COUNCILMAN ASKS FOR CANTRELLE

Allegations that the Lafourche parish president encouraged a business owner to make false disclosures against a parish councilman are being investigated by authorities in St. Mary Parish, local law enforcement officials said this week.

There are no indications yet of whether 16th Judicial prosecutor Bo Duhe or his staff have determined whether any laws were broken. A call to that office resulted in a spokeswoman saying she would check into it.

Councilman Jerry LaFont played an audio recording during last week’s Parish Council meeting, in which he is heard speaking with insurance broker Kent Bouvier of Cut Off. The recording was made a year ago, Lafont said, at a time when the council was grappling with questions about how to continue offering health insurance to its employees.

On the recording Bouvier is heard confiding to LaFont that Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle urged him to make a false statement about LaFont to then-District Attorney Cam Morvant.

Specifically, Bouvier alleges that Morvant was to be told LaFont attempted to negotiate terms of an upcoming insurance contract that had not yet been awarded.

Parish council members are forbidden from doing so.

“I need you to call the D.A. and tell them that Jerry called you and negotiated the insurance with you,” the voice purported to be Bouvier’s is heard saying, adding that he did not make the requested call.

At the meeting, held last Tuesday, Cantrelle denied any wrong-doing and said the meaning of the recording is open to interpretation, and that no proof he himself did anything wrong exists.

Lt. Brennan Matherne, spokesman for Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre, confirmed that the recording was turned over to deputies.

After they listened and conducted their inquiry, a report was prepared. At the request of Morvant, who cited a conflict since he was the representative of the Lafourche Council, depu-

ties turned the recording over to 16th Judicial District prosecutors. LaFont said he has not been contacted by St. Mary authorities with any questions to date.

Bouvier did not return a call for comment or explanation.

Former State Rep. Joe Harrison, whose company was to have done business with the parish, was told at the same meeting that it was canceled.

Harrison objected because, he said, his firm had the lowest bid.

But parish officials said that a bidding process is not used for insurance.

Gallagher Benefit Services, which has handled insurance for the parish over many years, retains the contract.

It was Harrison’s planned appearance, Benoit said, that prompted hm to bring the recording to the council meeting and play it.

Harrison objected to the recording having been played, in particular because it contains what he called defamatory references to Cantrelle’s wife and son.

The full recording is 23 minutes long. LaFont refused a request by The Times to hear the portion he did not play for the council.

The imbroglio is the latest episode in an on-going feud between Cantrelle and council members, who have accused him of being heavy-handed in his parish government dealings, and not respecting the council’s autonomy and authority.

LaFont was asked what kind of resolution he would wish to see.

“How I would like to see it resolved is I don’t like this under the table dealing,” he said. “If Mr. Cantrelle would be open and allow councilmen to sit on meetings and hear discussions, this parish has not been having that for a long time.” The parish government, La-

Font said, needs more transparency.