Disclosure law prompts more resignations

Several Tri-parish area legislators spoke about the high number of resignations occurring from state boards following the implementation of a financial disclosure law, which began July 1.

Juana Woodard of Houma and Angela Hammerli of Thibodaux resigned from the State Arts Council last week. Carol Leblanc of the Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District, Sharleen Hotard with the Lafourche Parish Library Board of Control and all nine members of the Lafourche Tourist Commission resigned last week as well.

Other resignations include W. Clifford Smith from the state Board of Regents; Richard Guidry with the South Lafourche Levee Board, and all nine members of the Lafourche Tourist Commis-sion.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, at least 130 people people statewide submitted resignations by July 1.

“I think it’s a significant problem,” said state Sen. Reggie Dupre of Houma. “It’s an unintended consequence of good legislation. They feel it’s not worth the invasion of privacy to disclose their finances at that level of government.”

Dupre talked with Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet and the parish council about creating an emergency ordinance for Terrebonne Parish to provide for any boards becoming disabled because of the resignations of their members.

“I think it’s going to be devastating,” said state Rep. Gordon Dove of Houma. “We have some talented people who give up their time and talent for these boards. We’ll have to go on a massive search for replacements. But I understand their thoughts on why they resigned. Ethics is good but it’s going to cost us.”

Both Dupre and Lafourche Parish state Rep. Jerome Richard said board members may be misunderstanding the degree of financial disclosure involved.

“The board member disclosure law is not as stringent as people think,” Dupre said. “I think there’s a fear factor going on. Some don’t want to disclose to the lesser requirements. Boards and commissions have much less of a burden (of disclosure than elected officials).”

Richard said board members only have to disclose if they do business with a state agency or a gaming institution. Board members only have to sign a form stating they do not deal with a state agency.

St. Mary Parish state Rep. Sam Jones was the most outspoken on the topic.

Jones was the only member of the state Legislature to vote against the financial disclosure requirements, although he voted in favor of a subsequent less stringent disclosure law.

“Everyone followed the governor like lemmings over a cliff, it was like a honeymoon,” Jones said.

He said that the law “is so invasive. It’s chilling to community service.”

“We have a governor practicing style over substance,” he said. “He says he’s cleaning up Louisiana, passed this huge ethics law.”

“But it does nothing to stop real crooks,” he said. “There’s nothing in this ethics law to stop someone putting $90,000 of their cash in a freezer. There’s nothing to require (disclosure) of spending at a D.C. madam brothel, not some John Doe on a tourism board who didn’t report buying a lawn mower.”