By LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / January 4, 1999

LAPLACE – The dismissal of St. John Parish Planning and Zoning DirectorLaurette Thymes for not conforming to the parish government’s drug testing rules will have to go before the Parish Council for confirmation.

“Yes, the home-rule charter is crystal-clear on that,” Administrative Officer Patrick McTopy confirmed.

Meanwhile, McTopy added, the functions of Thymes’ office will likely be assumed by Tim Jackson of Meyers & Associates, the parish’s planning consultant.

“I can’t make any comment right now,” Parish President Arnold Labat stated Wednesday on the dismissal of Thymes. “It’s too sensitive anissue.”Thymes, 38, was dismissed Tuesday afternoon, eight days after she refused to be tested by the parish’s drug screening contractor in a random drug screening. Instead, she went to U.S. Biochem Medical Laboratory inMetairie and arranged submittal of those results.

Thymes said she did so because on July 6 she submitted to a drug screening by the parish contractor and was “grossly humiliated” by the experience. Originally, she was scheduled for July 5 but she said asked forand received a one-day postponement because of a heavy work schedule.

Having worked as housing director in St. Charles Parish for five years,Thymes said she has experience in setting up a drug-screening program and was shocked at how this company apparently operated.

Thymes claimed the procedure for collecting urine samples was “conducted very shabbily,” with no female attendant, no temperature strip on the bottle and no proper sealing of the sample container, which could lend itself to tampering.

She added she had to “walk through the business office, carrying a cup,” and that employees talked openly about other parish employees who had come in earlier, despite the fact the ordinance governing the program mandates confidentiality.

A spokesman for the parish contractor, who asked not to be identified, said he was unable to comment so as not to violate the company’s contract with the parish.

Thymes said she complained to the administrator of the employee drug- screening program, Civil Service Director Bertram Madere, after the experience, but to no avail. Madere was unavailable for comment.Therefore, Thymes continued, when she was again called to submit to a drug screening she refused to comply and decided instead to find a company of her own choosing.

However, according to the parish ordinance which established the drug- screening procedure, parish employees must submit their samples to the company hired by the Parish Council. All samples are to be sealed andmarked for identification in the presence of the person submitting the sample, and results are confidential. Refusal to submit to random testingor testing for cause shall be grounds for dismissal. However, if a positivereading for drug use is detected, dismissal is not an immediate option.

Rather, substance abuse counseling is mandated at the employee’s cost.

Failure to follow the recommendations of the counselor, though, would result in dismissal.

Thymes’ career with St. John Parish has been one of near-constantopposition, she said, both from inside parish government and from the development community.

She was hired in August 1997 when the job opening was created and, with her college degree in urban planning, felt she was eminently qualified to administrate the parish’s comprehensive zoning ordinance approved more than 10 years ago.

However, as time went on, her support within parish government eroded.

“Arnold Labat was not in favor of retaining me,” she said. “At my six-month review, he did not support my continuance.”After a lengthy debate at the Parish Council meeting when Thymes’ review period was up, Labat did finally recommend the group retain Thymes, and it did.

Her battles to properly enforce parish zoning laws sometimes spilled over into public meetings and generated animosity within and outside government, as the “good old boy” network paid lip service to the law.

As far as actually adhering to its own zoning laws, Thymes said, “St. JohnParish has still yet to adopt that mentality.”Her dismissal came within a month of her receiving a pay raise from the Parish Council. She is also attempting to collect on 261 hours ofcompensatory time owed her (at time and a half) for innumerable night meetings attended in the line of work.

Thymes affirmed she has spoken to an attorney to protect her career and personal reputation.

She added, “They’re simply afraid to have it done the way it’s supposed to be done.”

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