A special committee created by the Metro Council to recommend three applicants for the vacant position of parish attorney—which is being filled in the interim after Mary Roper’s dismissal by Lea Anne Batson—will meet for the first time in the new year.
Though the committee is charged with presenting three recommendations to the full council, it will also deliver a list of all qualified applicants for the council to consider. The council will make the final decision on which applicants will be interviewed and who will ultimately be selected for the position.
Council Administrator Casey Cashio says the committee’s first meeting, set for Jan. 12, will be largely organizational. The committee will determine metrics for what makes a candidate most qualified and establish a timeline for its work.
The committee was created at the Nov. 25 council meeting and will be made up of four council members and representatives from LSU and Southern University’s law schools and from the Baton Rouge Bar Association.
Attorney Kimberly Robinson will represent the LSU law school. Southern Law’s Chancellor Freddie Pitcher will also be on the board, and Dennis Blunt will represent the Baton Rouge Bar Association. The council members who will sit on the committee include Chauna Banks-Daniel, Ryan Heck, C. Denise Marcelle and Trae Welch.
The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 12, at 3 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, at 222 St. Louis St.
Meanwhile, separate lawsuits filed by Roper against the city-parish and several council members have been delayed in light of an ongoing investigation into the former parish attorney. Roper’s home was searched by Baton Rouge Police earlier this month looking for evidence that someone hacked into the email accounts of other Parish Attorney’s Office employees from Roper’s home computer. Roper has not been charged with any crimes to date and has maintained her innocence. Hearings are set to take place regarding the Roper lawsuits in January. —Kelly Connelly
