Pastor files suit against Lafourche Parish Council

A Thibodaux attorney has filed suit against the Lafourche Parish Council, seeking damages for nine plaintiffs who he claims cannot receive LIHEAP Funds.

Rev. Nelson Taylor, who accused the parish council in November of playing politics in operating the community action agency office, has filed suit against the parish leaders, along with members of the Lafourche Community Action Agency Board, Richmond Boyd, board president, and Aaron Triggs, vice-president.

The plaintiffs are Germaine Ward, Lorraine M. Staple, Diana Politz, Ollie Johnson, Lena Chambers, Rosemary Woods, Evelyn Robertson, Margaret Tilford and Lois Adams.

Taylor is asking that his plaintiffs receive the funds, as well as damages for mental anguish, pain and suffering due to their anxiety over their inability to apply for benefits to supplement payment of energy costs.

Taylor also chides Lafourche Parish Councilman Jerry Jones in the suit, calling him “the principal architect” of a bogus claim that the Community Action Advisory Board must approve distribution of LIHEAP funds.

He said in the suit, that Jones had made continuing motions to delay approval of LIHEAP funds distribution, on the grounds that the community action advisory board must approve them, while at the same time colluding and conspiring with Advisory Board President, defendant Richmond Boyd, to prevent any meeting of the advisory board.

Also, Taylor said Jones has an agenda to “obstruct, to disrupt, and destroy” operations of the Lafourche Community Action Office, for the benefit of a private corporation with whom he has personal times, based in St. Mary Parish. He said this corporation wants to seek to obtain the funding of the Lafourche Parish Community Action Office.

In reply, Jones said nothing has stopped, and that LIHEAP funds are continuing to be disbursed.

“This lawsuit is a lot of bull. LIHEAP doesn’t have to b go before an advisory board, ” he said.

Jones also pointed out that if the same folks continue to get approved for LIHEAP, “they will not give new people a chance to receive the energy assistance funds.”

“What’s really interesting, is that if the individuals named in this suit are of a low income status, how can they afford to hire a lawyer?” Jones asked.

Taylor filed the suit on Feb 4.

In November of last year, Taylor scolded the council at one of their meetings, where Lafourche Community Action Director Stacy Savoy complained to the council at how she was being treated by some of its members.

“I have done my research,” Taylor told the council, and this is not the last time you will hear from me,” he said. “This whole situation goes back to the fight about who is really in charge of this program and its employees.”

The Lafourche Community Action Agency has been embroiled in controversy since mid-June of last year, when Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle mysteriously closed the office for a few days and sent all employees home with pay, including former Community Action director Freddia Ruffin-Roberson.

Cantrelle then left on a brief vacation and upon returning, opened the office, with all of the employees returning back to work except Ruffin-Roberson.

He officially fired Ruffin-Roberson about a month later, on July 9, after spending almost $230.00 to change the locks on the community action offices.

Councilman Jerry Jones said then, that Cantrelle had opened, “a big can of worms.”

Jones later accused the parish administration of working behind the scenes with others, to set up Ruffin-Roberson to be fired.

He believes 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.

Jones also reiterated that the parish community action services will not be moved to Morgan City, nor will they leave the parish.

He admitted that he sought St. Mary Community Action Agency’s help, but only to help administer the program from within Lafourche Parish.

“It’s a win-win. St. Mary has transit, revolving loans, summer feeding, affordable housing. They have an ‘A’ rating with the state.”

The case is still pending.

Meanwhile however, in a separate incident, Thibodaux Police recently issued Taylor a summons for obscenity, urinating in public on March 19, in the parking lot of Office Depot.

The police report reads that an Office Depot employee saw Taylor with his pants down, near his vehicle.

Officers Stephen Jolly and Devin LeBoeuf arrived on the scene, and made contact with Taylor. They informed him of the reason they were making contact with him.

Jolly had Taylor step out of the vehicle for the course of the investigation, “to which it was discovered that Taylor’s pants were unbuttoned and belt unbuckled. A large puddle of an unknown substance was also found near the driver door of the vehicle.”

The report also states that while questioning Taylor, he admitted to urinating near his vehicle, however, he stated that his pants were not down, and nothing was visible from the store.

However, the complainant provided a picture he captured of Taylor from inside of her store, showing otherwise.

Taylor was released from the scene without incident.

Rev. Taylor