NEW ORLEANS- Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says he is resigning because recent issues involving his CAO and perhaps other items are taking a lot of his attention away from his job.
"The ongoing controversial issues that began several months ago, and continue today, requiring my immediate reaction, have rendered me seriously limited in my ability to be effective in my normal duties as Parish President," he said in his resignation letter.
"It is not fair to the people of Jefferson Parish, the Parish Council, and my administration, and parish employees that issues related to me diminish the normal expectations of the performance of my office, not to mention the distraction from the good, progressive steps that Jefferson Parish government is taking to better serve its citizens and improve their quality of life."
Broussard's sudden resignation was reported throughout the media early Friday and made its way to members of the Jefferson Parish council, before Broussard could inform them directly, according to councilwoman Cynthia Lee-Sheng, who said she talked to Broussard on the phone after hearing reports of the move.
“He told me he hasn’t even had a chance to finish his protocol and call his council members before it got out in the press,” she said. “He sounded well. He said he didn’t want this to be a distraction any more for the parish. He said he thinks it’s just in the best interest of everyone.”
His attorney said Broussard's move was made to avoid distractions to the parish.
"I know of absolutely no criminality on his part," said Broussard's attorney Mike Ellis. "It's been months of him having to address all of these allegations that is distracting him from acting as parish president."
According to Assistant Parish Attorney Louis Gruntz, the procedure to replace the vacancy is that the parish council has 30 days to appoint an interim parish president. Since Broussard has two years left to serve, a special election will have to be called to fill the vacancy.
Gruntz said that the interim president cannot run in the special election. If the council doesn't name a replacement, the governor would step in and make the appointment.
Councilman John Young said there are no plans to hold a special council meeting. The next council meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Federal investigations have swirled around Jefferson Parish officials for months and was punctuated by the resignation Broussard's Chief Administrative Officer Tim Whitmer.
“It shows how fast things work when, or can come undone, when corruption gets exposed. And that’s what this is. He’s not resigning because he is tired, he’s resigning because there is a scandal all around him,” said Clancy DuBos, WWLTV political analyst and Gambit Weekly columnist.
"This is the first I'm hearing of it," said Parish Attorney Tim Wilkinson. "Absolutely (shocked), I guess he will notify us at some point. It's the first I'm hearing about it. I don't know I have to wait to hear what he says."
In appearance on the Eyewitness Morning News Wednesday, Broussard defended his handling of the Whitmer scandal. When asked if he had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury or if he had appeared before one, he said no.
When co-host Eric Paulsen asked Broussard if he thought would get called before a grand jury, he said, “Listen, Eric, who knows where the next subpoena will land?”
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Crime Commission asked the Louisiana ethics board to determine if Broussard has violated the state ethics code.
The commission questioned whether it was proper for Broussard to solicit business for Lagniappe Industries, the insurance company owned by Whitmer, and to accept $5,000 for legal work he has acknowledged doing for Lagniappe.
MCC president Rafael Goyeneche called for the crime commission to determine if Broussard profited from parish contractors using a vacation lodge the parish president and his wife own in Nova Scotia.
“We're asking the ethics administration to determine if Mr. Broussard enriched himself by inviting or encouraging any of these potential parish vendors to go up there and utilize his property or invest in his property,” Goyeneche told Eyewitness News on Thursday.
Broussard moved to Jefferson Parish in 1958 from Marksville, La. After receiving his law degree from Loyola University in 1973, he was elected to the Jefferson Parish school board the following year for two consecutive terms.
In 1977, Broussard began his career with the Jefferson Parish Council, then in 1982 he began his legacy as Kenner mayor, serving four terms.
Broussard then successfully ran for a seat on the Jefferson Parish Council in both 1995 and 1999. In 2003, he won by a huge margin the race for Jefferson Parish President. He was re-elected in 2006, despite lots of anger from many residents over his handling of the pump stations during Hurricane Katrina.
