By Tiffany Flournoy
CULLEN, La. — A pro se legal request filed on Nov. 25 by the mayor of Cullen and board members seeking a restraining order to bar a local resident from attending public meetings and entering Town Hall has heightened controversy in the rural municipality.
A hearing on the matter is set for Dec. 11 in Webster Parish District Court, according to a court order signed last week by Judge Charles Smith.
Two Cullen alderwomen said their names were used in the pro se petition without their consent.
“I recently found out my name was used, which was totally without my knowledge or authorization. I am livid,” Alderwoman Bianchi Veal said.
Veal added that she has prepared letters to the judge expected to preside over the matter and to the parish clerk requesting that her name be removed immediately from what she called a “frivolous petition.”
Alderwoman Barbara Green was also surprised that her name is listed in the document and wants it removed.
The heading of the petition lists the mayor and all five board members as petitioners. However, only four signatures appear: Hoof’s; his spouse — Alderwoman Denise Epps-Hoof; Alderwoman Floydean White; and Alderwoman Yolanda Castleman. The signature lines for Veal and Green are marked with the handwritten abbreviation “n/a.”
Veal said she spoke with the mayor on Nov. 26 after learning her name was included on the court document. She said the phone call ended when he abruptly hung up on her.
Pro se legal filings are intended for individuals representing themselves without a lawyer, not legal entities. Louisiana law prohibits the unauthorized practice of law, which includes representing others in a legal capacity.
Cullen has been without legal counsel since Oct. 27, when attorney Michael Wayne Kelly resigned, citing the town’s failure to pay outstanding invoices.
The petition, notarized by Carolyn Riser, lists several allegations against Cullen resident and attorney Fran Gipson. Amongst other accusations, it alleges that on Nov. 3, Gipson harassed town employees by demanding salary information from UnTracy Brittentine, the town’s new assistant clerk, and that she sought financial records related to COVID-19 expenditures.
Gipson’s attorney, Pamela Harper has declined to comment on the matter at this time.
During the town’s regular monthly meeting on Nov. 24, the Board of Aldermen voted 3–1 to approve seeking a restraining order against Gipson. Green cast the lone vote against the measure, while Veal was absent.
Despite the absence of a formal motion or second, Mayor Hoof called for individual votes and quickly announced that the measure had passed before moving on to other business.
At that same meeting, the mayor and White publicly accused Gipson of disrupting earlier meetings by questioning officials about town business. Most of Gipson’s concerns had been raised during public comment, though they were often interrupted by the mayor.
The next day, a pro se motion for a temporary restraining order — along with requests for preliminary and permanent injunctions — was filed with the Webster Parish Clerk of Court.
“I feel it is only a tool to ensure Attorney Gipson not be allowed to attend the meetings and express her concerns,” Veal said. “However, she is a citizen of Cullen, and it is her First Amendment right to speak freely before she’s ordered to sit down. The petition is frivolous nonsense, without any consideration of defamation of character or her livelihood as an attorney.”
Green said, “As an elected official, I support transparency of our town’s business activities, as it’s public knowledge. Our constituents have the right to ask questions. We, the board, should listen to their concerns as well as their praises. We also have to maintain accountability, be prudent, and follow the law.”
As of late October, an investigative audit was underway in that town, according to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office. It is unclear if the audit has been completed.