A heated exchanges concerning Councilman Peter Soprano’s plans for a trailer park in Centerville dominated the council’s meeting.
Residents filled the parish council meeting room to speak against the trailer park on Louisiana 182.
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According to Planning and Zoning Vice-Chairman David Hanagriff, the development was denied for several reasons, including the lack of a garbage bin in the rear of the development, decreases in property values for surrounding property owners and the public outcry against the development.
After the residents who spoke against the plan and Soprano engaged in several exchanges, Councilman Kevin Voisin requested the council’s legal adviser Jim McClelland contact the state Board of Ethics to determine if Soprano’s venture violates the code of ethics.
“The Code of Governmental Ethics Sec. 11138 of the code prohibits a public servant from entering into a contract, subcontract or other transaction which is under the supervision or jurisdiction of the public service agency,” said Voisin.
“Since the parish council must approve the zoning request, preliminary or final, for mobile home parks I would like to know if Mr. Soprano would be entering into a transaction that is in the jurisdiction of this agency, the parish council, which would prohibit Mr. Soprano from obtaining a zoning request from this parish. I’d like Mr. McClelland to look into that.”
Soprano said if he is in violation, he would resign from his seat on the council.
“If it is breaking ethics laws I will back off from this thing,” he said.
“If I am breaking any ethics law, if I can not make a living at what I did before I got elected to this council, I will resign from this council to make all these people happy,” he said.
Opponents to the plan applauded his statement.
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