Ohlmeyer out as civic center director

David Ohlmeyer called his dismissal last week as director of the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center by Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet “an amicable separation,” and not a firing.

“We just had basic philosophical differences about how the civic center is run, in regard to contracts,” Ohlmeyer said. “I work at the pleasure of the president.”

“We knew we would not reconcile our differences,” he said.

Ohlmeyer said a rift opened between him and Claudet over a conference the Federal Emergency Management Agency wanted to hold at the civic center on March 31.

FEMA had held previous meetings at the civic center where the agency was the formal presenter and the event was open to the public.

But the March 31 conference – on resources available for reconstruction following hurricanes – was intended for officials from eight or nine different parishes and was not open to the public, Ohlmeyer said.

FEMA would not be the presenter. The agency wanted to be released from an indemnification clause in its contract with the civic center, but neither Claudet nor Ohlmeyer had the authority to waive the clause.

FEMA representatives asked the Terrebonne Parish Council for a waiver at its regular meeting on March 25, but the council voted against granting the request.

“Michel (Claudet) thought maybe there was another way to handle the situation,” Ohlmeyer said. “He was upset. FEMA came to him to complain about the indemnification clause.”

Ohlmeyer said there were a couple of other instances where he and Claudet disagreed that contributed to his dismissal, but he did not want to discuss them.

Ohlmeyer, a Certified Public Accountant, may open his own practice.

Ohlmeyer also said he wants to run for the Terrebonne Parish Council in 2011 to fill the seat of Clayton Voisin, who is term-limited.

“My relationship was good with Claudet,” Ohlmeyer said. “It was amicable. He and I handled (the dismissal) professionally. He understood my position, I understood his. I have no hard feelings against him.”

Civic center business manager Christopher Moore said the facility has had “business as usual” using staff members since Ohlmeyer’s departure.