Firing raises questions about regional planning agency

A 2009 federal report detailed serious deficiencies at the Baton Rouge area’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is operated by the staff of the Capital Region Planning Commission. A 2012 follow-up report commended the staff for making several notable improvements. But the recent firing of Ray Miller Jr., the CRPC’s transportation director, has once again raised questions about this obscure body that helps local governments decide how to spend their transportation dollars. After his termination, Miller sent a letter to the executive committee governing the commission, claiming that Executive Director Huey Dugas maintains a hostile work environment, micromanages employees to the point where they can’t even do their jobs, and is not open to new ideas. Dugas and R.J. Goebel, his director of planning, say they meet all federal requirements, adding that a strong hand has been needed to correct the office’s deficiencies. Meanwhile, a BRAC-led committee has been studying the agency, wondering if its performance can be improved. “We do not have a vision,” says Ascension Parish Councilwoman Teri Casso, who serves on the committee and believes a leadership change is needed. Read a story from the new issue of Business Report about the CRPC here. —David Jacobs