I-TEAM: Attorney doubts transparency as mayor dodges questions over top staffer’s resignation

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - While East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome’s administration has been big on transparency, one attorney now questions the level of transparency after a top parish employee calls it quits while being investigated. Neither the mayor’s office nor the parish attorney’s office will say anything about the sudden resignation of Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Courtney Scott. The parish attorney’s office will only say she resigned amid an investigation.

While it remains unclear why she was being investigated, the WAFB I-TEAM has learned Scott was accused of hitting community activist Geno McLaughlin in the head with a chair last month. The mayor chose to sidestep questions when WAFB’s Scottie Hunter asked if she knew about the allegations. She referred WAFB to the parish attorney’s office, which has refused to respond to multiple attempts to find out more about the situation.

RELATED: I-TEAM: Mayor sidesteps questions after top staffer abruptly resigns

The optics there are horrible,” said attorney Franz Borghardt. “Especially in a year where you’re running for re-election on a platform where you’re tough on crime and violent crime, which by the way-- just so we’re all clear-- hitting someone in the head with a chair is a violent crime. It’s like the text book definition of a crime of violence.

”Because of the seriousness of the allegations, Borghardt also questions why no one was arrested in the case.”

That is a major red flag. We’re talking about a violent crime,” said Borghardt. “When a normal person hits someone with a dangerous weapon, there is normally a felony arrest associated with that.”

Emails that the WAFB I-TEAM obtained shows the mayor’s office was made aware of the allegations last month. One of the emails appears to show the mayor forwarded one of the complaints to her Chief Administrative Officer. More than a month later, she dodged questions about it as the parish attorney’s office refuses to shed any light on the investigation.

WAFB’s Scottie Hunter asked Borghardt if dodging questions is considered a good level of transparency.

”I think as to the question of when she found out, no that’s not transparency,” said Borghardt. “As to whether or not she should answer questions of something that could become fodder for a civil litigation, I think she gets to say ‘talk to the parish attorney’s office they are the ones handling this’ but by not answering that first question and saying ‘just go talk to the parish attorney’s office,’ no, that’s not transparency.”

The mayor said she would not talk about personnel matters, but it’s worth pointing out, our question was not about the status of the case but rather when she was made aware of the alleged attack. That question is something Borghardt says she could have and should have answered.

”At the very least, we probably know she [the mayor] knew something was going on when she resigned. She probably knew something before then and I don’t know why she wouldn’t just answer the question,” said Borghardt.

The mayor has routinely issued statements where she took a strong stance against alleged violent crimes in the past. It’s unclear why this alleged crime has garnered a different response.

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