JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The ordinance failed Wednesday afternoon but sought to do three things: Expand the term limits, change the qualifications, and – most notably - restore some autonomy and access that was stripped in 2019 by then-president Mike Yenni.
Right now, the Parish Attorney must review every request, in writing, for Inspector General Kim Chatelain’s access to records or systems.
Chatelain told Investigator David Hammer she couldn't properly do her job, and gave a hypothetical example.
“I sit down with a director, who operates a system for fleet and I’m looking at missing assets. And I say, ‘I need the report. I need the report to locate the assets. Oh, I can print the report’. Normally, they would have just printed the report. Now, we have to stop the conversation, go back, make a written request, provide our written request to the parish attorney, and go back again,” she told Hammer.
Wednesday, the Ethics and Compliance Commission strongly advised passing this ordinance, citing delays and possible filtering of information.
Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said she’s not aware of any delays, but would like to look into them if there are specific issues.
“So this whole notion now, I’m hearing delays and filtering, is kind of honestly a surprise to me,” said President Lee Sheng.
With little explanation, all council members – except Jennifer Van Vrancken – voted the ordinance down. That means the inspector general remains under the supervision of one of the very offices she can investigate.
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