By Richard Meek
Contributing Writer

EDGARD – Raised voices that at times escalated to yelling, numerous disagreements and even personal attacks highlighted a contentious meeting that pitted St. John the Baptist Council members against the administration Tuesday night.
The disputes during the meeting, which exceeded three hours, covered the gamut, from a lengthy discussion about water and sewerage pumps to drainage to special assistants and the role they play in government.
Tangible results were few, but tension was palatable almost from the start of the Finance Committee meeting, normally a brief gathering that precedes the main event.
The verbal skirmishes began early in the Finance Committee meeting when council member Ranney Wilson questioned public works officials about why the administration was recommending the rejection of 10 bids that were received in an advertisement for pumps.
Public Works Director Brian Nunes said the original wording of the bid, which was handled by an unidentified member of Robottom’s staff, was too constrictive, thus no company met all of the specifications.
The bid was calling for companies to submit prices for wastewater and drainage pumps.
“We reviewed all of the bids and our specs were too specific,” Nunes said, adding that some bidders met some of the specs but not met all of the specs. “We made the decision to make the specs more fair.”
Wilson said the bids should be separate, with individual specs drawn up for each pump. He continued to drive home the point throughout the lengthy discussion, even after Councilman Lucien Gauff reminded his colleague the bids could go out as one and “still accomplish what you are looking for.”
But Wilson remained steadfast, and the council eventually approved a resolution mandating the pumps be bid out separately.
An update on the progress of rebuilding lift stations damaged during Hurricane Isaac touched off the next round of heated debate. A FEMA error in writing up the project worksheet has created a delay in the project.
But in response to council questions about the parish completing the work before receiving FEMA funds, thus alleviating some noise issues for residents who must contend with loud diesel-power generators operating the stations, Robottom said that would place the parish at risk for not getting reimbursed for any of the work.
‘I am not putting this parish at risk,” she said.
“The decibels are bad,” Councilman Larry Snyder said. “Over a long period of time you can lose your hearing.”
Drainage, a hot-button topic for several months, was the spark to ignite the next round of debate. Nunes reported the parish recently bought a large excavator and two dump trucks to help with drainage and other public works projects.
Wilson said the larger excavator, however, would not help alleviate drainage issues plaguing his district.
“I’m not worried about (the rest of the parish),” he said.
He noted the price for a smaller excavator required to clean ditches in his area is $48,000, but Nunes said the money was not available because of budget considerations, which appeared to irritate Wilson even more.
He said he would find the money and reminded council members the budget is controlled by the council, and they can amend it at any time.
“I’m going to come back with something,” he said, “I’m going to ask for your support. We’ve ignored these people for too long.”
After another lengthy discussion, Wilson was able to push through a resolution asking the administration to find the money to pay for the smaller excavator.
Tempers later flared during a discussion about special assistants, who are hired as temporary workers by the parish president and are often later moved into fulltime positions.
“I got a problem with that,” Snyder said. “I know we need people in recreation and other areas. Why are we hiring special assistants and we can’t get the grass cut?
“If we are going to hire special assistants to do nothing, why can’t we hire special assistants to do work in the community?”
It was unclear how many special assistants Robottom has hired and has on staff. L’Observateur has requested the information from the administration but as of press time it had not been provided.
Robottom did say, however, that the salaries of several of the special assistants she has hired have been paid with grants and other funds from FEMA and GOSEP.
She added that in some cases those special assistants filled in for directors who were out for various reasons. Because of an increased workload by the aftermath of Isaac, as well as closing out paperwork on Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina, the special assistants were needed, especially in light of a smaller workforce.
She said all of the special assistants are assigned specific jobs, and none assist her directly.
But the discussion grew livelier, especially as Robottom reminded council members former parish presidents have employed more than she has. Council member Jaclyn Hotard reminded Robottom that her career in parish government started when former Parish President Nicky Monica hired her as a special assistant when a CAO was leaving.
That comment led to heated exchanges between Robottom and Hotard, and at one point council member Cheryl Millet requested a brief recess. Even during the recess Robottom and Hotard continued to jaw at each other.
“We could go back and forth for hours,” Gauff said. “It is a waste of time and should not happen in a council meeting.”
The final dispute was spawned by a discussion on the deplorable conditions of parish properties, one being Sunken Gardens, which is overrun with high grass. Millet said the parish cites property owners for such transgressions and asked, “Who is citing us?”
It was agreed the parish would hire a contractor to take care of some of the more serious problems areas, with council members submitting a list of the more serious areas in their respective districts.