By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Family members and friends of Director of Emergency Preparedness Mike Tregre attended Tuesday’s St. John the Baptist Parish Council meeting in the wake of rumors Tregre’s job may be in jeopardy.

Most of the group, wearing “I Like Mike” T-shirts, remained outside council chambers during the two-hour meeting, while a handful were seated inside waiting to see if Parish President Natalie Robottom would ask the council to remove Tregre from his position. The controversy surrounding Tregre’s employment arose last week when he confirmed to several parish leaders his renewed intent to run for sheriff this fall.

Robottom did not, however, bring the subject up during the meeting. Robottom said Thursday she would not take any action until she recieved a legal opinion from attorneys in Washington D.C. on whether Tregre’s campaigning for office is in violation of the Hatch Act, which involves prohibiting individuals who manage federal funds from campaigning for public office. It remains unclear if Tregre’s current position falls under the Hatch Act’s umbrella.

The question concerns a campaign website Tregre took down over the weekend expressing his intent to run for Sheriff.

Robottom said that her main concern is to make sure that the parish does not lose federal funding if there is a violation of the Hatch Act. Tregre declined comment for this story, but his wife, Tanyia Tregre, contends the motives behind the attempt to remove her husband from his position are purely political. She and other members of Tregre’s camp believe the Hatch Act does not apply here.

Tanya Tregre, who said her husband is still very interested in running for Sheriff, confirmed Tregre met last week with former Parish President Bill Hubbard and others to discuss the sheriff’s race. It is not clear, however, what the purpose of the meeting was since several different stories surrounding the meeting have emerged.

Continue watching L’Observateur’s website and newspaper for more as this story continues to develop.