[Editor's Note: this story was updated Tuesday at 5:25 p.m. after Vincent Pierre issued a statement.]
Roshell Jones, the third place finisher in the District 44 state rep race, claims KJCB radio has accused her of accepting bribes for her support of incumbent state Rep. Rickey Hardy.
In a “cease and desist letter” sent via certified mail Oct. 31 and addressed to KJCB radio and its manager, J’Nelle Chargois, Jones, who is an attorney, writes:
Please be advised that the purpose of this letter is to demand that you and your radio station cease and desist from your slander of my name in regards to the political race involving incumbent Mr. Rickey Hardy and Vincent Pierre.
You have made several false and slanderous accusations live on your radio station, including accusations that I have accepted bribes from Governor Bobby Jindal and Joey Durel’s administration in exchange for an endorsement of Mr. Hardy.
Ms. Chargois this is absolutely false and I demand that you refrain from such a vicious and false attack on my character and integrity, otherwise I will be forced to take legal action against you and your radio station.
In a separate letter to Pierre, Jones makes a similar charge, claiming Pierre has accused her of accepting bribes in his campaign literature.
In each letter, Jones threatens legal action if the accusations don’t stop.
At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, The Independent left a message for Chargois at KJCB radio and sent an email to one of Vincent Pierre's campaign organizers. The challenger, who had not yet received Jones' letter when we reached out to his campaign, responded late Tuesday afternoon, saying he stands by his Friday, Oct. 28, statement regarding Jones’ decision to endorse Rickey Hardy. That statement read:
The heavy-handed, closed door tactics of Governor Jindal have again become an issue in Lafayette Parish local legislative elections. The endorsement of third-place finisher Roshell Jones of Rickey Hardy came only after promises were made to her by Governor Jindal and City-Parish President Joey Durel.
In a conversation with Vincent Pierre on Friday morning, Ms. Jones said “They did offer me certain things.” Ms. Jones further indicated that “it would be beneficial to myself and my family to endorse Rickey Hardy.”
“I continue to believe that this election should be decided by the people of District 44, not by outside interests of the Governor and Mr. Durel,” Pierre said. “The past four years of the Jindal-Durel-Hardy regime have been a disaster for the residents of District 44. Voters in District 44 know that we need a new direction. I offer that change of direction.”
“I will not make any further comment about Mrs. Jones and her communications with others,” Vincent said in his Tuesday release. “I provide as part of my response the affidavits of Lester J. Gauthier, Mike Stagg and Wilfred Pierre.”
In those sworn and notarized affidavits, all three men recall a conversation Vincent Pierre had with Jones between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Oct. 28 in Gauthier’s law office on South Pierce Street. In that conversation, Jones told Vincent that she would be endorsing Hardy. At one point, Vincent put her on speakerphone. All three say they recall her saying, “They did offer me certain things.” They also recall Jones using the words, “beneficial to myself to endorse.”
If Jones did indeed make these statements, it is unclear who she was referring to when she said “they.”
Hardy and Pierre face off in the Nov. 19 runoff. Read more about Jones’ endorsement of Hardy here.
JUNE 17 If anyone ever wonders why Saints fans hate Atlanta with a capital H, here's a good indication. Radio "professionals" at an Atlanta station created an entire segment around making fun of former Saints player Steve Gleason, who is now paralyzed by ALS. Listen, nobody's ever accused DJs of being rocket scientists. But how could someone think it is amusing to pretend to ask a man with a degenerative, fatal disease if he will be alive next week? The DJs have been fired, and are now whining about how gutless their former bosses are. Wow.
JUNE 18 Here's the latest from the Advocate on the fatal hit-and-run accident allegedly involving the president of the Livingston Parish School Board. He's accused by police of hitting a 21-year-old man on a highway early Sunday and driving away. The man died at a hospital later. On Monday, police seized the president's truck and towed it away. But he's available for board meetings: apparently a $500 bond is sufficient for this type of thing over in St. Helena Parish.
JUNE 18 Former broadcast journalist Griffin Scott has posted this plea on his blog for financial assistance from his readers. Scott, who says he was fired after he wrote something fairly innocuous (for Facebook) on his wall, is suing a media giant for his job back. He's framed himself as David going after a bloated media giant, and he's probably not far off.
JUNE 18 Here's a fairly absurd column posted on DIG Magazine about the completely absurd practice of naming killer storms. Tornadoes don't have names. Blizzards don't have names. But hurricanes do, and there's a big process to bestow them, Jacques Cormery writes. He's right about the crazy assemblage of names -- this year, there's everything from Tanya to Humberto -- and his idea that we don't waste good names on killer storms is a good one.
JUNE 17 Political columnist John Maginnis has some advice for Louisiana Republicans: grow up. After the schism that occurred in this past session - fiscal hawks teaming up with Democrats to spank the Republican "majority" and hand Gov. Jindal his, er, aspirations for continued solon control -- they need to figure out how to get along with each other, Maginnis writes.
JUNE 17 Here's the Picayune's obit story for Dorothy 'Miss Dot' Domilise, the lady who made poboys at the uptown restaurant that bears her name. Miss Dot moved to New Orleans during World War II, where she met and married her husband Sam. When she passed away Friday she was 90, and had spent more than 60 of those years working at the restaurant on Annunciation Street.
JUNE 17 This editorial in the Advocate speaks in favor of the consent decrees that have federal judges overseeing police operations and the sheriff's parish prison in New Orleans. Mayor Landrieu and Sheriff Gusman can't get along, so outside forces, like the Inspector General and the judges, are needed to make sure things run right, the editorial opines.
JUNE 18 Here's a post from Manny Schewitz on Forward Progressives that is good for a chuckle. Manny had an epiphany back in November, and is sharing it with us today: he believes that Fox "News" is killing the GOP by pandering to right wing nuts. Now, don't get it twisted: Manny's not broke up about it. He says he enjoys watching the downward spiral with a shot of whiskey and "a schadenfreude chaser."
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