, 58, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, was named along with with four others by Gov. George Deukmejian to the commission that will operate the California lottery.

Although the lottery is two months behind schedule, it could eventually bring in as much as $500 million annually for public education.

“I voted ‘no’ because I’m a school man, and I don’t believe that you gamble on education,” Johnston said in an interview. “But the public has decided that there shall be a lottery and the money will go to the public schools system. Our job is to put on a first-rate lottery.”

More than 1,000 people applied to become one of the five commissioners, the governor’s office said. However, at least three of the appointees--Johnston, Howard E. Varner of Pacific Palisades and Laverta S. Montgomery of Compton--were not among them.

The three commissioners said they were sought out by the Administration and asked if they would be interested in running the lottery.

Varner, 59, retired president of the Host International restaurant chain, said he voted for the ballot measure that established the lottery but was never asked how he cast his vote during a background check before his appointment.

“I personally felt there is so much gambling going on anyway at the race track and in Nevada that you’re not going to eliminate it,” he said. “Why not conduct it in an organized manner and use the money for schools”?

Montgomery, 48, who is Compton city manager, said through a spokeswoman that she voted for the lottery.

Another commissioner, former Sacramento County Dist. Atty. John Price, 65, refused to discuss how he voted on the lottery. However, he said he did apply for the job.

“It’s a challenge, and I volunteered,” he said.

The fifth commissioner, Kennard W. Webster, 64, could not be reached Wednesday. He is a former partner in the nationwide accounting firm of Deloitte Haskins & Sells.

The commissioners are expected to work full time for the next few months, deciding what kind of lottery games will be offered and who will get lucrative contracts. They will receive compensation of $100 for each day they work.