Terrebonne Parish President Jason Bergeron’s role in a political parade allegedly violated a Louisiana state law.
Bergeron led a parade of 50 to 60 vehicles through the city on Saturday, November 2, with a cardboard cutout of former President Donald Trump sticking out of the sunroof of his parish vehicle, a 2024 Chevy Tahoe Premier.
According to Terrebonne Parish Republican Party Chairman Reggie Billiot, the parade took place at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, turned onto Barrow Street, then LA 311, then Hollywood Road, then Valhi Blvd, and finally returned to the Civic Center.
Bergeron declined to comment.
“We really don’t want to be associated with any controversy that may arise from this,” Billiot said. “All elected officials were invited. If the president showed up with a double-stacked tour bus, who am I to say you can’t do that?’
He said the event was intended to remind people to get out and vote, and the party sent invitations to many elected officials to participate in the parade, including senators and members of the House of Representatives. All elected officials present should have been allowed to ride up front, and only Bergeron showed up.
Billiot did not organize the parade himself, but the group received an insurance waiver from the parish to be considered a procession and not a parade. This allowed them to avoid the insurance costs that would come with parade throws. These costs would have been a barrier to holding the event and would have prevented the parade from having an escort from the Sheriff’s Office, Billiot said.
At the time of the parade, Terrebonne City Councilman Brien Pledger said he thought the circumstance raised ethical questions. According to Cathleen Allen, administrator of the Louisiana Board of Ethics, using his position to coerce or coerce others into action would only raise ethical questions. The use of public funds for political campaigns falls under criminal law, not under ethics.
“No public funds may be used to induce a voter to vote for or against a candidate or proposal, or to allocate them to a candidate or political organization,” states LA RS 18:1465.
The law carries a fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to two years. There are similar prohibitions in the Louisiana Constitution, Article 7, Section 14.
In order to prosecute a violation of a law, a law enforcement agency must transfer an investigation to a prosecutorial body, such as the public prosecutor or the attorney general. Louisiana State Police have not received any allegations of misconduct at this time, according to Public Information Officer Tiah Larvadain.
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Tim Soignet said his department has not received any complaints at this time, but the sheriff added that under such circumstances the information would typically be submitted to the Attorney General’s Office for review. This, he said, avoids any appearance of a conflict of interest.
The Civic Center, which was used as a staging area for the parade, is also government-owned. Pursuant to Section 2-406 of the Parish Code of Ordinances, the Civic Center parking lot is subject to event rental fees. Bergeron recently pushed to change the Civic Center’s rates through an ordinance. He asked at a meeting of the Terrebonne parish committee that political, religious and carnival activities no longer receive a 50% discount on the facility’s rent.
According to NAACP President Jerome Boykin, who witnessed the organization of the event, the vehicles were parked in Lot C. The rental fee for one day on that lot is $2,000.
Boykin said when he heard Bergeron was endorsing a political figure with a parish vehicle, he had to see it for himself. He said no office holder should use the property entrusted to him, paid for with tax money, to support a political candidate.
“This issue is not about race, it’s about right and wrong,” Boykin said. “In my opinion, I think every citizen of this parish should be upset.”
When asked what he thought of Bergeron’s actions, Billiot said he wouldn’t fall for it.
“No comment,” he said. “I’ll let the audience decide for themselves.”
This article originally appeared in The Courier: Terrebonne’s president may have broken state laws during a political parade
