Chatelain admitted that she did not interview anyone related to the project, choosing instead to rely on publicly available documents.

“This product was a demonstration of the effectiveness of this office based entirely on public records. And what is their grievance? Oh, I didn’t go and ask for more records or ask more questions. Like I delivered a product that triggered a clear retaliatory effort that was fully recorded in the public record,” Chatelain said in an interview earlier in October.

His letter was published a year after concerns about the project were made public and shortly before work began.

Chatelain issued subpoenas on the project after the letter was published.

Chatelain declined to comment on Murrill’s statement but addressed the issue of the letter’s timing in an interview with Fox 8 earlier in October.

“Every time we do something, this office is criticized for not speaking up soon enough, and this office has been criticized for speaking up too soon,” she said.

“So in this particular case, I could have issued the subpoenas. I could have done an audit. I could have done an investigation. And then when I released my audit or my report after the building was built, the first thing they would say is, well, if you knew about it, how come you don’t have anything said? said Châtelain.

Dillard University political analyst Dr. Robert Collins said Murrill was unlikely to intervene.

“(She) is going to let the local politicians in this parish fight among themselves and just resolve the issue through their democratic process,” he said.

A council committee is expected to choose a law firm to investigate the inspector general’s office on Monday (10/21). That company will be asked to make recommendations to the Ethics and Compliance Commission (ECC), which oversees Chatelain’s employment.

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