Abbeville Council votes 3-2 to not keep Smith as parks, rec director

Abbeville will once again be looking for a new parks and recreation director.
The Abbeville City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday during a special meeting to not grant Parks and Rec Director Jerry Smith permanent status after his six-month probational period recently ended. Smith can appeal the ruling to the city’s Municipal Civil Service Board.
Councilman-at-Large Francis Plaisance, Councilman Louis Joe Hardy, District A, and Councilman Wayne Landry, District D, each voted in favor of not moving forward with Smith. Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., District C, and Councilman Francis Touchet Jr., District A, voted against the move, one that comes after Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza issued a favorable review for Smith.
“It was a complete surprise to me,” Piazza said Wednesday morning. “I knew there were some issues that some on the council were concerned about, that they wanted to discuss with Jerry Smith. I thought that those issues could be worked out and the outcome was going to be different.”
Touchet said Wednesday morning that he was also caught off guard based on his understanding coming from Tuesday’s executive session.
“A favorable review seemed to be given in executive session,” Touchet said, “and when we came out, a swing took place. In my 12 years of being a city councilman, I have never seen politics be put in that type of realm.
“I was shocked the way it played out.”
Plaisance said his vote Tuesday was based on the feeling that Smith did not meet expectations.
“It is my opinion that Mr. Smith had not lived up during the test period,” Plaisance said Wednesday. “Part of that was not being able to properly communicate with his staff.
“I don’t feel the fit was right for our staff at this time.”
The six-month evaluation after an employee is hired is standard under the city’s Municipal Civil Service guidelines. The city hired Smith last October to replace Jerry Martinez, who resigned in August.
“It is a rule that every employee is evaluated after six months,” Piazza explained. “If the evaluation is unsatisfactory, the council has the choice at that time to either keep or release that employee. The employee is hired with the knowledge that there is a six-month working test period.”
The evaluations are conducted by each department’s supervisor. Piazza, as mayor, evaluates the supervisors. The evaluations are done on various 10 aspects of the job. The five responses that can be given on each of the 10 points range from Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Unsatisfactory.
“The evaluation I presented to the council in executive session was basically a satisfactory review,” Piazza said. “It was a 10-point evaluation. Of that, he received a Very Good on five of the items. He received a Good on four of the items. He received a Fair on one of the items.”
The city’s parks and recreation board offered a similar opinion, one presented Tuesday by then board member Joe Cormier, who has since officially resigned his position.
“The disappointing part is that recreation board’s opinion wasn’t considered,” Piazza said. “The board’s chairman (Cormier) was at the meeting, and he spoke highly of the employee (Smith). He encouraged the council to keep Smith and gave him a favorable review of his own.
“He (Cormier) said he felt like the other board members felt the same way.”
Rob Roy, another board member, said Wednesday morning that he is disappointed about the recent development.
“The board was 100 percent behind Jerry Smith,” Roy said. “He was doing a good job and moving in the right direction.”
Smith said Wednesday afternoon that he believed that to be the case.
“I feel like we had made tremendous strides,” Smith said. “I was shocked by the decision.”
As for another member of the parks and rec staff, the council voted 4-1, with Touchet representing the dissenting vote, to suspend the department’s administrative assistant, Katie LuQuette, for three days. This stems from an unexcused absence and leaving work prior to the completion of the working day. Touchet made a substitute motion to terminate LuQuette’s employment, based in part because she allegedly used inappropriate language when speaking to her supervisor (Smith). That vote failed 3-2, with Hardy, Plaisance and Landry voting against.
“We’re sending a clear message to every supervisor and every employee,” Touchet said, “that it is OK to use profanity toward you and that it is OK to come to work late and for you to not do what your boss tells you to do.”
Touchet added that he is concerned about the effect of Tuesday’s decision to let Smith go.
“My main concern is that the youth of Abbeville is going to be hurt by this decision,” Touchet said.
Broussard agreed.
“I disagree with the surprise termination of Mr. Smith by the council,” Broussard said Wednesday afternoon. “I witnessed great strides in city recreation over the last six months in facilities, programs and future tournaments scheduled because of Mr. Smith. I feel a loss today for the children of our city as these large tournaments have been pulled and canceled today as a result of this unfortunate action.”