Lasseigne resigns from position in Lafourche Parish Government

Lafourche Parish Internal Auditor Tommy Lasseigne resigned on July 14, ending a long-running debate the council has had over his efficacy in the position.

Lasseigne’s tenure as internal auditor was wrought with controversy since the position was created in 2012 and Lasseigne was hired to fill the position.

The position was created because funds were needed to build a new parish jail and the funds needed to be found from within the budgets of parish departments. Lasseigne’s report to the council proposed a rededication of property taxes marked for the Lafourche Public Libraries and Council on Aging, which voters rejected in 2013.

Lasseigne had left his letter of resignation, which was only two sentences long, on Council Clerk Carleen Babin’s desk beneath a “gone fishin’” photograph.

“Please accept this correspondence as notification that I will be leaving my position with Lafourche Parish government

effective this afternoon at 5:30 PM (July 14th, 2015),” the letter reads. “All government issued equipment, keys, and ID will be given to Michelle or left in my office.”

Recently, Lasseigne had requested all of his vacation time at once so he could attend a reunion with old friends.

“The writing was on the wall,” Lafourche Council Chairman Jerry LaFont told The Times at the council’s July 28 meeting, during which he announced Lasseigne’s resignation. “Whenever somebody asks for all of their vacation time at once you know what that means.”

Lasseigne said he resigned because a lack of cooperation from Parish President Charlotte Randolph’s administration made him ineffective in his role. He also said that LaFont did not back him up.

“I’d just had enough, I guess,” Lasseigne said. “I liked the work and I was not allowed to do anything and that’s frustrating.”

Lasseigne said there were many times when he requested information from the Randolph administration and he would receive “inaccurate” information, if he received anything at all.

When asked by The Times what specifically did he request and not receive, he declined to answer.

A conflict between Randolph’s administration and Lasseigne is evident in council since 2012. They show that months passed before the auditor received financial statements regarding the Lafourche Parish Community Action Agency, which dispenses money to help low-income people needing emergency financial assistance. Lasseigne’s report alleged that the agency misspent taxpayer dollars and failed to show receipts for all expenditures.

As to Lasseigne’s contention that LaFont wasn’t in his corner when he requested financial records from the Randolph administration, LaFont said he disagreed with Lasseigne’s claim that he didn’t support him on the requests.

“That’s baloney,” LaFont said. “Matter of fact, he got things a little bit quicker with me than anyone else.”

The internal auditor’s position was reduced to part-time position by the parish council in April after Lasseigne sent LaFont an email, saying his position would be better suited as part time.

Lasseigne was on a month’s vacation at that time and returned to find he had a part-time job.

Lasseigne, who had taken his accumulated vacation time at the time and wasn’t aware of the council’s actions, came back after four weeks away to a part-time job.

The council reversed its decision, though, in early May, because some council members were confused about whether or not they were voting for or against making the position part time.

When asked what specifically led to his decision to resign, Lasseigne wouldn’t say. But he did say that he’s always held a second job as a contractor on the weekends and off days and that he has no shortage of work.

The auditor’s position was created on an interim basis to see how it worked out in 2012 and expired at the end of this year. For the position to exist past then, the council would have to vote to extend it. The current council has historically been split on that issue.

“I think it’s better to have the auditor, but I don’t think they’ll replace me until after the next council,” Lasseigne said.

Randolph’s administration did not respond to this story.

Tommy Lasseigne