It is no secret that council member Tabatha Taylor wants her boyfriend/significant other/bff to be hired by new mayor Tom Arceneaux as city attorney.
Lattier resigned his position at the of 2022 like the other key administrative officials in the Adrian Perkins administration.
Reportedly Taylor and her minister council member James Green have threatened to not approve any person for city attorney other than Lattier. Presumably, they believe they have the votes of Alan Jackson and Ursula Bowman to stonewall Arceneaux.
Here are valid reasons to not have Lattier in ANY positions in the Arceneaux administration:
a. Lattier has committed at least two egregious conflicts of interest while city attorney. The first was to vote as a member of the Red River Waterway Commission to grant funds to the City of Shreveport for lighting the Bakowski Texas Street bridge. The second was to have his city attorney office review and approve the contract between the Waterway and the city on the grant.
b. Lattier was part-time for the city of Shreveport. He missed work to attend Waterway meetings and he served as legal counsel for the Caddo Levee District. Both positions have many potential conflicts of interest with the duties of the city attorney and necessitated monthly absences from this city attorney duties. Lattier also had a private practice of law.
c. Lattier's personal relationship with Taylor as a council member also raises many red flags. Several officials in the Perkins' administration were concerned about discussing confidential city matters with Lattier that would then be subjects of pillow talk with Taylor. Additionally, many observers were concerned that the legal opinions and advice rendered by his office were tainted by his relationship;'
d. Lattier failed to properly manage the city attorney staff. On two occasions his first assistant gave incorrect legal advice to the council in council meetings. It is unknown if this advice was corrected by communications with the council. Additionally, Lattier often had several assistant city attorneys waste time by being in council meetings when their presence was not needed, and they could have been working in their offices on the fourth floor at Government Plaza.
e. Lattier's obvious lack of municipal law was glaringly apparent in council meetings and the same is true of his assistant city attorneys.
f. To say that Lattier was overpaid at $159,000 is certainly an understatement and more the reason for him to not be hired in any position in the Arceneaux administration, no matter what his relationship with council member Taylor is or if he is a member of council member James Green church.
Goodness--Lattier had a job before he was appointed city attorney.!
He had, and still has, a private practice of law. He is paid to attend Waterway meetings and to provide services for the levee board.
Does he need his significant other to help him put bread on this table? What kind of man takes that approach to making a living?