The Jefferson Parish Council is asking the State Board of Election Supervisors to review whether Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco's decision to hire Mike Yenni as his top deputy violates any ethics rules.
The move comes after DiMarco rebuffed requests from some Parish Council members to back-track on his decision to hire Yenni, who left office as parish president five years ago after a scandal in which he admitted to sending "improper" texts to a teenage boy.
In a letter sent to the Parish Council on Friday, DiMarco wrote that "yielding to the interests or beliefs of any public official" regarding the selection of personnel of the office "would rise to 'outside interference,' which is strictly prohibited by this independent office."
Yenni officially took over as DiMarco's chief deputy on Monday.
The Parish Council is in charge of appointing the registrar of voters but has little control over how he runs the office. He can only be removed by the State Board of Election Supervisors. DiMarco has served in the role since 1998.
The resolution approved by the Parish Council asks the eight-member State Board of Election Supervisors to review Yenni's hiring "to determine if it violates any of the Board's ethical or legislative standards."
"The Jefferson Parish Council is concerned that this action may rise to the level of requiring the Board to remove Mr. Dennis DiMarco as Registrar of Voters for Jefferson Parish," the resolution notes.
In an interview, DiMarco said he's confident that the State Board of Election Supervisors will find no fault in his actions.
"I think the Election Code is pretty clear as to my authority to hire who I want for my office," he said.
According to state law, a registrar can only be removed for "for willful misconduct relating to his official duty, willful and persistent failure to perform his duty, persistent public conduct prejudicial to the administration of the laws relative to the registration of voters that brings the office into disrepute, or conviction of a felony."
Debbie Albert, a member of Jefferson Parish's Board of Election Supervisors, appeared at Wednesday's meeting to oppose the resolution. She said DiMarco had "done a phenomenal job" and Yenni had been "persecuted enough."
The Jefferson Parish Council has other tools at its disposal to pressure DiMarco to change his mind. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, for instance, instructed her administration to withhold from Yenni's salary a $20,000 supplement that the parish voluntarily provides to registrar employees.
Jefferson Parish 2nd District Council member Deano Bonano said revoking the supplemental pay for DiMarco remains "on the table," adding that he continues to hear from constituents who are "disgusted" at Yenni's hiring.
"When it comes to children, to teenagers, the public does not forget," Bonano said.
Yenni, who previously served as the mayor of Kenner, was elected parish president in 2015. Less than a year later, it was revealed that while serving as Kenner's mayor and campaigning for parish president, he sent sexually suggestive text messages to a 17-year-old high school student.
The revelations led to a failed recall effort, and while no criminal charges were filed and Yenni publicly apologized, the scandal doomed his chances at running for a second term.
In an interview Monday, Yenni said he was surprised that his hiring had sparked such controversy.
"I’m sorry people feel the way they do," he said. "I have never violated my oath of office. I have never done anything illegal or unethical."