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February 3, 2015Linda Rodrigue is stepping down as Terrebonne Parish Registrar of Voters after 36 years of service in that office, 25 of which were as the registrar.
But she’s stepping down at a time when state budget concerns are keeping the office from hiring people to fill positions being vacated by two other employees who are also retiring.
“It’s going to be hard because this has been my life, but I just think it’s time,” Rodrigue said at last week’s parish council committee meeting.
Rodrigue said that she was stepping down now in order to allow her replacement to prepare for the upcoming election season.
The registrar of voters maintains the voter rolls, updating addresses according to the national change of address database, voting machines, and is responsible for the enforcement of state election law.
The registrar of voters is a lifetime nonpolitical appointment. This parish council has never had to appoint a registrar of voters.
According to state law, an interim registrar of voters must be appointed, within 48 hours of Rodrigues actual retirement, which is set for Feb. 16. After that, the parish council has a total of 30 days to fill the position permanently.
What may complicate the issue of Rodrigue’s retirement are the shortfalls in the state government’s budget. The Secretary of State, under whose purview the Registrar’s office falls, sent a memo to Rodrigue stating there is a hiring freeze in place pending Gov. Bobby Jindal’s release of the new state budget.
The hiring freeze has been in effect since January of 2014 when Gov. Jindal issued an executive order halting any new hiring or promotions in a number of executive branch offices.
The office employs five people other than the registrar of voters. Having two people retiring this year as well, coupled with the hiring freeze, leaves the registrar’s office in a lurch.
“If someone retires, they cannot be replaced unless we have special permission,” Rodrigue said. “I have explained [to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office] the circumstance in Terrebonne [Parish] that we will have a new registrar with two vacant positions, and I’m asking them to at least consider allowing one of those positions to be filled if not both.”
As soon as Secretary of State Tom Schedler makes a decision on whether or not to allow the Terrebonne Registar of Voters Office to hire one or two new people, Rodrigue or her interim replacement will be notified, said Meg Casper, spokeswoman for the Louisiana Secretary of State.
“I’m just hoping that this is resolved somewhat before elections, because it will cause a great deal of hardship here in Terrebonne because we’re a large parish,” Rodrigue said. “It’ll be hard to run the office with just three employees versus five total.”
Rodrigue believes it’s important that her replacement start early in the year because it is a big election year. Michel Claudet’s successor to the Terrebonne Parish presidency will be decided this year, and so will the Republican and Democratic primaries.
