Central City News

CENTRAL— On Friday, members of Mayor Mac Watts’ Nine-Mem-ber Committee will meet to open proposals from the six contractors vying for the $4 million-a-year contract to administer the City of Central. Committee chairman Wayne Leader said his committee will

Councilman SaysAttorney Bills ArePublic Records,He Won’t Resign

Central City News • Thursday, April 28, 2011 • Vol. 14, No. 8 • 16 Pages • Circulation 11,000 + on-line worldwide • centralcitynews.us

Watts Tells LoBue: Resign& The Leader

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110-METER HIGH HURDLES — Akil Bennett of Central burst out of the starting blocks at the District 5-5A championships. Bennett ran 3rd and qualified for Regionals. Also shown are Catholic’s Jonathan Hoffman and Ken Ward. For more, go to www.centralcitynews.us.

See MAYOR on Page 3

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Jacob Lesage of Central High

Mayor Blocks Further Review of Legal Services

CENTRAL — Central Mayor Mac Watts has demanded that Council-man Tony LoBue resign as Chair-man of the Mayor’s Committee on Legal Services and keep quiet about it. But Councilman LoBue said Monday he has no plan to resign. Watts said he wanted an “im-mediate” resignation without “fan-fare” or “undue publicity.” Meanwhile, Watts suspended the activities of the committee and ended for now its efforts to find al-ternatives to hiring City Attorney Sheri Morris at $175 an hour. Mor-ris’ firms have been paid more than $700,000 for work for the City, school board, and transition district. Morris says her monthly bills to the City of Central are not public

Mayor Says He AloneHas Power to DecideWhich Company RunsCity Government Here

See COUNCIL on Page 6

Morris: Council Won’t Get to Vote on Contract

Wildcats Win Gold in District 5-5A Track BATON ROUGE — The newly-re-vived track and field program at Central High will compete in State Regional Championships this af-ternoon at the Catholic High track. Last Wednesday, the Wildcats

began to hit their stride at the Dis-trict 5-5A Championship Track and Field Meet, winning several District Championships and quali-fying 10 athletes for Regionals. Defending State Champion in

the 100-meter dash, Trevor San-sone of Central, won his second straight District 5-5A crown in the event with a time of 10.74. Sansone won three Golds —

Woody Jenkins Editor, Central City News

See CENTRAL on Page 10


DeJohn Asks Council to Waive Morris’ Conflict of Interest CENTRAL — At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Councilman Louis DeJohn proposed a resolu-tion to waive a conflict of interest of City Attorney Sheri Morris. According to the resolution, Morris has a conflict of interest because she represents the City of Central in negotiations to select a

contractor to run the City, while an attorney associated with her firm represents the Shaw Group, which is one of the possible bidders. DeJohn said neither Morris nor the attorney for the Shaw Group had a problem with the conflict of interest and he wanted the Coun-

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GOOD HUNTING — Kids found 150,000 eggs at Journey Church’s Easter Egg Hunt.

meet on May 19 to decide on a contractor. That night, the City Council will receive the commit-tee’s recommendation. But if the City Council thought they will get to vote on the com-mittee’s recommendation, they are wrong, according to City Attorney Sheri Morris. At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Morris said the Council’s only duty will be to approve the city’s budget and not a specific contractor. Since December, Mayor Watts has contended that he alone has the authority to select the contrac-tor, but he has said he will follow the recommendation of the Nine-Member Committee which he ap-

See COUNCIL on Page 8

2 CENTRAL CITY NEWS Thursday, April 28, 2011

13567 Hooper Road Post Office Box 1 Central, LA 70818 Greenwell Springs, LA 70739

Phone (225) 261-5055 • FAX 261-5022Email stories and photos to [email protected] 2nd and 4th Thursdays, January through July

Weekly from 2nd Thursday of August through 4th Thursday of December.The Leader was founded April 30, 1998, and the Central CityNews was founded April 21, 2005. They merged May 4, 2006.

The Central City News also publishes the Central Community Directory & Yellow Pages and numerous special editions throughout the year.

Editor & Publisher Woody Jenkins Business Manager Candi Lee Graphic Artist Terrie Palmer Business Specialists Shara Pollard, Jolice Provost

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CENTRAL CITY NEWS®and The Leader • Vol. 14, No. 8 No. 283

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Attacks on Councilman LoBue Wholly Unjust

CENTRAL — Councilman Tony LoBue has endured a world of unjust and undeserved criticism over the past two weeks, relative to his service as chairman of the Mayor’s Commit-tee on Legal Services. The criticism is that Councilman LoBue brought to his committee, which was holding its first meeting to look at the city’s legal services, a copy of a public record — the City Attor-ney’s bills to the City of Central for the period July 2010 to February 2011. For this great crime, Central Speaks newspaper lashed out at Council-man LoBue in a front-page editorial and the Mayor ordered Councilman LoBue to resign as chairman of the committee. Councilman LoBue has long ex-

pressed his concern about the moun-tain of legal bills which City Attorney Sheri Morris has amassed — more than $700,000 from the City, the school board, and transition district — at an unrestricted $175 an hour. So one wonders why the Mayor ap-pointed him to chair this committee in the first place After the first committee meeting, where Councilman LoBue actually did his job by looking at the bills of the City Attorney, all heck broke out. It’s ironic, since the Committee on Legal Services was appointed by the Mayor to make recommendations on what direction the city should take on hiring legal services. It would seem axiomatic that the committee would look at the legal bills the City is in currently being re-quired to pay, if it is to have any rec-ommendations on the subject.Public Records vs. Secrecy The City Attorney has been trying for months to keep her billing records secret and out of public view. On two occasions, the City Council has met and voted to require her to release her billing records to the public. Now the Mayor and the City At-torney’s allies are on a rampage that Councilman LoBue brought these

cilman LoBue’s ac-tions, which were completely honor-able and legal, but the attempts by some in city gov-ernment to keep public documents secret and thereby violate Louisiana’s Public Records Act.

Lawyer’s Bills to CityAre Clearly PublicRecords Every PersonHas Right to Examine

records for the committee to view. LoBue Not the Problem The real problem here is not Coun-

Here are the key issues: • Constitutional Right at Stake The right of Louisiana citizens to view public records is a constitution-al right spelled out in the Louisiana Constitution. It was my privilege to have authored that provision of the constitution when I was a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention. It reads as follows: Louisiana Constitution of 1974 — Art. XII, Section 3 — Right to Direct Participation in Government “No person shall be denied the right to observe the deliberation of public bodies and examine public documents, except in cases established by law.” By reading this provision, one understands that every person has the right to examine all public docu-ments — except in cases specifically established by law. Laws have to be passed by the legislature. • Attorney Bills Are Not an Ex-ception to Public Records Act

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In Louisiana, the Public Records Act lists all the exceptions referred in the Constitution, and it clearly states that no other exceptions exist. A broad “attorney-client privilege” is not an exception listed in the Loui-siana’s Public Records Act. The only “exception” to the Public Records Act relative to attorneys is found in La. R.S. 44:4.1 as follows: “The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply to any writings, records, or other accounts that reflect the mental impres-sions, conclusions, opinions, or theories of an attorney or an expert, obtained or prepared in anticipation of litigation or in preparation for trial.” Thus, legal opinions are an excep-tion to the Public Records Act but le-gal bills are not. In the past, Ms. Morris’ bills have never contained her “mental impres-sions, conclusions, opinions, or theo-ries.” And we can’t imagine why a monthly legal bill would include such information. If they do, then she should stop putting her legal opinions in her bills to the city! • Public Records Are Supposed to Be Available Immediately The Public Records Act provides that public records shall be available at all times during business hours or within three days at most. The law gives citizens the right to examine existing original public documents. The public body doesn’t have to make copies of the records unless the person requesting them pays for the copies. When Mr. Mike Mannino request-ed to examine Ms. Morris’ legal bills last year, she developed an elaborate and quite bizarre system for prevent-ing access to the records. Instead of following the law and allowing Mr. Mannino’s to walk into City Hall, pulling the bills out of the file drawer, and letting him see them, she created a system that would bring smiles to a federal bureaucrat. Ms. Morris required that each of the 700 pages of her bills be copied at

See LOBUE on Page 16

CENTRAL HIGH BELLES AND BEAUXS — Seniors Rebecca Conrad and Taylor Padgett were Belles in the Cen-tral High School Belles & Beaux Pageant held on Thursday, April 21. Photo by Yvonne Conrad

Remember: Central’sBusinesses Vote withTheir Ad Dollars on What Newspaper TheyWant to Represent theCentral Community

CENTRAL CITY NEWS Thursday, April 28, 2011 3

Mayor Shuts Down Legal Services Review

CENTRAL — In a letter to Central Mayor Mac Watts, Central City Councilman Louis DeJohn said Watts should make Councilman Tony LoBue “suffer the conse-quences” for having brought cop-ies of City Attorney Sheri Morris’ monthly legal bills to the Mayor’s Committee on Legal Services, which LoBue chairs. LoBue says the Mayor ap-pointed the committee to recom-mend changes in the City’s system of providing legal services and he does not see how that would be possible without examining the ex-isting bills from vendors. The City of Central has far ex-ceeded the current year’s City Bud-get for legal services. Vendor’s bills sent to govern-mental bodies are public records in Louisiana, but City Attorney Sheri Morris has insisted on “redacting,” or blackening out, virtually all of her bills in response to Public Re-cords Requests. Last August, Mayor Watts ap-pointed local attorney Steven Stockstill to review Morris unre-dacted bills. Stockstill reported to the City Council on Aug. 24, 2010, that Morris has no basis for redacting the bills and that they should be provided immediately when a Pub-lic Records Request is made. But DeJohn said LoBue has “gone to a new level of arrogance” by allowing committee members to view the bills, and he urged the Mayor to “take immediate action.” Providing copies of Morris’ monthly legal bills to members of the Mayor’s Committee on Legal Services has “crossed the lines” and is either “intentional” or “an

ignorant mistake,” DeJohn said. In either case, it is “a grave act of in-discretion” and “has put our city in jeopardy,” he said. DeJohn told Watts that he should “either disband this committee or remove Tony LoBue from the group.” DeJohn said LoBue’s action could “unravel all of the good work so many have accom-plished.” DeJohn said, “I will not let this LIE OR DIE” in all capital letters. The Central City News obtained DeJohn’s letter from a third party. To read DeJohn’s letter, visit centralcitynews.us or go to http://centralcitynews.us/?p=1138.

DeJohn to Watts: LoBue Should ‘Suffer the Consequences’ Woody Jenkins Editor, Central City News

records and should be redacted to blacken out all details of what she does for the City. The Mayor’s Committee on Le-gal Services was established by Watts to investigate and make rec-ommendations with regard to how the City of Central procures legal services. LoBue had been critical of the large sums paid by the city for le-gal services. The City has already exceeded its annual budget for le-gal services. LoBue has said Cen-tral should consider hiring a full-time attorney for an annual salary or retainer, instead of paying $175 an hour. He has said there are few constraints on the hours charged by Morris, and he has complained about the continued effort by the City to keep Morris’ bills secret. Watts appointed LoBue to chair the committee but then called for his resignation as Chairman after the committee’s first meeting. Watts criticized LoBue for dis-tributing copies of Morris’ legal bills to committee members for re-view. Watts said the bills should have been redacted or edited, but LoBue contends legal bills to the city are public records. On Monday, Dr. LoBue issued this statement: Dear Citizens of Central, I did not volunteer to be the chairman of the Attorney Study Committee. I was asked by the Mayor to fill that position. At first, I was reluctant but, the more I thought about it, I realized that when people have the chance to study a subject through actual facts, then better decisions can come about. Even though I did not pick this committee, I truly believe that it is made up of a good mixture

that would do their best to report on the facts. Because this committee is a direct arm from the city council and the mayor, one could come to the conclusion that there would be trust in their judgment. In order to thoroughly evaluate the facts and reach an effective so-lution, it was necessary for the committee to have access to all of the records. All of these committee members are upstanding citizens who take pride in the community and are always ready to help out and participate in community activities. And, since they were selected by the mayor and other councilmen, I did not see a problem with them having all of the facts before them. How can you expect to get a comprehensive study done without providing the facts? At the closing of the meeting, Dave Fre-neaux (Central Speaks) wanted the exact copies of the legal bills that were passed out to the committee. I was concerned about his motives and realized the controversy that was about to erupt. So I asked that all copies be returned to me. All copies were in my possession within five hours from the meeting. With the continuing rhetoric from Central Speaks, I write you because I wanted you to know that my true intent was to come up with recommendations that would help the City of Central. Through prayer and listening to the citizens, I decided not to step down from the committee. If the mayor chooses to dismantle the commit-tee, then that will be his choice, not mine. The mission statement for the Attorney Study Committee is the following: “To ex-plore methods to provide legal services to the City of Central in the most cost efficient and effective manner, with the goal of uni-formly serving and protecting the present and future needs of the Citizens of Central.” On examining the legal bills from this year, I found that Public Records Requests made up approximately 33 percent of the legal bills. As chairman, I wanted this group to review the facts and come up with guidelines that would assist us in this area. We as a city must come up with procedures that do not allow attorney client privileges to hinder the public’s right to view the public records. It seems to me that anything that has to do with government should be open to the press and the public. I appreciate your continued support and ask that you would come to the meeting Tuesday, April 26th. Sincerely, Tony LoBue

Continued from Page 1

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Welborn, Kennard, Greco:Lifetime Service AwardsCENTRAL — Three public officials were hon-ored for their lifetimes of service to the Central community during the Central Business Awards ceremonies at Elegant Memories. The Central Lifetime Service Awards were presented to

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The Denham Springs Antique Spring Festival is set to be bigger and better than ever before! This year the lineup of entertainment includes the fantastic Pet Parade and Live Music at the Train Station Park. Mattie Street will be “Arts Avenue” with local artists exhibiting a variety of unique works. Other attractions include a Classic Car Show PLUS over 150 vendors with one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, delicious food, and much more! All are invited and admission is FREE. Visit DenhamSpringsAntiqueDistrict.com.

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Kay Rawls Honored as Top Bowler, Scholar

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CENTRAL — St. Alphonsus took advantage of the beautiful weather on Friday, March 25, to hold their annual Field Day. After the flag presentation, an Olympic torch was brought in by Central’s own Todd McClure. The students participated in Olympic Games-style events in-cluding the 50-yard dash, wheelbar-row race, free throw shooting, broad

ST. ALPHONSUS FIELD DAY — Enjoying an outing at St. Alphonsus were Casey McLean, Payton Lee, NFL star Todd McClure, Shae Frugé, and Brooke DeMonlin.

Central High Sparkplug Signs with Louisiana Tech Central High School’s Kay Rawls will continue her bowling career at Louisiana Tech University. She signed her letter of intent with the Bulldogs last Thursday. Kay is a four-time member of the All-District First Team, District MVP in 2010, and the State Champion in 2010. She has scores in LHSAA matches of 736 series and 289 game. Kay was a State Individual Finalist in 2011. She has served as captain of the Central High girls team for four years and was chosen as Baton Rouge ESPN Radio Girls Athlete of the Week. She has earned a 4.3 GPA and is a four-year Central High Overall Academic Excel-lence award recipient. Kay received the Academic Excellence award in ROTC, Chemistry, English II, and Spanish II. Shown are (left to right) Debra Mar-tin, Phil Godley, Kay Rawls, Tuleigha Rawls, and Dee Smith.

jump, bean bag toss, tug-o-war, ring toss, sack hop, and softball toss. The top three participants in each event received an award, and all children received participation ribbons. A to-tal of 208 received at least one top-three ribbon. St. Alphonsus students and staff send a thank you to all of the parent volunteers who helped make this event such a success.

CHET MYER SIGNS WITH HINDS — Central High’s Chet Myer, a pitcher and out-fielder, has signed with Hinds Community College in Jackson, Miss. Myer is a two-time All-District selection as a utility player. Pictured are (1st row, left to right) Edie Myer, Chet Myer, and Austin Myer and (2nd row) Hinds head coach Sam Temple, Central coach Chris Mire, and Hinds assistant coach Dan Rives.

Chet Myer Signs Baseball Scholarship

Field Day at St. Alphonsus Catholic School

pointed. The contract is currently held by CH2MHILL. At Tuesday night’s City Coun-cil meeting, Councilman Tony LoBue cited an Attorney General’s opinion that he said prohibits the Mayor from obligating city funds without the Council’s approval. The Lawrason Act, which gov-erns Louisiana municipalities such as Central, says City Council ap-proval is required in order for a city to “incur debt.” Watts appointed a 21-member committee to review the City Ser-vices contract held by CH2MHILL,

Council Left Out of Processsent out a Request for Proposals, and appointed a Nine-Member Committee to select a vendor, all without seeking approval from the City Council. One Councilman said, “The Lawrason Act gives the Mayor the authority to ‘sign contracts’ but this contract and this Request for Proposals have never been approved by the May-or. When the Council is asked to fund this contract, I am not sure the Mayor will be able to get a major-ity of the Council to support it.” One Councilman said he will be “shocked” if Watts doesn’t select CH2MHILL.


Upcoming Local Class ReunionsSaturday, May 21

Central High Class of 19767 to 11 p.m.

The Central High Class of 1976 35th Class Reunion at Courtland’s Catering, 10565 Florida Blvd. Gour-met buffet, 70’s theme and memora-bilia, cash bar, and oldies and new music. Dressy casual. $25 per per-

son at the door. RSVP by Saturday, May 7 by visiting www.centralwild-cats.myevent.com. Denice Guillory Thomas at [email protected].

Saturday, May 28Central High Class of 1966

6 p.m. The Central High Class of 1966 reunion at Sammy’s, 14800 Wax Rd.

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GRAND OPENING OF FRUGE REALTY — (Left) Jennifer Tucker, Clarence Frugé, Desi Pomeroy, and Dana Gafford. (Right) Penny Frugé, Clarence Frugé, Dana Gafford, and Desi Pomeroy.

Frugé Realty Holds Grand Opening on Hooper

Central Buffet Opens at The Quarter at Sullivan and Wax

GRAND OPENING OF CENTRAL BUFFET — Staff includes Weng, Charles, Hui, Gui, Chet, Sheng, Saral, Nichol, Leo, Tony, Jim, Ricky, Rainbow, Xia, Ana, and Chen.

CENTRAL — The Mayor’s Com-mittee on Term Limits and Council Districts last Sunday voted to recom-mend term limits for Central’s city of-ficials and a new seven-member City Council with five members elected from single-member districts and two Councilmen elected at-large. Committee chairman Wayne Mes-sina said the committee’s recom-mendations will be sent to the City Council. He hopes the Council will be able to put the plan before Central voters in the fall. The committee’s plan would pro-vide term limits of three four-year terms for the Mayor and Police Chief and two four-year terms for the City Council. Term limits would begin with newly-elected officials who take office in July 2014 and be pro-spective in their application. Years of service by current city officials would not count toward the limits. The committee debated the ques-tion of the size of the next City Coun-cil and how members of that body would be elected. They considered

five possibilities: • A five-member City Council, elected at-large citywide, which is current law • A five-member City Council, elected by divisions, which would be designated seats, each elected citywide, with a Divi-sion A, B, C, D, and E • A five-member City Council elected from five single-member districts • A seven-member City Council elected from seven single-member districts, and • A seven-member City Council, with five members elected from single-member districts and two members elected at-large citywide. Russell Starns told the committee the best option was a five-member City Council elected from single-member districts. However, most committee members disagreed. In the end, four of the seven committee members — Jr. Shelton, Charles Lee Hinton, Angela Sum-merville, and Vince Dileo — sup-ported a seven-member Council with five elected from districts and two at-large. Two committee members — Joan Lansing and Mike Mannino — supported a seven-member Council with all elected from single-member districts. Only one committee mem-ber — Brian Fife — supported a five-member Council with all five elected

from single-member districts. No one on the committee favored the current five-member at-large Council or the idea of electing a five-member Council by divisions.

One criticism of the current five-member Council is that it is too small to have a functioning committee sys-tem.

Committee Recommends 7-Member City Council Woody Jenkins Editor, Central City News

See 7-MEMBER on Page 14

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. Obituaries ,

Webster Owen“Red” Westbrook

A resident of Baton Rouge and a na-tive of Smithdale, Miss., he left his earth-ly body into the arms of his Lord and to reunite with his beloved wife, Shirley, on Sunday, April 10, 2011. He was 95 and retired from his business, Westbrook’s Body Shop, and was an avid gardener. He loved growing all kinds of vegetables and sharing with others. He is survived by a daughter, Mary Joyce Davis, and her husband, Hilton J. Davis, Sr. of Central; two granddaughters and their husbands, Lisa and Mike Bates and Brenda and Carlton LeGrange; and a grandson and his wife, James and Milissia Davis. He was a grandfather to three, great-grand-father to 11, and great-great-grandfather to six. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley D. Westbrook; infant daughter, Sheilia Westbrook; grand-son, Adam Bates; parents, Webster and

Webster Owen “Red” Westbrook

Myrtis V. Gatlin Westbrook; and eight brothers and sisters. Visitation was at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East Chapel on Tuesday. Services were conducted by Rev. Dale Phillips. Many, many thanks to the caring nurses and staff at St. Claire Manor and the Carpenter House for their compassionate care of this beloved man. Till we meet again, you were loved, rest in peace with your Lord and loved ones.

Jerry Lee Kemp Jerry Lee Kemp of Greenwell Springs passed away Saturday, April 16, 2011, at age 47. Born in Charleston, W.V., he served in the U.S.M.C. with honorable discharge after being wounded in Lebanon. A master carpenter and contractor, he en-joyed teaching others the skills of his craft. He was a strong man who will be missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Karen Jerry KempCrooks Kemp; beloved son, Jason Gary Kemp; children, Jessica Temple and Trey Richey, all of Greenwell Springs; loving mother, Paulette Poole of Chapel Hill, Tenn.; many in-laws; and nieces and nephews, all of the Baton Rouge area. A private viewing was held and a Vet-eran’s memorial service will be held at a later date at the Port Hudson Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated at Hancock Bank for Karen Kemp. Lord, thank you for sharing him with us.

MAJOR RENOVATIONS — James and Jeannie David started a convenience store and deli on Terrace Street in Baton Rouge 30 years ago and took over Tiger Express at the corner of Hooper and Joor in 1997. Now they’ve beautifully remodeled and expanded David’s Tiger Express and their Dairy Queen. Everything is now com-plete. Shown above: Craig David. At right, James and Jeannie David being inducted into Central Business Hall of Fame by Dr. David Walker.

cil to go on record as ratifying the conflict. But Councilmen Tony LoBue, Wayne Messina, and Ralph Washington wanted nothing to do with the resolution. Messina said the Mayor has been the one moving forward with the Requests for Proposals, and he would have to be the one to ratify the conflict of interest, not the City Council. Privately, after the meet-ing, one Councilman said, “The Mayor is doing everything in his

power to keep the Council from having a voice in the selection of a new City Contractor. Then sud-denly he wants us to ratify the City Attorney’s conflict of interest.” During the Council meeting, Central resident Mike Mannino said the problem will not be with the City or the Shaw Group but with another contractor who ob-jected to the conflict of interest. “You are opening up the City to possible litigation,” he said. DeJohn withdrew the resolution.

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Council Refuses to OK ConflictContinued from Page 1

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Fr. Mike Moroney: A Lifetime of JourneysSt. Alphonsus Priest: 40 Years of Faithful Service

CENTRAL — When Fr. Mike was only 21 years of age, he entered seminary knowing he probably would not serve in his beloved Ire-land. A group of bishops from the Unit-ed States, including Fr. Stanley Ott, who was then the chancellor of the Baton Rouge Diocese, traveled there to recruit young men to relocate to the United States, where the shortage of priests was already anticipated. Msgr. Borders, vocations director for the diocese and Msgr. Gillespie, V.G., were part of the group of clergy recruiting young men for the priesthood. Bishop Tracy, the first bishop for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, impressed Fr. Mike with his excite-ment and enthusiasm for the Vatican Council. It was his contagious spirit of excitement that hooked Fr. Mike and played a deciding factor in his coming to Louisiana. After coming here, Louisiana’s friendly people, good food, and love of celebration were a constant reminder of Ireland for the new priest. Fr. Mike and his mother wrote to each other every Tuesday. In those days, it took three weeks for each to receive the other’s letter. News from home and family was pre-cious. So it took diligence and dis-cipline to write those long letters. Fr. Mike’s journey has taken him to many places in South Louisiana. He began his spiritual journey as pa-rochial vicar and administrator at St.

Mary’s Parish in New Roads where he was very involved in Catholic of Pointe Coupee Schools. At St. Isidore, Fr. Mike’s first pastoral assignment, he spent 9½ wonderful years with his “hands on” way of doing so many things. From there, he moved to Our Lady of Mercy Parish and followed in the footsteps of the beloved pastor Msgr. Fry. His next trek took him to St. Charles Borromeo in Baton Rouge

where he was assistant pastor. While at St. Charles during the late 1970’s, he was very involved at Re-demptorist High School. He was campus co-chaplain for 12 years, guidance counselor, and part of the team that implemented the retreat program for students that is still a viable part of the school today. Students and faculty return from this event with a new fervor for God, family, and life. Then he moved on to St. Thomas More. Fr. Mike has twice been assigned to St. Alphonsus and says the sec-ond assignment was like “coming back home.” He recalled those he had known in the past when he performed wed-dings, baptized infants, and inter-acted with many still living here. Fr. Mike is comfortable around our young folks. When asked what was so unique about working with these impressionable young men and women, his response was, “The reward is the potential to make a difference in their lives.” Fr. Mike said he didn’t think he’d

made a difference in the lives of young people until years later when they returned to tell him of the posi-tive impact he’d had on them. He believes small things can make a big difference in their lives, and that we should never underesti-mate the importance of time spent with them nor the effect our pres-ence has on them. He says one small comment, a private conversation, or just a gen-tle gesture may make a positive dif-ference in the life of someone who otherwise would stray from the straight and narrow path. Since coming to St. Alphonsus, Fr. Mike has quickly put his finger on the pulse of what makes our par-ish unique. We have the largest congregation in all 32 churches in Central. Gifts and talents abound in our Catholic family. There is never a lack of par-ticipation in our festivals, auctions, ministries, or liturgies. We are part of a growing com-munity that is exciting, and as the community flourishes, so does St. Alphonsus. As the community continues to grow, greater challenges will face us, but together with the generosity of time and talent, we will triumph. Fr. Mike praises the founders of St. Alphonsus for their vision in establishing a Catholic presence in this community. He is certain they are smiling upon us from up above. In the Central community, we have been offered an unlimited potential for growth beyond the boundaries of St. Alphonsus Parish. The annual Ecumenical Prayer Ser-vice is but one example of building the community on many levels. At-tendance at this event ties our entire Central community together. Life is a cycle, a journey. Fr. Mike has devoted much of his journey to us in Central. We are greatly blessed that his journey continues here.

Classifieds$10 for first 20 words, 50 cents a word after that. Minimum charge $10. Call 261-5055. Must be paid in advance. No credit cards ac-cepted. Mail or deliver check to Central City News, 13567 Hooper, Central 70818.

#1 DUB’S TREE CARE AND REMOVAL — Free estimate/low cost. 40 years’ experience. C 225-454-4982 or H 225-261-0342. 05/26/11A PERSONAL CARE SERVICE is seeking a full/part-time caregiver/sitter. Applicant must have at least six months experience caring for el-derly and disabled. Applicant should also be de-pendable and have reliable transportation. Only serious inquiries need apply by fax to 225-448-3367 or by calling 225-302-7994. 04/28/11CLASSIFIED ADS — Call 261-5055 or email to [email protected] RENT — Two bedroom apartment recent-ly renovated on 1-1/2 acres on a deadend street. $595/month plus deposit. 225-261-3123 or 225-337-6773. 05/12/11FOR SALE — 3 bedroom, 2 bath, living, dining, kitchen, large utility, covered patio, workshop, fenced. 4626 East Post Oak, off Frenchtown Road. $134,900. 225-261-8962. 04/28/11

GARAGE SALE — 11478 Lovett Road. Fri-day and Saturday, April 29 and 30. 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. 04/28/11GARAGE SALE — 9911 Trendale Dr., Bilt-more by DEMCO. Friday, April 29 and Satur-day, April 30, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tools, toys, and more. 04/28/11INVENTORY — Part-time only. Local com-pany. Good wages. Day hours, some weekends. Call 225-665-7791. 04/28/11LOVE MUSIC? — I teach guitar and beginner voice here in Central. Kenny Acosta, 40+ years’ experience, a voting member of the Recording Academy. 225-261-0572. 05/26/11MOVE IN SPECIAL — 2 and 3 bedroom mo-bile homes for rent. Nice, quiet parks, on-site managers and maintenance. No security deposit with approved application. $550 to $850 per month. No pets. 225-436-9349 or 225-394-1701. 05/26/11YOUR DOG’S VACATION — Overnight pet sitting in loving Central home. Walks, playtime, couch privileges, airport convenience. Insured. 225-892-2375. 05/12/11

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Central Track Wins Gold at District 5-5ASansone Wins Three 1st Places, Triplett Pushes in 200

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the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, which he won at 22.06, and the 4x100-meter relay, which San-sone ran with James Richardson, Lamonte Juneau, and Gray Trip-lett for a time of 42.77. This relay team could be a serious threat at the Regional Championship. Central won 3rd Place in the 4x200 relay in a dogfight with

Catholic and Zachary. Catholic won with a time of 2:28.22, Zacha-

ry was 2nd with 2:28.57, and Cen-tral was third with 2:28.85 — hard-

ly a whisker separating the three. In the 200, Sansone — the Cen-

DISTRICT 5-5A 200-METER FINALS — Central’s Trevor Sansone repeated as District 5-5A champion in the 200-meter dash but was pushed by Central freshman Gary Triplett, who came in 2nd. Both Sansone and Triplett qualified for Regional championships today.


4x100 RELAY CHAMPIONS — Trevor Sansone, Lamonte Juneau, J.R. Richardson, and Gary Triplett won the District 5-5A champi-onship in the 4x100-meter relay. They finished with a time of 42.77. At right, Gregg Morris ran the 1,600 meters. He was 7th.

SHOT PUT — Former Central High foot-ball star Taylor Jenkins was 5th in shot put.

GOING TO REGIONALS — Central’s John Davis (left) placed 4th in the shot put and qualified for Regionals today. At right, Dain Perrault competed in the 1,600 meters.

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tral Flyer — had his hands full with freshman star Gary Triplett, also of Central. The pair finished 1-2 in the district. Triplett ran the 200 in 22.27, just bit behind Sansone. Another bright spot for the Wildcats was the performance of Akil Bennett. Bennett won 1st place in the long jump with a leap of 22-4-1/4 inches — the best jump in the state this year. Bennett dis-tinguished himself in the 110-me-ter hurdles, winning 3rd place with a time of 16.35. He was 4th in the triple jump with 41-2. Central’s Thomas Woodard was 2nd in the high jump at 5-11. John Davis won 4th Place in the shot put with a throw of 43-10-3/4ths. Blake Welborn won 3rd place in discus with a throw of 130-9. Craig Jones was 4th in long jump at 20-10.5. The Wildcats’ Brittany Starkey was the lone member of the girls track team to quality for the Re-gionals. She was 4th in the javelin at 101-05. Coach Brad Cook said he feels this new Central team is making real progress. For more photos from the dis-trict meet, go to www.centralci-tynews.us. Results from the district meet were (regional qualifiers in bold): District 5-5A Championships Central Girls Track Team 100 Meters — 9. Brittany Johnson,

13.39; 13. Meghan Saia, 14.12 200-meter dash — 12. Brittany John-son, 29.55 1,600 meters — 10. Bobbie Broome, 6:42.61 100-meter hurdles — 8. Hailey Coth-ern, 20:41; 9. Kim Scott, 20.45 300-meter hurdles — 11. Kim Scott, 57.24 4x100 — 6. Central (Meghan Saia, Brittany Johnson, Hailey Cothern, and Kim Scott), 55.58 4x200 — 7. Central (same runners) 1:56.64 Discus — 14. Taylor Busbin, 59-05 Javelin — 4. Brittany Starkey, 101-05 Central Boys Track Team 100-meter dash — 1. Trevor San-sone, 10.74; 5. James Richardson, 11.24. Stadium record: 10.3 200-meter dash — 1. Trevor San-sone, 22.06; 2. Gary Triplett, 22.27. Stadium record: 21.0 400-meter dash — 9. Jonathan Thi-bodeaux, 53.31 800-meter run — 14. Lorenzo Wind-ing, 2:27.39 1,600 meters — 7. Gregg Morris, 5:00.63; 15. Dain Perrault 6:18.7

110-meter hurdles — 3. Akil Ben-nett, 16.35 300-meter hurdles — 5. Akil Ben-nett, 42.10; 12. Seth Thibodeaux, 46.2 4x100 — 1. Central (Sansone, La-monte Juneau, Gary Triplett, and J.R. Richardson), 42.77. Stadium record: 41.4 4x200 — 3. Central (Sansone, Rich-ardson, Triplett, and Leroy Williams), 1:28.85. Stadium record: 1:26.4 4x400 — 6. Central, 3:49.13 High jump — 2. Thomas Woodard, 5-11 Long jump — 1. Akil Bennett, 22-04.75; 4. Craig Jones, 20-10.5. Stadi-um record: 23-10.75 Triple jump — 4. Akil Bennett, 41-02 Shot put — 4. John Davis, 43-10.75; 5. Taylor Jenkins, 42-07.75 Discus — 3. Blake Welborn, 130-09; 6. Alex Frank, 119-10 Javelin — 6. Austin Estave, 135-11;

7. Joey Jarreau, 135-04 Overall Team Results: Central Girls, 8th; Boys, 3rd

District 5-5A TrackDistrict ChampionshipWednesday, April 20, 2011

Catholic High TrackPhotos by Woody JenkinsTo see more photos, go towww.centralcitynews.us

START OF THE 100-MEET DASH — Central’s Trevor Sansone kept his head low at the start of the 100-meter dash and repeated as District Champion with a time of 10.74. He is defending his State Championship in the event. J. R. Richardson finished in 5th place.

4x100 RELAY CHAMPS — Trevor San-sone takes the baton from J. R. Richardson


100-METER DASH — Central’s Meghan Saia (far left) and Brittany Johnson (far right) competed in the 100-meter dash at the District 5-5A Championship last Wednesday.


Births • Engagements • Weddings • DeathsAnniversaries • Reunions

WOMMACK, HINSONLauren Wommack and Connor Hin-son will exchange vows in a private ceremony on Saturday, May 28.

Milestones POURCIAU, TAYLORJessica Pourciau and Brad Taylor will marry Saturday, June 11 at Zoar Baptist Church in Central.

Lauren Wommack, Connor HinsonTo Exchange Wedding Vows May 28

Connor Hinson and Lauren Wommack

CENTRAL — Lauren Wommack of Central and Connor Hinson of Denham Springs will marry on

Saturday, May 28, 2011. The bride-elect is the daughter of Larry and Babette Wommack of Central. She is the granddaugh-ter of Marilyn and Gene Robinson of Granbury, Texas and Josephine Wommack of Hurst, Texas. Lauren is a graduate of Central Private School and a graduate of Southeastern University with a bachelor’s in early childhood ed-ucation. She is teaching second grade at Seventh Ward Elementary in Denham Springs. Her fiancé is the son of Don and Becky Hinson of Denham Springs. He is the grandson of Howell and Annette McManus, the late Clara McManus, and Edgar and Billie Fae Hinson, all of Natchez, Miss. Andrew is a graduate of Den-ham Springs High School and will graduate from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He is employed with Coastal Machinery LLC in Baton Rouge.

Pourciau, Taylor toTo Marry June 11 atZoar Baptist Church

Jessica Pourciau and Brad Taylor

CENTRAL — Jessica Lynn Pour-ciau of Greenwell Springs and

Brad Keith Taylor of Baton Rouge will marry Saturday, June 11, 2011, at 6 p.m. at Zoar Baptist Church. The bride-elect is the daughter of Craig and Terri Pourciau. She is the granddaughter of LH and Tre-cia Pourciau of Greenwell Springs and Leroy and Joyce LeCoq of Ba-ton Rouge. Jessica is a 2005 graduate of Central High School and a 2009 graduate of Louisiana State Uni-versity with a bachelor’s degree in family, child, and consumer sciences. She will graduate from Louisiana State University in May of 2011 with her master’s degree in social work. Her fiancé is the son of Danny and LaMarylis Taylor. He is the grandson of Beatrice Waggen-spack of Darrow and the late Fran-cis Waggenspack and the late Da-vid and Joyce Taylor of Gillsburg, Miss. Brad is a 2004 graduate of Cen-tral Private School and a 2009 graduate of Louisiana State Uni-versity with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a minor in construction management. He is employed with Taylor Carpentry and Construction.

Avery Grace Fryer Dax and Ginger (Stevens) Fryer of Deerfield Beach, Fla. are proud to an-nounce the birth of their first child, Av-ery Grace. Avery was born Oct. 25, 2010, at 8:32 p.m. at West Boca Medical Center in Boca Raton, Fla. She weighed six pounds, 10 ounces, and was 19 inches long. Proud grandparents are Babs Ste-vens and the late Arthur Lee “Butch” Stevens of Greenwell Springs and Bill and Dianne Fryer of Bay St. Louis, Miss. Great-grandparents are the late James C. and Ethel Stevens of Baton Rouge, the late Herman and Shirley Lively of Greenwell Springs, Rose Fry-er and the late William L. Fryer, Sr. of Diamondhead, Miss. and the late Elus E. and Estelle Depreo of Kiln, Miss.

REPUBLICAN WOMEN OF CENTRAL — (Left photo, left to right) Maudell Hill, Ginger Moak, Tommie Morden, Secretary of State Thomas J. Schedler, Juanita Anderson, Metro Councilman Mike Walker, Tracy Barnes, Betsy Barnes, and Pam Templet. (Right photo) newly-elected Judge Charlene Charlet Day.

Secretary of State, New Judge Visit GOP Ladies of Central

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Ladies of Istrouma High School Class of 1960

ISTROUMA CLASS OF 1960 — The ladies of the Class of 1960 had their monthly luncheon at Sammy’s Grill in Central on April 16. In attendance were (left photo) Linda Starnes McLaurin and Patsy Smith Wales, (2nd photo) June Wilson Pizzalato, (3rd photo) Jane Hinman Culpepper and Margaret Barousse Drummond, and (4th photo) Gail Melancon Deshotel and Babette Forbes Schexnaider.


Brady Greer Ingram Evan and Courtney Hailey Ingram are proud to announce the birth of their son, Brady Greer. He was welcomed home by big brother Aaden. Brady was born Nov. 12, 2010, at Lane Regional Medical Center. He weighed eight pounds, 2.2 ounces, and was 20-3/4 inches long. Proud grandparents are Johnny and Lisa Hailey and David and Charlotte In-gram. Great-grandparents are Wyatt and Brenda Fisher, Ed and Catherine Ingram, Buster and Doris Hailey, and Henry and Jerry Nettles. Great-great-grand-mother is Genevieve Hailey.

Central High Class of 1971 • 40th Class ReunionSaturday, May 14 • 7 to 11 p.m. • Forrest Grove Plantation

Contact Rosalie Kelly Milner at 262-2588 or [email protected]

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Mallory Gregoire, 2009 Central Private Homecoming Queen & now attending Southeastern Louisiana University for Nursing.

Mylee Elizabeth Wright Howard and Jessica Burkett Wright are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Mylee Elizabeth. She was welcomed home by her big sister, Camille Elise Wright. Mylee was born Jan. 12, 2011, at Woman’s Hospital. She weighed eight pounds, two ounc-es, and was 21.5 inches long. Proud grandparents are Julius and Donna Burkett of Central and David and Beth Burkette and the late Howard George Wright, II, all of Denham Springs.

Kaysen Reese Dixon Joey and Kamryn (Brown) Dixon are proud to announce the birth of their baby girl, Kaysen Reese. Kaysen was born at Woman’s Hospital on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011, at 6:20 p.m. She weighed seven pounds, six ounces, and was 21 inches long. Proud grandparents are John Brown of Montpelier, Carl and Kim Brown Singletary of Gonzales, and Joe and Denise Dixon of Central.

Deklan Kole Hammons Stephen and Kayla Verbois Ham-mons are proud to announce the birth of their baby boy, Deklan Kole. He was welcomed home by big brother, Bran-don. Deklan was born Jan. 27, 2011, at 8:14 a.m. He weighed eight pounds, 14 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Proud grandparents are Michael and Gayle Hammons of Pollock and Jill Whittington of Central; great-grand-parents are Doris Bryant of Pollock, John Hammons of Monroe, and Alvin and Wanda Whittington of Central; and great-great-grandmother is Mae Chemin of Central.

Send births, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, reunions, and deaths to [email protected], or Box 1, Central, LA 70739

See FESTIVAL on Page 15


Central’s Got Talent Auditions Saturday CENTRAL — Events coming up in and around Central:

Thursday, April 28Babysitter Training

8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lane Regional Medical Center will hold a Safe Sitter® babysitter training class. The program is offered to girls and boys ages 11 to 13. Participants learn the fundamentals of quality child care and how to handle crises, nurture and guide a young child, and keep children safe while parents are away. Registration is required. Cost is $20. For information or to register, call 654-5263.

Friday, April 29Blood Drive • 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

United Blood Services will hold a blood drive at Lane Regional Medi-cal Center. The blood drive is open to the public and registration is not required. Sign up online at www.bloodhero.com, sponsor code: Lane-Regional.

Saturday, April 30Central’s Got Talent Auditions

7:30 a.m. to 12 noon Can you sing or dance? Or maybe you’re magical? If you can do this or more, come out and audition for the 2nd Annual Central’s Got Talent. Auditions will be held at St. Alphon-sus Church. Fee is $10 for individual auditions and $20 for groups of three or more. Visit www.st-alphonsus.net for contest rules.

April 30, May 14 and 28Central Area Horse Show • 10 a.m. The Central Area Horse Show, sponsored by the Deep South Stock Horse Show Association, will be held at the Shady Park Arena on Green-well Springs Road. Judged and timed events in four age groups. Beginners welcome. For info, www.dsshsa.org.

April 30 and May 1St. Vincent de Paul Pick-up

A St. Vincent de Paul truck will

be parked at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church to collect clothes, household items, and small appliances for the St. Vincent de Paul in the Central area.

Sunday, May 1Senior Athletic Convocation

7 p.m. Central High School will hold its Senior Athletic Convocation at Im-manuel Baptist, 10870 Lovett Road.

May 2 and 39th Grade Academy Meeting

for Parents & Students • 6 p.m. Central High School invites you to an informational meeting to be held in the gym for the school year 2011-2012. The meeting will inform par-

ents and students about a “new team concept” for 9th graders and to give parents an opportunity to participate with their child in course selections. Any students who are not currently enrolled in the Central Community School System will receive a registra-tion packet at the meeting. For infor-mation, email Beth Miller, assistant principal, at [email protected].

May 3 through 19Computer Classes • 5 to 7 p.m.

The Central Community School System will offer computer classes to parents and any community members who live within the Central Commu-nity. The class will include discus-sion and activities using the Internet with the focus on fun, free programs found on the web used for photo and

video editing. This will be a hands-on class with the use of digital cam-eras and Flip video cameras. The six classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For information or to register, call the Central Intermediate School office at 261-1390.

Wednesday, May 4Prenatal Class • 6 p.m.

Lane Regional Medical Center will offer a free prenatal class in the Staff Development Classroom. “The Pregnancy Workshop” is an overview of what to expect for the soon-to-be mom. Partners are welcome to attend. Child care is not provided. Registra-tion is required. For information or to register, call 654-5263.

Thursday, May 5Central Day of Prayer • 6:30 p.m.

Central residents will gather to observe the 60th Annual National Day of Prayer, parking lot in front of Central City Hall behind Capital One Bank on Hooper. This will be the seventh observance in Central. Ev-eryone is invited to attend and join in prayer for our churches, our business-es, our schools, our families, and our government. Pastors and leaders of the community will be in attendance. Central Day of Prayer is sponsored by Central Area Pastors Association.

May 5, 6, and 7Cajun Arts and Crafts Festival

South Live Oak Elementary in Watson will host its annual Cajun Arts and Crafts Festival. This year there will be various crafts from ven-dors around the state, new and excit-ing children’s rides and games, a fan-tastic auction featuring items from merchants around the area, yummy concessions, and a bar-b-que chicken lunch on Saturday. Times are: rides and concessions, 5 to 9 p.m. Thurs-day, May 5; rides and concessions, 12:30 to 10 p.m.; craft booths, 12:30 to 5 p.m., and games, 12:30 to 7 p.m., Friday, May 6; and rides and conces-sions, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., craft booths

7U COACHES PITCH CHAMPIONS — The Central Tigers 7U Coaches Pitch baseball team went undefeated to win the CAYL Pre-season Tournament for the D Minor Select Divi-sion. Pictured are (1st row, left to right) Jeffrey Swearingen, Ethan LeSage, Taylor Walters, Jimmie Johnson, and Rylen Walker, (2nd row) Dalton Wilson, Tanner Roberts, Luke Cowart, Easton Lonibos, and Luke Ydarraga, and (3rd row) coaches Mark Roberts, Earl Paul LeSage, Dwayne Wilson, and head coach Ronnie Walters.

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Messina did not vote on the final recommendations, but he said he sup-ports the majority’s decision. Starns argued that having a seven-member City Council would be too expen-sive. However, Messina contended that the cost would be little different from the present system but would provide broader representation. Messina said, “I have spoken to mayors and councilmen from all over the state, and many have told me that a combination of single-member dis-tricts and at-large seats is the best. It allows each area of the city to be represented but it also allows some members to have a citywide perspec-tive. Sometimes very talented people live in the same area of the city. If we go solely with districts, we would be deprived of the opportunity to have their service.” Messina said he hopes the Coun-cil will consider the committee’s recommendations at the Council’s first meeting in May. He said that he would like the propositions to be on

the election ballot on Oct. 22, if that is permitted by state law. States, counties, and cities across the country are considering reappor-tionment because of the 2010 census. Central could continue its current system of at-large voting by taking no action. However, if it adopts any kind of districting plan, those districts would have to be drawn in accor-dance with the latest census numbers. Mayor Mac Watts is reportedly opposed to the committee’s seven-member plan. If he were to veto a reapportionment plan adopted by the Council, the current system of at-large voting would continue in effect unless the Council overrode his veto. After approval by the City Coun-cil, a new reapportionment plan would have to be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department for review under the federal Voting Rights Act. Central has the option of getting out from under scrutiny by the Jus-tice Department if it can show that its elections have been conducted in a non-discriminatory manner.

Seven-Member City CouncilContinued from Page 7

Festival of Two Rivers Set for May 13-15Continued from Page 14


COACHES PITCH CHAMPIONS — The Rebels won the CAYL coaches pitch draft tour-nament. Pictured are (1st row, left to right) Austin Bradford, Ben Kolb, Brady Cash, Clay Petty, Zac Landry, Devin Ellis, and Parker Will, (2nd row) Christopher Murray, Nick Achee, Hayden Moore, Wyatt Beck, Braxton Matherne, Camden Juneau, and Cody Sharpe, and (3rd row) coaches Gary Petty, Keith Cash, Josh Sharpe, Colby Matherne, and Harold Beck.

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Dirt Work

General Sand & Gravel Co.Limestone, Gravel, Mason Sand,

Clay, Top Soil, Riversilt,Crushed Concrete, Tractor Work

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Adam’s Dirt WorkDirt • Sand • Mulch • Gravel

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9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and games, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7.

Friday, May 6Parish Appreciation Crawfish

Boil • 7 p.m. St. Alphonsus will hold a Par-ish Appreciation Crawfish Boil in the Family Center. All adults who are involved in the life of the parish through ministries, organizations, committees, councils, boards, festival workers, and those who assist in oth-er ways are invited to join Fr. Mike and the parish staff to say thank you. Childcare will be provided. RSVP by calling the office at 261-4650.

Saturday, May 7Car and Bike Show

9 a.m. to 12 noon Zoar Baptist Church, 11848 Hoop-er Road, will hold its annual Car and Bike Show. Free admission, free food, and door prizes. All classes. Trophies and awards for all classes and categories. To register a vehicle call the church office at 261-3434.

Saturday, May 7Women’s Day • 10:30 a.m.

First Baptist Church, Central, 9676 Sullivan Road, invites area women to Women’s Day for a great day of spiritual learning, fun, and fellowship. Guest speaker will be Dolores Manning. Singing, lunch, door prizes, and jewelry for sale. No

charge to attend, but you must call the church office at 261-3722 to make a lunch reservation. A nursery will be provided. Please bring a sack lunch for your child.

May 13 through 15Festival of Two Rivers

St. Alphonsus will hold its’ annual

Festival of Two Rivers. Food, games, and rides for everyone!

Monday, May 16Congestive Heart Failure

Education Program • 10 a.m. Lane Regional Medical Center will hold a free education and sup-port program for congestive heart

failure patients and their caregivers. Learn more about what you can do to manage the challenges of living with congestive heart failure. Topics will be Medication Management and Summertime Grillin’ and Chillin’. Registration is required and seating is limited. Free lunch will be provided. Call 654-5263 to register.

Saturday, May 21PrimeTimers Spaghetti Dinner

5:30 p.m. The PrimeTimers, a 60 plus group at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, are sponsoring a Spaghetti Dinner with former LSU coach Paul Dietzel. The dinner will be held in the St. Francis Room. Cost is $7 per person. Coach Dietzel will have his latest book “Call Me Coach” available for sale and will personally autograph your copy. RSVP the parish office at 261-4650. Deadline is Friday, May 13.

Wednesday, May 25Skin Cancer Screening • 1 p.m.

A free skin cancer screening spon-sored by Lane Regional Medical Center and Advanced Dermatology will be held at the office of Dr. Laurie Harrington, 20474 Old Scenic Hwy. in Zachary. The public is invited to take advantage of this free screening. Registration is required and space is limited. For information or to regis-ter, call 654-5263.


City Hall, emailed to her office, printed out, blackening out, and then scanned, emailed back to City Hall, and then printed out for Mr. Mannino. With the black-outs, there was nothing left to read. It was a most amazing process and completely contrary to law. But Ms. Morris and her backers defended it. And, of course, they blamed Mr. Mannino for having causing another mountain of legal bills! The only reason Mr. Mannino final-ly got to see the records was the City Council ordered Ms. Morris to pro-duce the bills unredacted. The whole process took a month — not “immedi-ately” or within the three days allowed by law. Even today Ms. Morris remains devoted to the mistaken idea that the “attorney-client privilege” is an ex-

ception to the Public Records Act. This notion threatens to keep Central’s citizens from having ready access to public records. And it threatens to keep the City Council busy meeting to waive a non-existent privilege. • City of Central Can’t Alter Louisiana’s Public Records Law Louisiana’s Public Records Law is in the Revised Statutes. It passed the legislature and was signed into law. Neither the Mayor, the City Coun-cil, nor the City Attorney can repeal, alter, or restrict Louisiana’s Public Re-cords Law. Nor do they have author-ity to set up elaborate procedures that citizens must comply with in order to examine public records in this com-munity. Nothing in the Public Records Act permits a governmental body to with-hold public records until a City Coun-

cil meets and “waives” its “right” to confidentiality of public records.City Attorney Must Be Recused Since the legal bills in question are from the City Attorney, she must be recused from rendering any legal opinions regarding their disclosure. For her to do so is a serious conflict of interest by her as an attorney.Records Are Appropriate for Committee Review Even if the legal bills to the City weren’t public records, which they clearly are, a committee studying legal services would have the legal right to review those bills. How else could they come up with any recommendations?Council Members Should Not Serve on Mayoral Committees In the background is another im-portant issue. The Mayor’s Committee on Legal

Services was created solely and en-tirely by the Mayor — not by resolu-tion or ordinance of the City Council. It is an Executive Branch committee. Councilman LoBue was appointed by the Mayor as chairman of the com-mittee. This is entirely illegal and in-appropriate. The Lawrason Act states clearly that the City Council is to exer-cise the legislative power of the mu-nicipal government. For a member of the legislative branch to accept appointment from the executive branch and to serve at the executive’s pleasure is a serious viola-tion of the separation of powers of the two branches. Every responsible and functioning legislative body appoints its own com-mittees. The President of the United States Senate does not appoint mem-bers of the U. S. Senate Armed Ser-vices Committee, and the Governor doesn’t appoint members of the Loui-siana House Ways and Means Com-mittee. Everybody understands that would be a violation of separation of powers. But the principle of separation of pow-ers is just as important in municipal government. At every level of government, the executive branch tries to dominate the legislative branch, but an independent legislature is essential to the function-ing of our system of government.City Council Should Have Its Own Committee System Our City Council has been remiss in its duties in that it has failed to estab-lish a functioning committee system. Committees are the way that every re-sponsible legislative body conducts its business. The reason we have five-hour City Council meetings in Central is be-cause our City Council doesn’t have committees. Any legislative body — whether it be Congress, the state legislature, or a City Council — needs a two-tiered system for considering legislation. The first level is the committee hear-ing, which is conducted with less for-mality and greater public involvement. At the committee hearing, the de-tails of legislation are supposed to be hashed out. Bad proposals should be killed, and good ones should be amended to get the “bugs” out. Only after that occurs should proposed leg-islation get to the floor of the City Council for debate. Examples of City Council commit-tees would be an Executive Commit-tee, a Budget and Finance Committee, and a Public Works Committee. But, instead of working through committees, our City Council sees pro-posals for the first time when they are on final passage. The result is often chaotic, poorly thought out, and divi-sive. Without a functioning commit-tee system, the City Council is mak-ing it easy for the executive branch to dominate city government. Councilman LoBue Should Be Praised for his Stand on Public Re-cords and His Effort to Reform Le-gal Services If Councilman Tony LoBue brought copies of a public record — the City Attorney’s bill — to a meeting of a committee on legal services, he was just doing his job, shining the light on public records of importance to our city and trying to mend our broken system of acquiring legal services. But all of our Council members should be careful to protect the sepa-ration of powers. That means staying away from executive branch appoint-ments and executive branch commit-tees. Never again should an elected City Councilman be called out by the May-or and told to resign from a “Mayoral” appointment. When asked by the Mayor to re-place Councilman LoBue as chairman of the Mayor’s Committee on Legal Services, Councilman Ralph Wash-ington said, “No, I was elected by the people, and I don’t intend to accept a post where I could be removed by the Mayor.”

LoBue Attacked for Protecting Public’s Right to KnowContinued from Page 2

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14545WaxRd. 261-4441HancockBank13585Hooper 248-7130NeighborsFederalCreditUnion 13336HooperRd 819-5776Regions Bank 11880GreenwellSprings 929-9322WhitneyNationalBank 14340GreenwellSprings 381-0850

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