St. M’ville council eyes legal action over letter

St. Martinville – The City Council here may pursue legal action following the publication of a letter in the Nov. 20 Daily Iberian newspaper.
During it’s Nov. 21 meeting the council went into executive (secret) session to discuss the possibility of taking action against a vociferous critic of St. Martinville government. A group headed by former Assistant Police Chief Nary Smith Jr. along with Damien Soloman has been sending out scathingly critical letters to local media. One of those was printed in the Nov. 21 edition of the New Iberia paper.
This group, which goes by the name of F.I.R.E (Fight for Injustice and Racism Everywhere) has engaged in a number of legal challenges to city actions and was behind an attempt to recall Mayor Thomas Nelson last year. They claim that corruption and malfeasance are rampant at many levels in the city.
The recent letter alleges, among other things, that Nelson and the council failed to observe civil service requirements in hiring Police Chief Calder Hebert, as well as his proposed replacement Todd D’Albor. It contends that city government is opaque, mismanages finances and “... has two pay rates, one for whites and one for blacks.”
All of this is false, according to Nelson, and legal advisor Allan Durand is exploring the possibility of taking legal action against Smith and the group.
“We are going to determine whether the city as an entity has legal standing to bring a libel suit,” he said. “To do so, we would need to prove that the assertions are both false and malicious.”
In other business at the Nov. 21 meeting, the council approved a measure pertaining to trash receptacles being left at the curb after pick-up day.
An amended city ordinance will set a limit of 24 hours before and after pick up for the bins to be allowed at curb side.
The action comes in response to complaints that some residents leave the trash carts along the street, creating an unsightly atmosphere and also impairing traffic.