Parish council hears from indigent defender spokesperson

16th Judicial District indigent defender spokesperson Cecelia “Beanie” Bonin approached the parish council on Wednesday in regards to her financially struggling public defender’s office.

Bonin asked that the council “support us morally and legislatively” and to confer with Louisiana legislators to direct funds to the public defender’s office in St. Mary, St. Martin and Iberia Parishes.

“ I don’t know about you, but it’s pretty tough to run these three offices, to pay for attorneys who for, I want to say, work for pretty much nothing,” Bonin said of the office’s $1.7 million budget.

“ Right now, we’re not at the end of the [fiscal] year,” Bonin continued. “We used up over $1.5 million.”

Bonin said the “huge number of multiple defendant clients” puts stress on the public defender’s office and its 17 attorneys, who are scattered throughout the three parishes.

The adoption of the resolution will be discussed at the next parish council meeting in April.

Beverly Domengeaux, executive director of St. Mary Council on Aging, spoke to the council on behalf of the Intergenerational Group. The group will be host a meeting with seniors and students from Berwick High School at the Berwick Civic Center today at 6 p.m. The Intergenerational Group plans to meet every other month.

Carolyn Bowser, a business teacher at Franklin Senior High School and co-adviser of the school’s Future Business Leaders of America club, asked for a financial contribution from the council so that her students could attend FBLA’s state competition in Lafayette on March 26-28. The budget for the trip runs at $1,700, and it will cover lodging, transportation and food.

Councilman Rev. Craig Matthews allocated $2,000 from Districts 1, 2, 3, 7 and 10 to the St. Mary Parish School Board, which will in turn give the money to the high school’s FBLA. The resolution passed unanimously.

Councilman Mathews spoke about his opportunity to attend a conference in Washington D.C. during Mardi Gras. Councilman Mathews hopes to “that we’re moving in the right direction that’s going to ensure healthcare benefits for the good people of Louisiana and this entire country.”

Councilman Mathews also visited the National African American Museum of Arts and Culture, which he recommends everyone to visit.

“ It’s an overwhelming story that every American needs to hear and see,” he said.

In other business, the council:

— Introduced a specific use permit granting a specific use ordinance

— Introduced a rezoning, or zoning map amendment ordinance

— Adopted three rezoning, or zoning map amendment ordinances

— Adopted a specific use permit granting specific use ordinance

— Adopted a rezone property, or rezoning ordinance in Garden City