[StBernard] St. Bernard council, administration argument over access to employees ends quietly

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard council, administration argument over access to employees ends
quietly
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on September 03, 2013 at 9:42 PM

A threat to cut St. Bernard Parish administrative employees' salaries ended
Tuesday evening when the St. Bernard Parish Council pulled a proposal to
eliminate those salaries. Seems the council had already gotten the upper
hand in a tug of war over access and authority.

Several parish council members had recommended the ordinance because they
were frustrated with the administration's efforts to prevent them from
dealing directly with parish employees. But, by Tuesday's council meeting,
the fight was over, and the council members had gotten their way.

It all started when Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Graves sent an email
to parish employees telling them that Parish Council members should not
directly contact parish employees to address complaints or to request
documents.

Graves said that council members instead should direct such requests to him,
and that he would then pass on their requests or complaints to the relevant
department employees.

In a strong-handed attempt to change that policy, Councilman Richie Lewis
had proposed an ordinance, set to be introduced on Tuesday, that would have
eliminated all administrative employees' salaries.

The suggested ordinance had come out of discussions at the Parish Council's
Executive Finance Committee meeting on Aug. 21. But, between that meeting
and the Tuesday council meeting, Parish President Dave Peralta had agreed to
change the policy and allow council members to contact parish employees
directly with complaints and document requests.

"So, Dave now is going to be paid this week," Lewis joked after the Tuesday
meeting.

In arguing for the separation between council members and parish employees,
Graves had said that such executive functions must be kept in the hands of
the administration and not legislators.

He had said that the parish charter mandates those separation of powers.
But, Lewis and other council members disagreed, saying that they needed
direct access to parish employees in order to adequately represent their
constituents.