Monday’s Jeanerette Board of Aldermen meeting got off to a rocky start when Mayor Carol Bourgeois Jr. asked legal counsel Lucretia Pecantte to leave due to ongoing litigation between Pecantte and the mayor. 

Before the meeting started, Bourgeois said Pecantte’s role as city attorney was effectively suspended due to the writ of mandamus she filed against Bourgeois last month, and reinstatement would not occur until the civil matter had been resolved. 

“Do the right thing and just leave,” Bourgeois said. 

However, Pecantte refused to budge from her seat after the mayor made the declaration. 

“Why don’t you do the right thing,” she responded. “I did not sue the city council, and it’s not a suit, it’s a writ of mandamus.”

Pecantte filed the litigation last month after she alleged the mayor had not invoiced her monthly payment as Jeanerette’s legal counsel.

Former Alderman Clarence Clark, who was in the audience, asked how the board could effectively run a meeting without a legal counsel to provide legal advice if Pecantte was to leave. 

“The attorney has not been here,” Bourgeois responded. 

Because the litigation filed was against the mayor and not the board, the question remained murky. A longstanding question in regards to Jeanerette’s charter has been the duties of certain positions to the board and whether the mayor or the board has the final authority in certain matters. 

After a few minutes where neither party budged, Bourgeois conceded and allowed Pecantte to stay the rest of the meeting. Pecantte did not make any contributions for the rest of the meeting. 

“I’ll be the bigger person here, we’ll move forward,” he said.