01/10/2017

Michael J. Power
Parish Attorney
1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 701
Jefferson, LA 70123
The Jefferson Parish Office of Inspector General (JPOIG), pursuant to an investigation,
forwarded a Request for Records to all Parish Elected Officials on 01/09/2017. Our request
was, in part, the result of items noted on the upcoming Council Agenda of 01/11/2017. We are in
receipt of your written opinion this afternoon that our request seeks information that is outside
the authority of this office. Pursuant to JPCO 2-155.10(11)(d), this office may receive and
investigate complaints from any source and investigate those complaints that the inspector
general deems credible or upon his own initiative conduct investigations concerning alleged
fraud, waste, abuse, illegal acts
In accordance with authority cited above, the JPOIG possesses credible information of actions
which may constitute violations of state and local ethics laws as well as abuse of authority. This
information includes, but is not limited to filings, exhibits, and representations made by counsel
in the pending matter, Gregory S. Buisson v. Christopher L Roberts and the Parish of Jefferson,
Civil Action No. 15-6272, Sec. H (4), USDC (E.D.La.). Further, and pursuant to JPCO 2155(11)(t)and (u), the JPOIG has an affirmative duty to notify the state ethics board and the
ethics and compliance commission of any potential violation of state ethics law of parish ethics
ordinances, respectively. Our request for information is designed to support our efforts to assess,
and if necessary, comply with the aforementioned mandate.
In your correspondence, you allude to the belief that our request for information was tied to the
recent Legal Services Committee. The assertion is erroneous as we have been monitoring this
litigation for some time preceding the Legal Services Committee meeting.
Until recently, Jefferson Parish, through its elected officials, had not taken any action which
necessitated the JPOIG requesting information or taking action beyond that of monitoring.
However, and in light of specific representations regarding settlement and other matters made by
counsel in pleadings filed in the pending matter, this office now believes it has an affirmative
duty to seek sufficient information to clarify facts that will permit appropriate assessment of any
potential ethics violations as well as waste.
According to public records, several Jefferson Parish government officials have engaged the
services of Gregory Buisson, and Gregory Buisson has received payments from elected officials
within the past sixty (60) days. Importantly, the presence of existing contracts or outstanding

obligations to Gregory Buisson may not be a matter of public but nonetheless bear directly upon
state and local ethics ordinances and our obligation relevant thereto.
This office operates independently from the Parish and seeks only compliance with our lawful
request. It is surprising and disheartening that with no effort to confer with this office regarding
the relevance of the requested data that you would render an opinion that serves to hinder or
obstruct our ability to fulfill our obligations under the Parish Charter.
Respectfully

David McClintock

cc:

Hon. Christopher L. Roberts, Council Chairman

Hon. Cynthia Lee-Sheng, Councilwoman at Large, Div. B
Hon. Ricky J.Templet, Councilman, District 1
Hon. Paul D. Johnston, Councilman, District 2
Hon. Mark D. Spears, Jr., Councilman, District 3
Hon. E. Ben Zahn, Councilman, District 4
Hon. Jennifer Van Vrancken, Councilwoman, District 5
Mr. Deana Bonano, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Brett Lawson, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Gregory Giangrosso, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Steve Lachute,Councilmanic Aide
Mr.Terry Talamo,Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Bryan St. Cyr, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Casey Jumpiere, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Jeff Zapata, Councilmanic Aide
Mr. Jeffrey Simno, Councilmanic Aide
Hon. Michael S. Yenni,Parish
President Mr. Keith Conley, COO
Mr. Jeremy Dwyer,Deputy Parish Attorney