Lasseigne steps down in Lafourche

Embattled Lafourche Parish administrator Tommy Lasseigne is resigning from a government position for the second year in a row. 

After last night’s parish council meeting, Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle confirmed Lasseigne would be stepping down from his position as human resources and finance director. Lafourche Parish Public Information Officer Doug Cheramie said Lasseigne is going through the resignation process and his last day of work should be tomorrow. 

Lasseigne’s resignation comes as parish council leadership had him in their crosshairs. Council Vice-Chairman Jerry Jones had introduced a motion at the Sept. 13 meeting to remove Lasseigne as the parish’s human resources director, which would have left him as heading only the finance department. However, Jones pulled the motion when Cantrelle said he would begin a job search for a new human resources director, beginning with posting an advertisement for the position the next day. 

Council Chairman Jerry LaFont had placed a motion for the parish to go into executive session to discuss removing Lasseigne from both of his positions on last night’s meeting agenda but deferred it at the meeting when he learned of Lasseigne’s resignation. When asked what motivated him to defer the motion, and two resolutions calling for council votes to fire Lasseigne from both positions, LaFont provided a terse answer. 

“Why? He’s not good for parish government. Everything about him,” LaFont said. 

Also on last night’s agenda was a resolution asking the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate both Cantrelle and Lasseigne for discrimination, retaliation and threats to parish employees, sponsored by Jones. However, Jones also deferred the resolution upon learning of Lasseigne’s resignation. He said he believed Cantrelle would “straighten out all this mess that’s going on,” although he would pursue the investigation in the future if parish employees requested him to do so.

“I think we got rid of the bad apple in the tree, you should say, or the corrosive acid, however you want to put it. I think the root of the problem is gone,” Jones said. 

The investigation may have been related to a dispute with a parish employee regarding a reduction in pay. At the Aug. 24 Civil Service Board meeting, the board heard the appeal of Laina Styba, legal assistant to the parish administrator. During the hearing, former Parish Administrator Don Matherne said he was satisfied with Styba’s performance, and said her duties had not been reduced but rather changed since a full-time executive assistant was hired. Parish Legal Counsel Henry Lafont said the hiring of the executive assistant meant Styba’s previous $4 hourly raise ought to be removed. Upon questioning, Matherne said he did not believe the pay reduction was warranted and he was told to reduce Styba’s pay by Lasseigne. The board ultimately granted Styba’s appeal, reinstating her pay raises. 

Cantrelle had eliminated Styba’s position from the 2017 Executive Branch budget, according to a letter addressed to both Cantrelle and Lasseigne from Styba’s attorney, Philip Spence. Spence’s letter alleges the elimination of the position would be a violation Lafourche’s Civil Service Manual. Spence said he and Styba are working with Lafourche Parish to address the issue of her termination and get her position back in the parish budget in the wake of Lasseigne’s resignation.

This is the second time in a little over a year Lasseigne has left unceremoniously from a Lafourche Parish position. Lasseigne had previously left his position as internal auditor in July 2015 with a two-sentence letter of resignation accompanied by a “gone fishin’” photograph. Lasseigne cited a lack of cooperation from former Parish President Charlotte Randolph’s administration for his resignation at the time.

Cantrelle hired Lasseigne to head both the HR and finance departments upon taking office in January, saying his ability to do both jobs would save the parish money. The council grilled Lasseigne about his past work in parish government during the appointment process but ultimately voted approvingly. Cantrelle said he could not explain the council’s reasoning for wanting to fire Lasseigne, and he praised his work.

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask them that. I think he did a terrific job. I can’t answer for them.”

Cantrelle said the parish would start looking for replacements, noting he would hire two people to separately run each department. He said Lafourche would have to spend more money with the new hires, jokingly comparing the parish to the federal government that continues to take in less revenue yet spend more money. Cantrelle said the issue for finding replacements will be locating people who are adequately qualified for the two positions.

“It’s going to be a complicated process because government sheets are not the same as business. It’s a lot difference in finance. It’s two different balance sheets,” Cantrelle said. 

Jones said he has already heard good reviews from parish employees regarding the change and expressed hope for the future. 

“We got calls this morning from some employees, and you can hear the relief, the happiness,” Jones said. “They’re not walking on egg shells. So, things are going to be better.”