LaTour back open for business
August 15, 2018
Prescription Costs at Risk
August 15, 2018
Lafourche Community Action Director Freddia Ruffin-Roberson’s firing will stay, according to the state attorney general’s office who released an opinion Tuesday afternoon.
In the wake of the opinion, Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle called on the parish council Tuesday night to put the matter behind them, and move on to more pressing matters in the parish.
Alexander T. Reinboth, state Asst. Attorney General, penned the opinion in a written letter to Kristine Russell, Lafourche Parish District Attorney.
In the letter, Reinboth writes that because the office of community action is a component of the executive branch of parish government, the employees of the office are in turn executive branch employees.
“It is therefore the opinion of this office that the president, pursuant to the authority granted in the parish charter, may discipline and or dismiss the office of community action agency’s employees, including the executive director, subject to any applicable civil service protections,” he said.
Reinboth then recalls that the agency is also governed according to Bylaws, which give the Lafourche Parish Council the power to dismiss the executive director, as well as discipline the other employees, should they see fit.
“We find that the office of community action bylaws cannot function to override the express authority granted by the parish president in the charter,” Reinboth wrote.
Cantrelle, who issued a statement Tuesday night through Parish Risk Manger Brent Abadie, wrote, “too many of the disagreements and problems between the parish president and the parish council arise out of efforts by one branch to interfere with another branch.”
“I hope that this matter, and the wise words of the attorney general will be heard and understood by the council, the district attorney, all of the people and everyone in my administration. We can all learn from this experience. We can work harder to respect our roles as defined in the Home Rule Charter. We can try to work together to serve the people and to promote progress for Lafourche Parish, or we can continue to bicker, insult and attack each other and thereby earn the ridicule and distrust of We the People,” Cantrelle wrote.
The parish president’s olive branch however, received a mix bag response.
Roughly 30 minutes or so afterward, the council passed a resolution 8-1, calling on the Lafourche District Attorney to investigate Cantrelle, Interim Parish Administrator Tommy Lasseigne, Lafourche Human Resources Director Emily Knight, two employees identified as Employee one and Employee two and all other employees as to their involvement in possible fraudulent activity on employee time sheets.
Parish Councilman Jerry Jones for weeks, has been accusing the parish administration of working behind the scenes with others, to set up Ruffin-Roberson to be fired.
Jones alleges that Cantrelle fired Ruffin-Roberson because allegedly, she forged five hours on a time card for an employee in her office, that totaled $87.30.
Also, Jones and Council Chairman Luci Sposito questioned Abadie as to why he read the statement and why was he doing it from the public address podium.
Abadie answered that it was out of respect to the council, but Councilman Jerry Jones said, “It’s because Mr. Cantrelle can’t read it.”
Later during the meeting, Councilman Michael Gros said if the administration wants to work together, they need to quit having, “gotcha moments.”
Gross called them petty, and said the council should follow suit as well, saying it’s time to get on, to working together for the parish.
But while agreeing with Gros, Sposito said, “I don’t think any of us could have taken credit for that masterpiece we heard tonight.”
The matter of Cantrelle vs Community Action has been on-going since mid- June when the parish president mysteriously closed office for a few days and sent all employees home with pay, including Ruffin-Roberson.
He then left on a brief vacation, upon returning, opened the office, and all employees went back to work except Ruffin-Roberson.
He fired her about a month later on July 9, after spending almost $230.00 to change the locks on the community action offices.
After the meeting, Jones said Cantrelle has opened, “a big can of worms.”
“Aside from the glaring issues in this situation, what does he plan to do with the library board and the head start board, since he is now over them. I’m not saying which one, but there are definitely problems,” Jones said.
