Covid kills Mardi Gras, MLK Jr. celebrations in Lafayette
The gist: A different kind of war has canceled Mardi Gras parades and festivities this year.
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Josh Guillory
City Councilman Pat Lewis will propose a resolution creating a committee to weigh the benefit of consolidation for the city of Lafayette. Called the “Protect the City Committee,” the group would evaluate the costs and limitations of Lafayette’s current form of government, which combines city and parish services and departments.
A 2018 parishwide vote created separate city and parish councils, Lafayette Consolidated Government’s current configuration, but kept administration functions consolidated under the mayor-president.
Mayor-President Josh Guillory supported deconsolidation as a candidate but has recently acknowledged flipping his position on the issue. Guillory and the City Council have been at frequent odds.
PRESS RELEASE: City Councilman proposes committee to consider deconsolidation
Lafayette City District 1 Councilman Pat Lewis is proposing a resolution that would form a committee from which to gather the input of a diverse range of citizens on the benefits of City-Parish consolidation to the City of Lafayette.
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COLUMN: 2021 could be a make-or-break year for Lafayette’s economy
The elephant in the room is how much longer this damn pandemic will last and who will be left standing when it finally ends. But that’s not the only aspect of our local economy with an uncertain fate.
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Council Preview 1/5 — Lafayette surveillance cameras, more CARES Act funding, conditional pay raises for city marshal’s office, board and commission seats
The gist: After a holiday hiatus, the work of consolidated government resumes with a pair of relatively light agendas. On tap: electing officers, budgeting CARES Act funding and getting answers on a surveillance camera contract awarded to a private firm without council approval.
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Lafayette’s new police chief brings tidings of change
Glover spent three decades with the Dallas Police Department, serving as deputy chief since 2012. He’s a native of northeast Louisiana, and an outspoken advocate for police accountability.
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Private contractor tapped by Guillory lacks license to install security cameras in Lafayette
The gist: Crime Fighters of Louisiana, the private entity contracted to provide security cameras for Lafayette, was issued a cease-and-desist letter from Louisiana’s fire marshal for failing to secure a license required by state law. What this means: The company, owned by Lafayette businessman and law enforcement booster Brooks Bernard, can’t immediately execute on a […]
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Council Preview 12/16: Old federal courthouse is back for help; a ‘new’ development code; ratifying Guillory’s emergency powers
The gist: Wednesday (tonight) the City Council will finally decide if it’s going to subsidize the old federal courthouse developer’s profits. Both councils will decide whether to reaffirm the mayor-president’s emergency powers. And Lafayette may be getting a new development code — kind of. Meanwhile, the parish’s deteriorating finances continue to force tough decisions on […]
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State regulators shut down further scrutiny of LUS/LUS Fiber transactions
The PSC, which has limited oversight of LUS Fiber, shut down any further scrutiny of a pending self-report from December 2019.
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Lafayette City Council members still in the dark over security camera contract with local businessman
City Council members are questioning the mayor-president’s justification for signing a controversial security camera contract with a private company without their knowledge or approval but remain unsure how they might use the various remedies at their disposal.
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Deadlocked Bayou Vermilion board faces tough budget cuts and mounting political pressure
A new member will be appointed to fill the final vacancy on the board. Judging by recent four-to-four splits, the ideological tilt of the commission hangs in the balance of that appointment.
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Guillory contracts private firm to deploy surveillance cameras; council out of the loop
The contract licenses Lafayette police to use the camera footage for “law enforcement purposes” only but appears to place no such restriction on the firm, which will own, maintain and operate the cameras — and the data it collects.
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