Lafourche Parish Melt Down or Usual Cover-up?
FACTS:
Please pay close attention to the E-Mail which was sent to Lisa Orgeron and Cam Morvant of the Lafourche Parish District Attorney office. The correspondence was sent on October 25, 2006 by Lafourche Parish Administrator Cullen L. Curole.
Where in the Charter does it allow the Council to authorize (by motion, resolution or ordinance) the District Attorney to negotiate an operation expenditure or transaction? I understand Cam’s concerns, but I think this a separation of powers issue. Negotiating with vendors is outside of Council’s authority. How can they give you this authority?
Cam, you sometime answer our questions with the response, “this is a business decision and not a legal issue.” With all due respect, this is a business decision and not a legal issue and I base that on our Thursday phone conversation where you said that Charlotte’s Sunday authorization was sufficient to authorize the transaction and the fiscal/authority was satisfied by your conversation with the Legislative Auditor, the auditor and the administration.
I feel blindsided by last nights announcement and request of Council. I don’t think that they had the legal authority to transfer the negotiating with vendors function from the administration to the DA. I don’t see that the Charter would allow this.
On another similar issue, you preached that where the Charter provides that the administration must bring forth a recommendation to the Council for the hiring of professional services and that the councilman could not advance this type of professional service. Item 31 did not come from the administration and although I think Ms. Randolph would support it, here again, the DA is assuming the duties of the Parish President.
Cullen
OPINIONS:
I know what you are saying. Cullen is right and he finally stood up to the DA and told him to stop interfering with the Council and the Administration. Could this be another attempt to set up a smoke screen in order to continue the alleged cover-up? Why would we ask such a question? Perhaps it is because a special Council meeting was held last Monday where Cullen appoligized to Cam. It is also reported that Cam was authorized by the Council to contact the Vendor (the fox guarding the hen house?). Isn’t it true that Charlotte said that she couldn’t remember when she requested the tubes? Isn’t it true that she remembered that she authorized the tubes on Sunday only after Cam publicly announced that her authority ended on Monday at 6:00AM? Can the DA prove that Charlotte authorized the tubes on Sunday. Can the DA prove that 102 tubes were actually needed and used for 28 days? Why is the DA so willing to pay the vendor 1 million dollars? In my opinion, the DA is interfering with the Governing Authority. It has the appearance of having the entire issue go away at tax payers expense. In my opinion, the Lafourche Parish Council should not pay anything until a full investigation is completed by qualified federal investigators.
Keep in touch, we will examine Cam’s response to Cullen. We will also examine the real reasons behind their actions.
