In a special-called meeting held Monday at the Monroe Civic Center, the Monroe City Council voted 3-2 to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a newly enacted state law that grants the governor authority to appoint a fire or police chief in Monroe if a vacancy remains unfilled for more than 12 months.
The council also passed a resolution urging Governor Jeff Landry not to act under the new law until the matter is resolved in court.
Voting in favor of both actions were the Brown Bombers: Bishop Rodney McFarland, Minister Verbon Muhammad, and Mrs. Juanita Woods. Opposed to both measures were: Doug Harvey, and Mrs. Gretchen Ezernak.
The legislation in question, Senate Bill 220 (Act 452), became law on August 1 and directly targets only Monroe. The new law allows the governor to bypass local councils and appoint chiefs of police and fire from a certified list if the council fails to confirm a mayor’s nominee within a year. The council’s confirmation power would be stripped from them, although it is required in the city charter.
Cathey Challenges Meeting legality
The new law which went into effect August 1, 2025, strips power from Monroe’s African-American-majority council, which has twice rejected Mayor Friday Ellis’s nominees for fire chief.
Immediately after Monday’s meeting, State Senator Stewart Cathey, author of the bill, filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s office, challenging the validity of Monday’s meeting due to alleged improper public notice.
Council Chair Bishop Rodney McFarland responded by saying the agenda was sent out properly but acknowledged that the city website, controlled by the mayor’s office, did not post the meeting notice in a timely manner. Out of caution, he said the council will place the same items on next week’s regular meeting agenda.
The constitutional issue
The council’s constitutional challenge centers on a provision in the Louisiana Constitution that requires a legal advertisement in the official journal of any city or parish affected by a local or special law. According to this provision, if the state enacts legislation that applies solely to one municipality, a public notice must be published at least 30 days prior to the bill’s passage. Furthermore, a copy of the advertisement must be attached to the bill at the time of the legislative vote.
In this case, those requirements were not fulfilled.
Mayor Ellis, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, issued a strongly worded press release opposing the council’s lawsuit. “There is no constitutional basis for this lawsuit and no legal precedent suggesting the statute in question is invalid,” Ellis stated. “Taxpayer dollars should be spent protecting our families, not funding lawsuits designed to prove power and control.”
He further accused the council of repeated delays and inaction, stating that his office made at least ten email attempts to consult with the council regarding his most recent nominee.
The council claims that in 11 months, Ellis only sent two nominees from 17 eligible applicants, the first one four months after the vacancy, and after that nominee was rejected, he waited seven months to send a second nominee.
“I was Misled”
Senator Katrina Jackson-Andrews, speaking at Monday’s meeting, criticized the legislative process by which the law was passed. She said the amendment affecting only Monroe was added in the final 45 minutes of the session and presented on the floor of the Senate as a New Orleans traffic camera provision.
“This was never debated as a Monroe issue. I was misled,” Jackson-Andrews said, adding that only a few legislators understood the full scope of the amendment, and had the majority known that they were overruling a home rule charter, they would not have supported it.
She said when changes are made, the Senate tradition is that the sponsor will summarize any changes in a bill in good faith. Most Senators in the last minutes of the session don’t read the changes in every bill but trust the integrity of the sponsors to inform them of any changes.
Senator Cathey told the Senate the new law would only address traffic issues in New Orleans. He broke that tradition of full disclosure and did not tell Senators all that was included in the bill. The Senate then voted unanimously to approve the bill. They were blindsided.
However, in the House, Rep. Michael Echols did tell legislators about both the New Orleans traffic issue and the provisions regarding the governor making appointments of the fire and police chiefs in Monroe. The House voted unanimously, including Rep. Adrian Fisher, to approve the bill with the changes. Rep. Pat Moore was absent.
Respect the charter
Senator Jackson emphasized that her concern is not about who is appointed fire chief, but about respecting Monroe’s home rule charter. “We are setting a dangerous precedent,” she warned, “If we allow the governor to select local leadership now, what’s next?”
Council Chairman McFarland echoed those sentiments, expressing personal disappointment after what he described as a broken promise from Mayor Ellis. McFarland recounted a July 22 meeting where the mayor allegedly pledged to work collaboratively and present names for a director of community affairs, a director of administration, and a fire chief. He said they agreed not to blindside each other. “We shook hands on it,” Bishop McFarland said.
“Instead, he went behind our backs,” McFarland said. “This law was crafted in the shadows, and now we’re forced to fight to preserve our charter.”
At the heart of the dispute is not just who becomes Monroe’s next fire chief—but who gets to decide.
As the legal and political standoff continues, the city’s top fire position remains vacant, but two other vacancies are also in question: Director of Administration and Director of Community Affairs, all require confirmation by the council.
Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is truly informative.
I’m going to watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future.
Many people will be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!