A collective sigh of relief seemed to permeate the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery’s downtown Little Rock conference room Thursday for director Bishop Woosley’s first official sit-down with local media.
Woosley, 38, the former staff attorney and procurement officer for the lottery, was selected last week to replace the departed Ernie Passailaigue, who got the lottery up and running in record time but resigned amid controversy over management issues, including his $324,000 annual salary.
Woosley, who will make $165,000, has been credited with lending an element of stability to lottery offices following months of turmoil. A Stuttgart native and a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, he was joined on Thursday by lottery staff and commission members.
Woosley’s first official news conference was short and, unlike Passailaigue’s interaction with reporters in his final months, sweet.
In it, Woosley said the lottery will ramp up social media efforts in the next two weeks with heavy doses of Facebook and Twitter, part of an effort to boost sales. In addition, Woosley plans to introduce email blasts and text alerts by the end of summer.
In the next "two to three weeks," Woosley said the lottery’s claims centers across the state will begin selling lottery tickets to help try and offset the cost of maintaining the centers.
Passailaigue opened 1,800-SF claims centers in Springdale, Jonesboro and Camden and signed leases that expire in 2014. In addition, a claims center is run at the lottery’s headquarters in the old Union Bank building in downtown Little Rock.
Woosley stressed he is not trying to compete with lottery retailers, but simply cover his costs. He is hopeful, if not optimistic, of doing so.
Woosley said the lottery will look into increasing its retailers in certain parts of the state, especially northwest Arkansas, where the lottery perhaps hasn’t been as popular.
As for replacing himself as staff attorney and hiring vice presidents, Woosley said he didn’t know if he would, instead waiting to see how things played out. Julie Baldridge remains on staff as the lottery’s director of public affairs and legislative relations. She served as PR director under Passailaigue and filled in as interim director after his departure last year.
More than anything, Woosley and his staff seemed ready for a fresh start.
"We’re excited. We’re ready to go and hit the ground running," he said.
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