A political analyst reacts to friction in the JP Council

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Tensions between Jefferson Parish council members have been on public display recently, most notably during Wednesday’s council meeting.

At-Large Councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken proposed freezing parish funding for a brewpub in Gretna and asked that Jefferson Redevelopment Inc. and Jefferson Facilities Inc. present the project to the council.

“Essentially, when you break it down, the parish is spending $10.3 million and bringing a multi-million dollar piece of land to the table, and in return, Jefferson will get $1 directly,” Van Vrancken said.

District 4 Councilwoman Arita Bohannan opposed the idea.

“To cut off Gretna and say they have to pay us is like taking your mother back. They’re part of our family. Stop cutting them off; stop trying to separate them,” Bohannan said .

Most council members voted against Van Vrancken’s resolutions.

“This happened a year ago. The time to ask these very important questions was before we voted seven times. Now, by pausing, you open us up to liability and additional demands,” Bohannan said.

The council also addressed a motion to investigate the parish’s inspector general.

“I think we are overstepping our bounds as a council by trying to be the head of the IG, which is independent. Have any of you raised your concerns with the body that oversees the GI? Have you gone there and expressed concern?” Van Vrancken asked.

Bohannan replied: “No, I haven’t, and the reason I haven’t is because I’m not sure what needs to be reported. I know I’ve seen enough of it in the last two weeks, with what seems like an attempt of Gretna murder, I’m scared I don’t want to be part of it.”

The majority of councilors voted to investigate the IG

“If something nefarious happens, we will find it and after we find it, we will report it,” Bohannan said.

Van Vrancken responded, “As a licensed attorney, you have an obligation to report any violations. You keep throwing this out there, but there’s nothing.”

Bohannan replied: “I was on the commission, on the disciplinary committee for eight years.”

Van Vrancken retorted: “I just want to remind you.”

Bohannan replied, “You need not remind me of my duty.”

Dr. Robert Collins, a political analyst at Dillard University, noted the unusual nature of public infighting.

“This is unusual. We don’t normally see this kind of conflict within the Jefferson Parish Council,” Collins said. He added that disagreements between public officials are not uncommon.

“Conflicts between council members in Louisiana parishes are common because we are a highly political state. However, we don’t typically see this level of contention in Jefferson Parish,” Collins said.

He also suggested the situation could affect Van Vrancken’s future effectiveness on the council.

“I think it could affect Councilwoman Van Vrancken’s ability to work with other council members and carry out her initiatives because there seem to be some hurt feelings right now,” Collins said.

See a spelling or grammar mistake in our story? Click here to report it. Include the headline.

Subscribe to Fox 8 YouTube channel.

Copyright 2024 WVUE. All rights reserved.