NEW ORLEANS - Should those found guilty of public corruption be able to score public contracts and public dollars? It's a question Jefferson Parish council members will soon have to answer. The new legislation is set to go before the council next week and it carries a stern warning for business owners.
The corruption fall out is still dropping in Jefferson Parish and the ideas to clean house are still coming. It has been more than two months since former Parish President Aaron Broussard and his then top aide Tim Whitmer resigned. Records show Whitmer's private insurance company, Lagniappe Industries, was actually doing business with parish contractors and vendors.
"If you're doing business with the parish on one level and then slightly to the side you're doing business with a parish official who influences your ability to do business with the parish, there should have been a little red flag waving in your head to say this doesn't pass the sniff test," said Eyewitness News Political Analyst Clancy DuBos.
New laws proposed by Councilman John Young aim to prevent a repeat by not just going after the corrupt public official, but also the private businesses which are knowingly taking part in the unlawful deals.
"If they're found in any violation of any ethical standards, they could be prohibited from doing work with the parish for two years and fined a minimum of $10,000," said Young.
It is a sure way, say political pundits, to get the attention of business owners who may be looking to stray from the law.
"Because in actuality the fine could exceed maybe the work of the contract or any potential profits of that contract," said Dr. Silas Lee, political pollster.
If the council approves the legislation next week, Young says a new governmental ethics committee---made up of representatives from the parish council, attorney, and president's office----would be created to hear cases of alleged corruption.
"The contractor can have their opportunity to present their side of the case," said Young. "And then [the committee] will make a recommendation to the parish council and the parish council will make the ultimate decision."
And in cases where a business is actually found guilty of a criminal violation by a state or federal courtroom judge, Young's legislation would allow the parish to cut contract ties immediately, so long as the guilty verdict came down within five years of the company scoring the parish contract.
"They want to erase this perception of political incest and cronyism," said Lee. "And that's what I think you see here."
It was just last week when the New Orleans city council passed a similar law and Jefferson Parish now following suit just may be a sign of the times.
"You would think common sense would tell people don't do business with a convicted felon, especially when you're dealing with the public's money," said DuBos. "But sometimes common sense isn't enough, sometimes you need a law.
Councilman Young is also pitching legislation that would reaffirm the fact that the parish attorney should not be taking on any outside work. Earlier this month, Tom Wilkinson resigned his post as parish attorney. During his tenure, Wilkinson was paid to do private legal work for former CAO Tim Whitmer.
