Lafourche voters oust Chiasson

Lafourche voters ousted the non-elected parish administrator, second in command to the parish president, through approval of two amendments to the parish’s Home Rule Charter.

Crystal Chiasson, the parish’s administrator since 2008, lives in neighboring Assumption Parish.

Voters approved requirement that future administrators must have been domiciled in Lafourche Parish for one year prior to their nomination with 58 percent of the vote. A complementing proposition retroactively enforcing the provision passed with 54 percent of the vote, meaning Chiasson will vacate the office within 10 days of the amendment’s official publication.

“She was devastated,” said Parish President Charlotte Randolph, who spent Election Night with Chiasson.

Randolph said the various skills required and the short-term nature of the position – Randolph has three years remaining in this term, and the council has a reputation of targeting administrators – would make it difficult to lure someone away from another post.

“You oversee all of the departments of parish government except for legislative,” Randolph said, adding that candidates would need human-resource, legal, administrative and other skills.

Regarding where she lives, Chiasson has said assertions of her caring less about the parish’s welfare because of her address – less than 20 miles from her Thibodaux office – are false, because her livelihood is in Lafourche.

The administrator for four and a half years has also said her experience in dealing with the parish’s business partners and other government leaders won’t be easily replaced. She handled much of the parish’s day-to-day work, including negotiations, budgetary oversight and esoteric contracts.

“It’s not something that you can walk in and know what you’re doing the first day,” she said. “You might know how to run an office, but procedurally, all things that are involved in it, you won’t know.”

The propositions were posed after the parish council approved their inclusion on the ballot by a 6-2 vote.

Councilman Jerry Jones, of District 1, sponsored the ordinances for council vote. Jones supported Chiasson on three previous occasions when her job was at the hands of the council, including most recently in January.

Opposing lawmakers and administrators said the former administrative ally’s about-face was a politically charged crusade sparked by the hiring of Joni Tuck to head the Office of Community Action, which is one of Jones’ pet causes.

The Thibodaux councilman denied having a vendetta against Chiasson. He said the Charter amendments were needed to help government flow properly in the future.

Jones added that Chiasson was to blame for alleged mismanagement of the Office of Community Action and that the administrator had continued to disrespect parish employees despite his complaints to the parish president.

“If I would have listened to the employees at first, (Chiasson) would have been gone (in January),” Jones said the day after polls closed. “Charlotte (Randolph) begged me to give her a chance. I spoke to Charlotte several times about the way Crystal treats the employees. ‘I’ll take care of it,’ (she said).”

This is a sentiment shared by first-term Councilman Jerry LaFont, who said that while doing background research prior to the reappointment vote, he heard only negative comments from Chiasson’s subordinates.

Randolph said Jones did approach her regarding Chiasson’s relationship with parish employees, but the parish president didn’t specify the issues or solutions, citing personnel confidentiality.

Still, Randolph said Jones’ actions were politically motivated. She said the issue arose from his opposition to Tuck’s hiring, though he did not name an alternative.

“All we’re both trying to do is make the community services department the best it can be,” Randolph said. “We’re working toward the same goal, and yet we’re on opposite paths, I suppose.”

The amendments’ supporters contended Lafourche residents are more invested in the parish’s welfare, and that Chiasson’s out-of-parish residence obstructs the proper government succession plan from working in the event of an emergency.

In the event Parish President Charlotte Randolph must leave office, the parish administrator is second in line. Because Chiasson lives outside the parish, that duty would fall on the council chairman, which has prevented at least one councilman from seeking the position.

Voters approved the residency requirement on future nominees with a 18,372-to-13,315 vote. Voters approved its retroactive enforcement with a 16,795-to-14,438 vote. The tallies are complete, but unofficial.

Regardless of why, the changes are etched into the parish’s ultimate authority. Their champion said he’s not concerned they will further restrict the applicant pool for a job that has proven to be a lightning rod for council criticism.

“It’s over,” Jones said the day after the votes were tallied. “Our Home Rule Charter is clear. There are no more ands, ifs or buts; it’s exact. … It’s a good day.”

Crystal Chiasson