Chalmette, La. (WGNO) – The drama just won’t stop in St. Bernard Parish – where Parish President Dave Peralta is now suing his council.
He says they have overstepped their power boundaries and acted illegally on several counts.
One of the biggest issues up for debate involves hiring and firing practices, and more specifically the parish’s former—and current—technology providers.
A court hearing is scheduled a few hours from now, and there’s even question of who will be representing the Parish legally.
With a conflict of interest between the President and the Council, the Parish legal department can’t represent either side.
Peralta says he’s had enough of the political jabs.
Councilman Guy McInnis spoke out in Parish Chambers on Tuesday: “You know my dad told me all the time: you run your motor in a sewage pit, it’s gonna break down. So I’m taking my motor out of the sewage pit and I want to move this Parish forward, and that’s what this investigation is about.”
President Peralta responded, “I don’t think he would know what a sewage pit is. I don’t think he knows what it’s about. This is political. If it’s been so bad, why is he waiting until four months before an election to make an issue out of it?”
Peralta wants to reinstate the technology company ParaTech. He says it’s the best company for the job, and was hired fairly. He also says he possesses recorded conversations that prove dubious activities by council members, such as trying to lure ParaTech employees away to new jobs.
