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Lafourche Parish Councilman John Arnold sailed into his District 5 seat unopposed on the Oct. 24 primary. But neglecting to pay $2,500 in fees related to missed deadlines in previous elections have forced him out of the race.
Arnold learned in District Court Judge Stephen Miller’s courtroom last week that he would not be allowed to participate in the upcoming election.
Harris “Chuckie” Cheramie Jr., who was running for Lafourche parish president, was also disqualified after the Louisiana Board of Ethics challenged their candidacy in court.
Cheramie failed to pay $2,500 in late fees for filing his personal financial disclosure statement after the required deadline in 2013, according to court documents. Cheramie asked the Board of Ethics to waive the fee, but the request was denied at the board’s Jan. 27 meeting, court documents indicate.
Cheramie argued that he had submitted his disclosure statement on time, but said a Board of Ethics employee told him the documents had been lost.
“I filed my all my stuff and the Ethics Board said they miraculously couldn’t find them,” Cheramie told The Times.
Arnold, who has held the Lafourche council position since 2011, failed to pay $5,000 in late fees after he too filed his disclosure documents late 2010, 2011 and 2013, court documents show.
Both candidates appeared in court last Monday before 17th Judicial District Court
Judge Steven Miller.
Cheramie said he could appeal the judge’s decision, but the case would not be heard until after the election, so he is not pursuing the option.
Cheramie was opposing Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph, James “Jimmy” Cantrelle, Aaron Caillouet and Joseph “Joe” Fertita for the parish president job.
“I’m going home to get settled down because this is a railroad. There’s no way I can get around it,” Cheramie said. “I don’t like being railroaded like I did because somebody was too scared to come into the election against me.”
The ex-candidate said he spent between $7,000-$8,000 of his own money on the campaign.
Arnold admitted to failing to file his personal financial disclosure records. Arnold said he was not aware he was required to file the document in 2010 or 2011, and that he was preoccupied in 2013 with a family death and missed the deadline.
However, the councilman said he did not realize the late fee is $100 for each day the disclosure is late.
Arnold told The Times he paid the $5,000 fine last Tuesday to the Board of Ethics. He intends to appeal Miller’s judgment and re-qualify when the seat opens in a special election.
The disqualification means Arnold’s District 5 seat will remain vacant from Jan. 13, 2016, until a special election is held. An interim councilman may be appointed to fill the role, he said.
Arnold argued that the Board of Ethics technically acted illegally since, because he ran unopposed, he was no longer a candidate for the District 5 council seat when the fine was levied.
Ethics Administrator Kathleen Allen, who sits on the board committee, said the collection of late fees can take months because a fine must first be assessed, candidates may appeal to the board, and the state Attorney General’s Office collects the fines.
Allen said a 4-year delay – the period Arnold experienced – is not unusual. Nor, she said, is it uncommon for candidates for office to be reminded of unpaid fines.
“We had no idea. We got blindsided. I didn’t even have time to get an attorney,” Arnold said of Monday’s court ruling. “I just went in and represented myself.”
Meg Casper, spokeswoman for the Louisiana Secretary of State, confirmed a special election – first approved by a majority of the parish council – must be held to fill Arnold’s seat.
Cheramie’s and Arnold’s names will appear on the Oct. 24 ballot even though the two are no longer qualified to run, said Jackie Aucoin, Lafourche deputy registrar of voters. Ballots for the race were approved the week prior and it is too late to print new ones, she said.
Aucoin said the Registrar of Voters Office will be placing notes in the absentee voter packets and signs at all polling places explaining to voters that neither Arnold or Cheramie are qualified candidates.
