City-Parish Council Clerk Norma Dugas’ phone did not stop ringing yesterday, as new ethics disclosure requirements forced mass resignations from local boards and commissions. Board members had until midnight last night to resign before being required to comply with the new laws. Senate Bill 718, now Act NO. 472, applies to all local boards and commissions that have “the authority to expend, disburse or invest ten thousand dollars or more of funds in a fiscal year.” The new law will require members and their spouses to file information on their employer, business interests, range of income and information about potential conflicts of interest.
Dugas says she is still checking resignations with some boards and hopes to have a completed list by noon today. As of this morning, she had received notice of 42 resignations from 19 different boards. These include eight out of 11 members of the Parks and Recreation board, five of seven members of the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board and two of five members of the Cajundome Commission. Until positions are filled, those three boards (the Cajundome Commission also lost University President Ray Authement to retirement) will no longer be able to meet because they will lack a quorum. The following is a list of the resignations received thus far:
Airport Commission Allen A. Dugas
Bayou Vermilion District Jan Davis
BOZA Carroll Fuselier
Cajundome Commission Bill McElligott Dr. Paul Azar
Citizens Advisory Committee Paul Leberg
Downtown Development Authority Thomas L. Day
Emergency Medical Services Marc Mouton Dr. Paul Scott LeBleu Betty Heidbrink Percy J. Broussard, Jr. Andy Blalock, M.D.
Heymann Performing Arts Suzan Allen
Metropolitan Expressway Commission Elaine D. Abel William W. Rucks, III Rob Guidry Mickey Mangham
Waterworks District North Patrick Credeur
Convention & Visitors Commission Margaret Rucks MaryBeth Lowry Rob Davis
Library Board Lee Verret Pat Logan Bennett Bernard
LPTFA Eloise Gauthier Cliffe Laborde, III
LEDA Bill Fenstemaker Max Hoyt Sandy Kaplan Carl Bauer
Natural History Museum Dr. Huey McCauley
Parks & Recreation Charlie Buckles Travis Farrar Johnnie Stinson Todd Weber Harold Porter Barbara Lambert Walter Guillory Richard Chalmers
Planning Commission Keith Miller
Police Alarm Board Mary Goody
GOTT & HAC Louise Logan