A Jefferson Parish councilwoman is under fire for allegedly interfering in the independent operation of the Office of Inspector General.
At-large council member Jennifer Van Vrancken denies that she is working with Inspector General Kim Chatelain to kill plans to use public funds to build a brew pub in Gretna. Now, a local attorney and former lawmaker says they violated the law by not allowing the public to respond to a letter they issued.
Joe Marino told WWL's Newell Normand that a letter issued by the inspector general's office included findings and recommendations, making it a public record that requires a public response period.
"Had she done that before she released it, you would have gotten eight or nine written replies that would have been attached to that letter which give correct and clarifying facts," Marino said. "Jennifer Van Vrancken herself is walking around handing out copies of the public letter, and they worked on the (presentation) slides together."
Van Vrancken admits that she discussed the project with Chatelain... but that she did so to make certain that the information she presented to the public was factual. She told Normand that she and the inspector general were doing their jobs, and that she did not usurp the inspector general's independence.
"After the public letter was out there, I absolutely have been in touch with the inspector general," Van Vrancken said, adding that it's her duty to work with the inspector general to make sure that all of the facts she's presenting about the brew pub project are correct. "It doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with everything in that report. It doesn't mean we're going to be on the same page on everything. I have a different job to do."
Van Vrancken doubled down, saying she and Chatelain were simply doing their jobs.
"She has her world. I have mine," Van Vrancken said. "When I give people facts, I want to make sure they're 100-percent accurate. I see nothing wrong with that. It was done on a public computer. It's open and available to everyone to say please make sure these facts are correct."
Still, Marino says Van Vrancken's actions call into question the Inspector General's Office's independence.
"She doesn't have to just be independent as it's in the manual. She has to have the appearance of being independent," Marino said.