Rouzan Out of School Board Campaign, Cites Other Duties

Inglewood School Board incumbent Joseph T. Rouzan Jr. announced Wednesday that he will end his campaign for reelection, leaving his only challenger poised to win the April 6 contest.

Rouzan, 61, who has been on the board since 1987, said he is withdrawing because he wouldn’t have time to devote to the seat because his duties as assistant city manager in Long Beach have been increased.

Rouzan’s departure means that Dexter A. Henderson, the only person opposing Rouzan, will win the seat if he gets more than half of the votes.

It is too late to remove Rouzan’s name from the ballot, City Clerk Hermanita Harris said. If Rouzan gets the majority, he technically wins the election, although he has vowed not to serve. The school board would have to appoint a replacement or hold a special election to fill the vacancy.

Henderson, an administrator for a nonprofit agency, greeted the news with surprise and delight, saying he will immediately get the word of Rouzan’s withdrawal out to voters

“They ought to vote for me,” Henderson said, “or they will be voting for a person who is not really interested in serving.”

The 41-year-old Henderson is executive director of South Central Los Angeles Regional Center for the Developmentally Disabled, which uses state money to provide services to the disabled. He has two children in the school district.

Three seats are open on the five-member school board. Incumbent Larry Aubry is unopposed. Incumbent Thomasina Reed has one challenger, Mildred Tennyson McNair, a longtime city gadfly.