The leader of East Baton Rouge's Republican Party slammed a plan to build a new arena at LSU, a day before the parish Metro Council was scheduled to vote on allowing a sales tax that would help fund the project.

Woody Jenkins, chair of the parish GOP, lambasted the arena deal at a Chamber of Commerce of East Baton Rouge luncheon Tuesday, calling it a "scam" and "scheme," all done without public input.

"It's being tightly kept from the public," Jenkins said, to applause from some in the audience. "This is fraud. It's corrupt."

The GOP leader questioned the selection of developer Oak View Group, whose former CEO was indicted in Texas in early July. Federal investigators accused Tim Leiweke of rigging the bidding process for an arena at UT Austin, which has been cited as an inspiratio

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