The man running unopposed to become the police chief of a small Louisiana town was recently accused of raping two teenage girls 20 years ago.
Elizabeth Mayor Mandy Leo Green said officials have no authority to remove candidate Christopher Paul from the ballot. But local lawmakers held a public meeting Monday to discuss making the police chief an appointed position, rather than an elected one, to prevent the likely election winner from taking office.
Elizabeth’s Village Council said it submitted an ordinance to the Louisiana Office of the Secretary of State for review.
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Ms. Green told news outlets that she also asked state Attorney General Liz Murrill to see if the change could kick in before the new chief’s start date of Jan. 1.
The Village Council previously said it would hold a special election on Dec. 12 to see if voters want to convert the chief’s job to an appointed position, but it’s unclear if that will happen following Monday’s meeting.
Residents have already shown some squeamishness about Mr. Paul, a Republican, continuing his campaign in spite of the allegations.
“I don’t think he should still run,” Matthew Townson told KPLC-TV. “I think he should try to take a little bit of a higher road in this and withdraw. But if he chooses not to, and of course that’s his choice, that’s his business. There are other avenues to handle it, and that’s what we saw tonight.”
The Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office took Mr. Paul into custody on Sept. 8 after he was accused of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls in 2005 and 2006. The town of Elizabeth is located within Allen Parish, about 115 miles east of Baton Rouge.
Mr. Paul posted the $60,000 bail, and his candidacy remains active.
State law only bars convicted felons from taking public office. It is not known if the criminal case will be resolved before Mr. Paul would take office next year.
The conundrum for the town of Elizabeth, which has a population of 373 people, arose after Mr. Paul’s lone competitor withdrew from the race late last month.
Zachary LaCaze pulled out of the race after learning it would be a Hatch Act violation for a civilian federal employee to hold an elected position. Mr. LaCaze works as a security guard for the Army’s Fort Polk.
“As much as I love being a police officer and as much as I wanted to be your Chief of Police, I have a responsibility to my family. My full-time job is what provides for my wife and son, and I cannot take that away from them,” Mr. LaCaze said when announcing his withdrawal Sept. 23. “So, as much as it hurts me, I have to step away from this election.”
Mr. LaCaze backed out after the filing deadline had passed for new candidates to join the race, forcing Elizabeth officials to try to overhaul how their police chief is selected.
State law allows voters to recall elected officials. To do so, recall petitioners must gather signatures from 40% of the town’s qualified voters.
Ms. Green has spoken out about the widespread attention the small-town election has garnered.
“My heart breaks to see our community subjected to an overwhelming amount of outside opinions, anger, judgment, and negativity. It is deeply unsettling to experience the amount of nasty emails, phone calls, and social media messages I have received from outsiders,” Ms. Green said last week. “These individuals do not know the strength, the resilience, and the true character of Elizabeth, Louisiana.”
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