St. Mary: Jindal’s jilt of nominees a ‘slap in face’

Calling Gov. Bobby Jindal’s rejection of nominees to the levee district “ridiculous” and “a slap in the face,” the St. Mary Parish Council is looking to meet with the governor to get answers.

State lawmakers approved the St. Mary Parish Levee District’s formation last year in an attempt to help bring federal funds for hurricane protection to the area. Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco approved the parish council’s eight nominees for the levee board, all of whom were scheduled to be confirmed during this year’s regular legislative session.

Because Jindal’s first session dealt solely with ethics concerns, the confirmation should have taken place in the regular session. However, the Senate approved only two of the eight parish council nominees and a legislative appointment.

According to St. Mary Parish Attorney Jim McClelland, the governor held up the vote on the remaining six nominees.

The state Senate confirmed Irish Bend resident Luther “Clyde” Smith and Franklin contractor-turned-farmer Junius Patrick Hebert Jr. – both parish council nominees. Morgan City engineer William H. Hidalgo Sr., who was nominated by Jindal, was also confirmed.

Still under consideration are the appointments of Verdunville farmer Robert Judice, Morgan City salesman Brad Matte and Morgan City resident Stephen Clarke Sr., who serves as the sheriff’s deputy chief.

According to Quinn’s missive, three nominees provided by the parish council are “considered out.” They are former Berwick Mayor Charles Savoie, Wax Lake East Drainage District chairman Jeff Lagrange and Sorrell farmer Cleveland Provost Sr.

The council learned of the rejection at last Wednesday’s meeting after receiving a form letter from James Quinn, Jindal’s director of state Board and Commissions. The letter said Quinn’s office wants to submit nominees for levee district seats instead of looking to the parish council for appointees.

In the letter, Quinn said the parish council had until Monday to provide his office with the names of six people with backgrounds in engineering, accounting, law, agriculture or business for consideration.

St. Mary Parish Councilman Charles “Chuck” Walters was the first to react to the news. He nominated Savoie, who was also the former director of the Morgan City Port Commission and the parish’s former chief administrative officer.

“This is ridiculous,” Walters said. “I take offense to this. I am very satisfied with the eight nominees we have chosen, particularly my nominee, Charles Savoie. If he isn’t qualified to serve on this board, well then, there is not an individual in this parish who is.”

Council Chairman Steve Bierhorst also took offense to the rejection of the nominees. “This is a slap in the face to the St. Mary Parish Council,” he said. “We don’t have 500,000 people in this parish to choose a lot of candidates. We’ve been working two-and-a-half years on this project to get slapped in the face. A lot of good people worked hard to do this right.”

State Rep. Sam Jones (D-Franklin) said the situation “really stings, right at the onslaught of hurricane season.”

Jones expressed concern because of levee subsidence across the parish and the lack of hurricane protection from Charenton Canal to Iberia Parish. “Now is the time to plan a strategy on how they can garner our share of more than $400 million this Legislature just placed into coastal restoration – money from the state’s surplus,” Jones said.

“But they can’t meet because they have no quorum, because the governor doesn’t like our qualified list of nominees.”