By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The expressed intent of Director of Emergency Preparedness Mike Tregre to run against incumbent St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Wayne Jones this fall may cost him his job.

His supporters, including wife Tanyia, say the threat of losing his job is purely political. His boss, Parish President Natalie Robottom, says otherwise.

Many of Tregre’s family members and friends attended Tuesday’s St. John Parish Council meeting in the wake of rumors Tregre’s job is 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 Robottom would ask the council to remove Tregre from a position he has held less than a month.

The controversy surrounding Tregre’s employment with the parish arose last week when he confirmed to several parish leaders, including Robottom, his renewed intent to run for sheriff this fall.

Robottom did not bring up the subject during the meeting. She said Thursday she will not take any action until she receives 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 or whose salaries are paid at least in part by federal funds from campaigning for public office. It remains unclear if Tregre’s current position falls under the Hatch Act’s umbrella; District Attorney Tom Daley is handling discussions with the attorneys.

The legality issue concerns Tregre’s publicly asserting he plans to run for sheriff as well as a campaign website — miketregre.com — that was live for at least one day expressing Tregre’s intent to run this fall. The website was taken down sometime last weekend.

Tregre also met last week with former parish president Bill Hubbard, who was recently sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to bribery charges, and others to discuss the sheriff’s race. Several sources confirmed the meeting, but what happened at the meeting remains unclear as several different stories have emerged.

Robottom said her main concern is making sure the parish does not lose federal funding if there is a violation of the Hatch Act.

She said about one-third of Tregre’s $70,000 annual salary comes from federal funds.

Robottom said Tregre will remain in his current position until the matter is resolved. He was expected to handle two items at Tuesday’s council meeting, and even though he was at the council meeting those duties were handled by Chief Administrative Officer Marie Brown-Mercadel. Robottom said Mercadel had a better understanding of both issues. She also said some functions of the department are now being handled by Assistant Director Kathy Gilmore.

But Tanyia Tregre and other supporters believe the Hatch Act doesn’t apply here and that Robottom’s attempt to remove Tregre from his job are purely based on her support for Jones.

Robottom said the actions are not political.

“My decision to offer Mike the position was based on the fact that I thought Mike was the best candidate for the job,” Robottom said. “I felt it was an opportunity to excel. He is an asset to the parish. I would not have hired him if I wasn’t sure he was committed to the job.”

She said Tregre had given assurances he would not run for sheriff this fall. But Tregre said there were no discussions of any conditions for the job when Robottom’s staff interviewed him late last year.

Tregre took the job in Robottom’s administration after a two-year stint as investigator and spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office.

Prior to his stint with the DA’s Office, Tregre spent nearly 25 years working in several positions within the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.