Parish Council grapples with minority hiring

FRANKLIN — A St. Mary Parish councilman on Wednesday apologized to Registrar of Voters Jolene Holcombe for accepting claims about a lack of minority representation in her office at face value.
“That was my fault,” Patrick Hebert of Morgan City told fellow council members. “I didn’t do my due diligence.”
Hebert insisted that a three-page letter in which Holcombe defended herself be read verbatim into the record.
Alfreida Edwards, the woman who came to the council in December talk about a lack of black employees in the registrar’s office, expressed the same idea after the meeting.
“I just stated there should be diversity in the registrar’s office,” Edwards said.
Also Wednesday, the council approved an ordinance dividing the fire protection district that serves the Patterson-Calumet area into two districts. Parish President David Hanagriff spoke again in opposition to the School Board’s proposed sales tax for employee pay. And the council was invited to a Battle of the Badges horseshoe pitching for police officers and firefighters next month.
The issue of black employees in the registrar’s office was contentious, sometimes heated, during Wednesday’s meeting, starting with who in the audience could talk to the council about it.
Edwards and Woodrow J. Parker of Morgan City each hoped to talk about the issue. But Eric Duplantis, the attorney for the council, said state open meetings law and parish ordinances would allow for public comment only on issues up for a vote or by people who had asked in advance to be placed on the meeting agenda.
Councilman Craig Mathews challenged Duplantis’ interpretation of the rules. That reading would require people to ask for a place on the agenda before they could know what other items would be taken up, Mathews said. But Duplantis held his ground.
Edwards, a Franklin resident and member of the Democratic State Central Committee, said after the meeting that about 11,000 of St. Mary’s 33,000 registered voters are black, but there are no full-time black employees in the registrar’s office.
“That should at least warrant having someone of color,” Edwards said.
She denied that her complaint was directed at Holcombe’s performance.
“It’s not about her work,” Edwards said. “It’s about there should be some consideration in hiring.”
The council authorized a Dec. 14 letter over council Chairman Dean Adams’ signature asking Holcombe to make “every effort possible … to hire more minority employees when job openings become available in the Registrar’s Office. We believe this will be another positive step in the right direction for diversity and inclusion.”
Adams also praised the work of Holcombe and her staff.
But a Dec. 23 letter to the council from Holcombe made it clear she took the request personally.
“You might wrongly assume I have a problem with your request, but that is not true,” Holcombe wrote. “What I do have a problem with is the fact that you allowed someone who has benefitted from my expertise and generosity on numerous occasions, to appear before you and disparage my character and my office … without even asking if this person had spoken to me about her concerns, which she had not.”
Holcombe said Edwards has been a frequent visitor to the registrar’s office and has received brochures and other items.
The office has had one black employee, Holcombe wrote, although she left within a year, probable because of a low salary. But the office does have African American early voting and parish board commissioners.
Hebert said he regretted voting for the council letter without first talking to Holcombe.
“It was heavy in my heart that Mrs. Jolene Holcombe was pointed to as though she’d done something wrong,” Hebert said.
Councilman J Ina of Franklin noted that there are still no full-time African American employees in the office.
“We’re going to be asking for consideration,” Ina said.
The issue seemed to spill over into an otherwise unrelated agenda item, this one a request from West St. Mary High School for sales tax funds to be used to build a batting cage. The request for $1,666 was put forward by Councilwoman Kristi Prejeant Rink of Morgan City, one of three holding parishwide at-large seats.
Ina, who is principal at Franklin Junior High, asked whether his school would be eligible for funds for a batting cage. And Hanagriff asked how many such requests the parish can grant before drawing a line.
That led Mathews, who represents a west St. Mary district, to charge that the council would accept such a request from Morgan City High or other east St. Mary schools.
Councilman James Bennett stepped in to defend Morgan City High and, at one point, angrily accused Mathews of trying to divide the parish.
The request for the $1,666 failed by a 3-5 vote. Council members Gwen Hidalgo, Rodney Olander and Scott Ramsey were absent Wednesday.
Also Wednesday;
—The council unanimously approved an ordinance splitting Fire Protection District 6 into 6A for the city of Patterson and District 6 for the unincorporated west to Calumet.
The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana grades municipalities and districts on their ability to fight fires. Home and business fire insurance premiums are based on those ratings.
The city of Patterson currently has a 5 rating, better than the 7 rating outside the city limits. And that was acceptable until recent regulations began to require a single rating throughout each district.
Council members said splitting the districts would help Patterson city keep its better rating. The Patterson Volunteer Fire Department provides protection in both areas.
—Hanagriff kept his promise to oppose the School Board sales tax up to election day March 20.
The 0.45% sales tax would raise $4 million a year. That money would give certified employees, mostly teachers, a $3,000 annual raise. Noncertified employees would get a $1,500 raise.
Hanagriff repeated his belief that the tax increase is the wrong prescription for St. Mary’s economy.
He also said the School Board hasn’t done enough to cut expenses.
The school system’s leadership says the sales tax is needed to help attract and keep good employees.
—Tim Gilmore and Craig Rink of the Bayou Horseshoe Pitchers Association invited the council to the Battle of the Badges horseshoe event for police officers and firefighters. The battle begins at 9 a.m. March 13 at Kemper Williams Park near Patterson.