JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — After public backlash, the head of the Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Office may backtrack on his decision to hire Mike Yenni.
Councilman Scott Walker says that registrar Dennis DiMarco met individually with council members on Wednesday.
Walker also says that DiMarco told him that he is going to reconsider potentially hiring Yenni as the Deputy Registrar. However, DiMarco wants to meet with all of the council members before he makes his decision in the next few days.
DiMarco would not speak with WWL Louisiana about his decision.
Yenni decided not to seek re-election to a second term as parish president in 2019 after WWL Louisiana exposed a series of sexually explicit text messages Yenni sent to a 17-year-old. Yenni apologized for sending inappropriate messages after the WWL story aired and again acknowledged the “disappointment caused by my personal actions” when he decided not to run.
Some public officials are not ready to forgive Yenni and are not welcoming him back into the government.
"I'm the parent of a child who is the same age as the the child who received the text messages years ago. And as a parent, that's just something it's hard to get over," Walker said on Tuesday. "I don't think somebody who put themselves in that position and left office in the way he did should ever be welcomed back into our government buildings in any position."
Walker acknowledged the parish council can't control whom DiMarco hires to serve in his office, which is a state agency. But Walker said the council appoints the registrar and he would oppose any effort to elevate Yenni to that position if DiMarco were to step down.
Yenni is being trained by Phil Trupiano, who is retiring Friday after 22 years in the office, Buisson said.
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