Council puts independent investigation on hold

Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant tabled a motion Thursday to hire a law firm to conduct the external investigation into an incident involving Mayor Eddie Price and the Mandeville Police Department.

“No comment,” was all Lenfant said concerning an hour-long executive session held to discuss the matter.

After City Council members emerged from the meeting, Lenfant motioned to table the resolution to hire the Hymel Davis & Petersen LLC law firm until further notice. The council voted to invoke its authority to investigate at the July 10 meeting after Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell publicly released an account given by two of his officers concerning a 2006 night when they allegedly stopped Price for driving erratically but neglected to issue a citation or make an arrest.

Buell said an internal investigation had immediately begun, but Lenfant announced it was “incumbent upon the council to conduct an independent investigation.”

This is one of two incidents involving Price driving while under the influence. The other occurred on the Causeway Bridge last year and resulted in several Causeway Police Officers losing their jobs.

In other news:

• The council approved a resolution executing a cooperative endeavor agreement between the city and parish for the repair of the drainage weir at the Parc Du Lac subdivision. The weir, which was on the verge of collapse, drains into the Golden Glen neighborhood. The parish made emergency repairs to prevent any further deterioration while an engineer surveys the area and determines the best approach to replacing the weir.

• An ordinance was introduced that, if passed, would convert Galvez Street into a two-way roadway from Villere Street to U.S. Highway 190. The measure will be voted on at the Aug. 7 meeting.