Community offers supportive hand for flood victims
August 17, 2016
Debate continues regarding insurance choice
August 17, 2016
The head of a Lafourche Parish agency providing aid to low-income residents will have to wait two weeks to find out the fate of her job security.
The Lafourche Parish Council was scheduled to go into executive session to discuss the employment of Freddia Ruffin-Roberson, the executive director of the Office of Community Action, and then vote on removing her. However, the council postponed the actions until the next meeting on Aug. 23.
Council Chairman Jerry LaFont, who introduced the measure, said he delayed the vote for two weeks to gather more evidence for the hearing.
“I’ve got to show a couple councilmen a few things before I go for my vote,” LaFont said.
If the council does vote for her removal, it would be the second time Ruffin-Roberson lost her spot heading the Community Action Program. Ruffin-Roberson previously held the position before then-Parish President Charlotte Randolph fired her in 2012. The council then hired her as a clerk in the legislative internal auditor’s office while the OCA had no permanent leader for three years. With the desire for a permanent director to lead the disorganized office, the council voted her back into her former post in May 2015 with a 7-1 vote, with LaFont being the lone dissenter.
LaFont said he is bringing the vote to fire Ruffin-Roberson because she has not added new programs in the pat year. LaFont described the distribution of school uniforms this year as “a mess,” and said things are “not being handled right.” LaFont could not list any specific programs he would like to see the OCA attain, but said neighboring parishes have more programs than Lafourche.
“I was told that she was going to be the one, she knew it all, she was going to get the money, and it hasn’t happened,” LaFont said.
LaFont said Ruffin-Roberson’s salary of more than $65,000 was too high, and he thinks the parish could find someone for about $50,000. He said too much of the OCA’s budget is going toward administrative costs rather than actual services for low-income families in Lafourche.
“We should be taking care of the poor people, and not filling people’s pockets,” LaFont said.
The Times contacted Ruffin-Roberson’s office for a comment on the measure, but she was unavailable for comment. •
