Deputy Clerk of Court email prompts ethics

Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court Deputy Nancy Boudreaux could be facing a state Ethics Board investigation after she sent out an endorsement of Clerk of Court candidate and co-worker Theresa Robichaux on Friday that rapidly made the rounds by fax and email.

“The letter was done as a private citizen to people that I know and considered to be friends,” Boudreaux said on Monday. “It was done on my private time and not on Clerk of Court time.”

Boudreaux said the candidate endorsement was sent from her home and was not intended to be malicious. She said she had been contacted about the matter, but would not confirm by what office or individual. “I would like to reserve comment on that until a later time,” she said.

“You can’t campaign within the office,” Secretary of State spokesman Sailor Jackson said of Boudreaux’s action. He added that whether such an endorsement by a public employee is composed and distributed from work or home, it is still “frowned upon.”

Jackson said people could not be restricted from verbal support of candidates because it is a freedom of speech matter. “That other deal sounds like an ethics [problem],” he said. “I guess [Boudreaux’s job being in jeopardy] depends on what turn the Ethics Board puts on it.”

“I don’t think she said anything negative about the other candidate,” Terrebonne Parish Registrar of Voters Linda Rodrigue said. Rodrigue was unaware of the promotional correspondence until it was brought to her attention Monday morning.

“I can tell you she will not be involved in voter calculations on Election Day,” Rodrigue said.

Boudreaux has worked in the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Court office for more than 35 years and said she would have liked to run for the office, which opened following the announced retirement of Clerk of Court Robert “Bobby” Boudreaux, which will take effect June 30, 2012.

In her letter of endorsement, Boudreaux tells of having known Robichaux for more than 40 years, and said the candidate and Clerk of Court deputy has also worked as an election commissioner.

It was not known as of Monday afternoon if the state Ethics Board would be looking into Boudreaux’s action.

Robichaux is in a tight Clerk of Court contest against Houma attorney J. Louis “Bubba” Watkins. Incumbent Boudreaux, who is no relation to the deputy clerk, has endorsed Robichaux for his post.