IBERIA PARISH — A months-long dispute between Jeanerette Mayor Carol Bourgeois and City Attorney Lucretia Pecantte has left the city’s board of aldermen unable to move forward with key decisions.
Pecantte’s access to council meeting packets is at the center of the conflict. She says she is being denied the documents she needs ahead of the meetings to provide legal guidance.
“There's contracts in there, there's audits in there, there's resolutions in there that I am unable to give legal advice on,” Pecantte said.
Without her input, the board cannot vote on contracts or resolutions. “The council is at a standstill,” Alderwoman Mariah Clay explained. “We can't make any decisions unless the city attorney is able to review contracts and we undergo legal advice. Simple.”
Back in January, Pecantte filed a lawsuit against the mayor for withholding her paycheck. Since then, Mayor Bourgeois has said he cannot trust her, saying she is “on suspension.”
“Can I work with her? No. Can I trust her? No,” Bourgeois said during a recent meeting.
But members of the board argue that the mayor has no authority to suspend her. “All the council is asking is that you allow the city attorney to do her job so that we can move forward,” Clay said.
Pecantte emphasized that she is not a city employee but a contractor, meaning the mayor cannot suspend her. “In his mind, he can,” she said.
She also raised questions about why she continues to be denied access to contracts. “If he chooses not to give it to me, that should bring up questions in your mind. What is in this contract that I can't read?”
Mayor Bourgeois insists the issue is not personal, but professional. “I cannot trust anyone that will file a lawsuit and then expect to work for you at the same time,” he said.
Still, the board points out inconsistencies in the mayor’s statements. In July, he told members Pecantte’s suspension would last until the following meeting. Three meetings later, there has been no resolution.
Frustrations boiled over at the end of the most recent meeting on Monday when Alderman Butch Bourgeois walked out, declaring he would not return until the issue was resolved. Without his presence, the board no longer had a quorum, effectively halting city business.
For now, Jeanerette’s government remains at a standstill as the standoff between the mayor and the city attorney continues.
