Ascension Parish president schmoozes with council, dodges press after indictment – The Advocate

Three weeks after the Ascension Parish Council called on Parish President Kenny Matassa to resign over his indictment on attempted bribery allegations, it was mostly business as usual at the councils bi-weekly meeting in Donaldsonville.

Matassa and council members seeking his ouster showed no reluctance to engage with each other on a variety of issues, including the Community Development Block grant and fair housing programs. They even posed together for a group photo as the parish leader held up a copy of a proclamation.

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GONZALES After hearing from residents who for nearly 40 minutes Thursday night expressed d

And Matassa scored a significant legislative win when the council agreed, 9-1, with one member absent, to fund a new connector road to Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, although promised state and federal support has fallen through over the past three years. The road would provide a second access to the huge complex near Gonzales, improving safety and helping to attract major events.

But Matassa, who has refused to speak to the press since his indictment and the councils no-confidence vote March 16, didnt address the council on that issue Thursday. And he continued to avoid reporters, as he's done since his indictment.

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GONZALES Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa and Gonzales businessman Olin Berthelot

He ducked an Advocate reporter after the council meeting ended, slipping from his seat to the gated area of the council chambers where the council sits as his representatives blocked a reporter attempting to approach him.

Once behind the gate , Matassa conferred with council members, then left out a back door.

Afterward, his chief of staff, Kyle Gautreau, wouldnt say when Matassa would speak to news reporters again. But he offered a statement on his bosss behalf about the councils vote on the Lamar-Dixon connector.

There was a lot of consensus, an overwhelming consensus, that it was still important to get this road funded and completed, Gautreau, said after his boss had left the parish courthouse without speaking to reporters.

The East Baton Rouge Metro Council created a district to encourage development in North Baton Rouge last year, but now officials disagree over how the program is supposed to work.

Former metro councilman and mayoral candidate John Delgado pitched the North Baton Rouge Economic Opportunity Zone as a way to waive taxes on improvements and new construction in the city above Florida Boulevard. Then-mayor-president Kip Holden vetoed the plan, but council members over-rode him.

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The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council on Wednesday overrode Mayor-President Kip Holdens

In December, voters approved a hotel tax to fund a separate Baton Rouge North Economic Development District. Acting executive director Rinaldi Jacobs told the recently-seated board on Thursday that the council's plan will only apply to projects that refurbish existing buildings, not incentivize the construction of new ones.

"The tax abatement relates to existing structures only and not new construction," attorney Richard Liebowitz wrote in a letter Jacobs presented to the board.

The Board of Commissioners for the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District has decid

In an interview later, Delgado, also a lawyer, disagreed. The ordinance had to be worded the way it was, he said, to account for different types of projects and various government programs. It's easier to pass a renovation project through, Delgado said, but the zone also paves the way for new buildings to get a break on their taxes.

Assistant Parish Attorney Ashley Beck cut a middle path, saying the economic opportunity zone has "probably no" direct effect on new construction but could possibly help those projects. The main focus of the ordinance is to encourage the restoration of existing buildings, she said.

Those trying to push forward an agenda for the Baton Rouge North Economic Development Distri

Adding to the confusion, the debate is still purely theoretical, as no developers have yet applied to participate so officials have not yet seen a test case.

Advocate staff writers David J. Mitchell and Steve Hardy contributed to this article.

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Ascension Parish president schmoozes with council, dodges press after indictment - The Advocate