A political analyst reacts to friction on the J.P. Council

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Tensions among Jefferson Parish council members have recently been on public display, notably during Wednesday's council meeting.

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

"Essentially, when you boil it down, the parish is expending $10.3 million and bringing a piece of land with multi-million-dollar value to the table, and in return, Jefferson will directly get $1," Van Vrancken said.

District 4 Councilwoman Arita Bohannan opposed the idea.

"To sort of carve out Gretna and say they have to pay us back is like making your mom pay you back. They're part of our family. Stop carving them out; stop trying to separate them," Bohannan said.

A majority of council members voted against Van Vrancken's resolutions.

"This happened a year ago. The time to ask those very important questions was before you voted seven times. Now, by hitting pause, you're opening us up to liability and additional lawsuits," Bohannan said.

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

"I think we're overstepping our bounds as a council by trying to be the boss of the I.G., who is independent. Have either of you expressed your concerns to the body that oversees the I.G.? Have you walked over there and expressed concern?" Van Vrancken asked.

Bohannan replied, "No, I have not done that, and the reason I haven't is because I'm not sure what there is to report. I know I've seen enough in the last two weeks, with what feels like an attempted assassination of Gretna, that I'm spooked. I don't want to be part of it."

A majority of council members voted in favor of investigating the I.G.

"If there's something nefarious going on, we're going to find it, and after we find it, we're going to report it," Bohannan said.

Van Vrancken responded, "As a licensed attorney, you have an obligation to report any violations. You keep throwing that out there, but there's nothing there."

Bohannan replied, "I served on the commission, on the disciplinary committee, for eight years."

Van Vrancken retorted, "I just want to remind you."

Bohannan shot back, "You don't need to remind me of my obligation."

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

"This is unusual. We normally don't see this sort of conflict within the Jefferson Parish Council," Collins said. He added that disagreements among public officials are not uncommon.

"Conflicts among council members in Louisiana parishes are common because we are a highly political state. However, we usually don't see this level of contention in Jefferson Parish," Collins said.

He also suggested that the situation could impact 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 get her initiatives through because it does seem like there are some hurt feelings right now," Collins said.