Where’s John Arnold?

Based on recent history, the odds of Lafourche Councilman John Arnold attending the governing body’s next meeting are slightly better than a coin flip.

That line may shift because he pledged attendance at the March 12 meeting.

Arnold, of Bayou Blue in District 5, has missed seven of the last 15 regular council meetings, according to a tally verified by council meeting minutes.

“Just because I miss a meeting every now and then doesn’t mean I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing in my district,” Arnold said.

The councilman said his private work – he owns Whitewater Restoration, a contracting company – sometimes means he’s working as far away as Baton Rouge or Belle Chasse, so he’s often unable to make it to Mathews in time for 5 p.m. meetings. He missed last week because he was in Ohio visiting his ill mother (she is recovering), and he missed a January meeting because he had pneumonia, he said.

Arnold coordinates with councilmen after missed meetings to catch up on what he missed and stays in contact with his constituents every day, he said.

The council’s only attendance policy is a provision in the parish’s Home Rule Charter that gives the parish council the power to launch an inquiry into a fellow lawmaker if the lawmaker misses three consecutive months of meetings.

Arnold, who began his first term on the council in 2012, has not missed more than two consecutive meetings.

Arnold had a streak of perfect attendance – excluding some tardiness – until June 26, 2012. He has missed six of the 14 meetings since then. Taken as a whole, he has missed seven of 25 regularly scheduled meetings since he took office.

Councilmen Michael Delatte, Jerry LaFont and Lindel Toups each missed two regular meetings. During that time, councilmen Aaron Caillouet, Joe Fertitta and Philip Gouaux missed one regular meeting. Councilmen Jerry Jones and Daniel Lorraine did not miss a meeting.

One hundred ninety-two votes – on 63 ordinances and 129 resolutions – were on the agendas for Arnold’s missed meetings. Though they were scheduled for discussion and ratification, some were deferred to other meetings or pulled altogether.

Arnold has been at least 10 minutes tardy on five other occasions, for an average total of 22 minutes, according to council-approved minutes.

Included in his missed votes was an ordinance allocating $1 million to Chabert Medical Center, which was in the midst of coping with state budget cuts. Heavily debated, the measure passed by a 6-2 vote.

While insisting that he doesn’t minimize the importance of normal meetings, Arnold said he makes a greater effort to attend “very important meetings.”

The Bayou Blue councilman understands what its like to tip the voting scales and has been at the center of contention at times.

Last year, Arnold cast the deciding vote to hire former councilman Tommy Lasseigne to the controversial internal auditor position. He said he based his decision on a coin flip.

He also allegedly shoved Councilman Jerry LaFont immediately following a meeting after LaFont pointed out on the public record that Arnold owned a gentlemen’s club. LaFont filed an assault complaint, though Arnold denied shoving him. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office determined there was no probable cause to make an arrest.

Arnold’s bar ownership was later called into question when he sponsored an ordinance that would have extended weekend bar hours in unincorporated Lafourche Parish. After saying he would pull the ordinance, Arnold was absent from the meeting when it was before the council, and no other lawmaker sponsored the proposal.

Arnold defeated incumbent Matt Matherne in the 2011 election cycle with 55.5 percent of the vote.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Lafourche Parish Council’s vote tally on its measure to hire internal auditor Tommy Lasseigne as 5-4. The actual vote was 5-3, with Councilman Michael Delatte absent.