BATON ROUGE, La. -- A state utility regulator faces a fine from the Louisiana Board of Ethics for failing to file his required personal financial disclosure report on time.
Public Service Commission Chairman Lambert Boissiere III of New Orleans can be penalized up to $2,500 for his tardiness in filing the report showing his 2008 personal finances. The board says the report was due May 15, 2009, and Boissiere didn't file it until this month.
The ethics board made the violation public this week by releasing a certified letter to Boissiere notifying him of the charge and setting a public hearing.
Boissiere chairs the commission that regulate companies that provide utilities, telephone and trucking services in Louisiana. He said Thursday he had not received notice of the ethics board charge.
"I've been a champion on the right side of ethics," Boissiere said. "I want to get to the bottom of it and resolve any matter that might exist ... It's probably a process problem. I'm not claiming I did or did not comply."
The ethics board said Boissiere filed the 2008 report on July 15 -- the same day the board took action against him in a closed-door session.
"Since he filed the report, I don't think there would be a need for the hearing, but he would be subject to late fees," ethics administrator Kathleen Allen said.
Unrelated to the current charge, ethics records also show that Boissiere failed to file or seek an extension of the deadline for his 2009 report when it was due May 15 this year.
Boissiere is running for re-election, opposed by former PSC member John Schwegmann. The election is Oct. 2. The seat represents communities near the Mississippi River from New Orleans through Ascension, Iberville, West Baton and East Baton Rouge parishes.
