Board appointment question on IPC’s agenda

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, December 11, 2018

After the bustle of November to finish up the 2019 Iberia Parish Government budget, the Iberia Parish Council meeting Wednesday night comes with a much lighter agenda.

One topic of discussion deals with how members of the numerous parish boards and committees are appointed. In most cases, candidates submit their resumés to the council through the board, appear before the council to state their case and, if there is no opposition, are appointed.

If there is more than one candidate for an opening, the council takes a vote to determine the appointee.

In the case of an upcoming appointment to the Iberia Medical Center Board of Directors, however, questions have been raised over how potential nominees are selected.

Current board member Larry Nelson’s term expires on Dec. 27. His name has been submitted for reappointment, but the resumés of at least two other nominees were not submitted to the council.

According to the agenda, Drs. David C. Benson and José A. Mata applied for consideration as board appointees representing the medical staff. Neither is listed for consideration.

The IMC board is different from most parish boards in that it was created under the ordinance which created the hospital district. According to that ordinance, the applications for the board of all applicants are to be forwarded to the council. 

The hospital board can recommend one or more of the eligible candidates, but the council has final say on the appointment.

According to the ordinance which created Iberia Parish Hospital District No. 1, two of the nine board positions are to be filled from the medical staff.

The board also is scheduled to hear from Khadijah Rashad of Lafayette. Rashad has requested to speak to the parish council about the racial makeup of the parish’s workforce.

The council will discuss a resolution from District 10 Councilman Eugene Olivier to add flood control flap gates along South Lewis Street at the Commercial Canal at a projected cost of $180,000.

The Iberia Parish Council will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the parish council meeting room on the fourth floor of the Iberia Parish Courthouse.