AG responds to Gibsland aldermen’s questions about mayor
Gibsland Mayor Odell Key and the Board of Aldermen must abide by the Lawrason Act, the Local Government Budget Act and the Public Records Act. Failure to observe and carryout the duties prescribed in the laws may subject a public official to malfeasance charges, the state attorney general’s office stated this month in a nine-page opinion.
The opinion is in response to more than a dozen questions posed by Gibsland aldermen to the attorney general concerning Key and his actions over the past year. A majority of the aldermen accuse Key of ignoring the laws, which has the village in a state of financial uncertainty.
Controversy even extended into last week — days after the attorney general’s opinion was released — when Key attempted to get aldermen to vote on a budget that had not been legally advertised.
Bienville Parish Sheriff John Ballance is conducting a criminal investigation into complaints of misuse and misappropriation of public funds. Subpoenas issued in June for an assortment of public records are still being answered.
As for the attorney general’s opinion, it will help Ballance answer some of the questions about the responsibilities of the public officials. For the most part, the attorney general’s answers satisfy the aldermen who have complained for more than a year that Key was running a “one man show” without regard to state laws.
Auditors with the state legislative auditor’s office will be back in Gibsland Monday and Tuesday.
See here the document:
08/12/2012 at 7:17 am |
I guess it takes a majority vote of a wise city council to get quick action from the Attorney General’s Office. Cudos to the fine city council members to call Key’s hand on running rough shod over the town. Key was voted Mayor not king as in the case of Jonesboro’s mayor.
Guess the Attorney General’s Office is seeing what happens to a small town when the law isn’t enforced in a timely manner.
Hope the good citizens of Gibsland get behind the city council members who are trying to do their jobs of Serve and Protect the town not just rubber stamp Mayor’s demands.
08/12/2012 at 8:20 am |
The Attorney General’s office has knowledge of another small town that hasn’t had the law enforced in a timely manner either, but that small town languishes at the hands of those that choose to look the other way and pretend that all is well and ignorance is bliss.
Both small town’s political allies have created less than perfect circumstances and the residents and taxpayers have to endure the after effects of those that continue to feast at the political trough, both locally and statewide.
Hope the good citizens of Bienville and Jackson Parish will remember this folly when the next opportunity to cast a vote for District Attorney and Attorney General occurs and with that vote make a positive step in the way of assuring the public that the law will be enforced, not trampled on by those that have been provided carte blanche with the tax dollars entrusted to them by way of the elected office they occupy.
08/12/2012 at 8:26 am |
That is exactly what happens when a majority of council members stand up for what is right or wrong. Everyone knows that did not happen in Jonesboro, instead it was one fighting for our town. I guess the Attorney General listens when more complain. I hope and pray that the FA can see through all the smoke here and put competent people in position to help our town. The Rev. Dill is certainly not competent to handle the clerks position, because he already admitted to Baton Rouge that he knows nothing about Jonesboro. All he knows how to do is drive ole Les around. Someone needs to check all employees that drive town owned vehicles to see if they have current drivers license, because ole Les didnot when he was elected!
08/12/2012 at 8:27 am |
Remember everyone that Tuesday is council meeting and we need all to attend!
08/12/2012 at 8:48 am |
Maybe Leslie can appoint his wife as town clerk….
08/12/2012 at 8:56 am |
Janice Simmons knows how to handle money….also there is always Ms. Knox, the grant writing lady.
Two local Leslie fans to handle the $$$
08/12/2012 at 9:50 pm |
It is not up to the mayor to appoint anybody as town clerk. That is now the duty of the fiscal administrator. Read the judge’s ruling.
08/13/2012 at 7:06 am |
I think the mayor can hire as long as the salary has been budgeted…wait, does TOJ have a legit budget?
That is a mystery to me!
08/13/2012 at 9:01 am |
So nice to read that Gibsland does indeed have competent and concerned council members that care about the laws of the land being totally ignored by one individual……i.e. the mayor, Key, himself.
I hope justice will be rendered in this case in a timely manner.
It is time for Dill, Thompson, and his 4 stooges to jump in the pickle jar so we can close the lid on them forever.
Kudos to Renee Stringer for her unending desire to have Jonesboro returned to its FORMER glory.
08/13/2012 at 11:33 pm |
I wonder is Sheriff Ballance wishes he hadn’t been so gung-ho for our worthless DA back when he was running for office. It’s pretty clear the 2nd judicial district elected its worst DA ever when it picked Jonathan Stewart.
08/14/2012 at 9:28 am |
There were a lot of people that were blinded but thought that was the best decision based on the role one man played in the election. Everyone is not enamored with Judge Teat.