Mayor supported, moved to introduce, voted for 19-33 and 19-11
Former council members Sica, Pulaski co-sponsored ordinances
Updated October 25, 2021: Adds background on Ordinance 19-11 and Madden being council chairman.
MANDEVILLE — Mandeville Daily recently published a story where it incorrectly identified Mayor Clay Madden as the ‘author’ of a 2019 ordinance that reduced the pay of future mayors. According to available records, then-Councilwoman at Large Lauré Sica and then-District II Councilman Michael Pulaski co-sponsored, or co-introduced, Ordinance 19-33 for consideration by the full council in November 2019.
However, Ordinance 19-33 was “moved for introduction” by then Councilman at Large Madden at the November 21, 2019, council meeting where it was adopted 5-0, including Madden’s ‘yes’ vote, according to council records.
Madden supported and voted in favor of 19-33. But prior to that in April 2019, while serving as council chairman, Madden supported Ordinance 19-11 which was the council’s first attempt to lower a future mayor’s salary. But that ordinance resulted in a lawsuit from sitting mayor Donald Villere, which led the council to repeal 19-11 with Ordinance 19-27 after setting a public referendum to amend the charter.
Madden — who was often a political foe of then Mayor Donald Villere — was a supporter of Ordinance 19-33 as well as Ordinance 19-11, making various statements to that effect, as reported in the media at the time:
Times-Picayune: Mandeville City Council cuts future mayor’s pay
This inaccuracy affected two other previously published stories by Mandeville Daily, which have been corrected and noted:
UPDATE: Council restores mayor retirement pay, 3-2
OPINION: Previous City Council created ‘nuclear option’ to use against sitting mayor
Finding a record of the Mandeville City Council meeting minutes or passed ordinances and resolutions is hampered by the fact that these documents are no longer accessible online via the city’s website as they have been in the past.
On the webpage for the minutes from recent meetings, the minutes from the meeting in question — November 21, 2019 — are missing, while links to previous meetings are still available. Furthermore, some of the previous minutes have links, but they are crossed out and not working. See below:
Additionally, the document archive website the city uses is no longer available. Its link has been crossed out and not working:
The only resource still available is the CLURO and Home Rule Charter, furnished by “municode.com,” but unfortunately it does not contain all adopted ordinances, meeting agendas, resolutions or minutes from past meetings.
Mandeville Daily strives for accuracy and values the record being correct. We regret any confusion this error may have caused.
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