Tensions boiled over a little more than a week ago between St. Martinville Mayor Melinda Mitchell, her husband and Councilmen Craig Prosper after a heated conversation about the agenda.

Lawrence Mitchell, the mayor’s husband, was issued a summons for misdemeanor simple assault after allegedly threatening Prosper in front of the police chief. 

Usually, city council members have a Friday deadline before meetings to place items on the city council meeting agenda.

“Then those items are supposed to go out after Friday to the media and be published in the newspaper. However, the mayor has elected to start removing items that she didn’t want to see on the agenda,” said Prosper. 

He says multiple agenda items regarding city business have been pulled by the mayor.

“There were some items I did take off as far as the agenda because just moving forward we want the constituents to know what’s going on,” Mitchell said.  “There were some items that many other council members took off because I thought we could resolve it with having any more meetings. Because sometimes the meetings get long and we can go ahead and resolve it in the office.”

The mayor says she thought she had authority through the Lawrason Act to take agenda items off. The fight over control of the agenda landed on the Attorney General Jeff Landry’s desk. In a letter addressed to the mayor, Landry said authority to set agenda items rests with the City Council. 

“If it is something foolish and she takes it off the agenda, so be it. But if it’s anything within reason, then it needs to be heard. It’s a voice for everyone, not just one,” says Prosper. 

“If the law actually says that they have the control over the agenda I’m fine. I just want to do things right and read over things,” the mayor. “Coming in new, I’m doing a lot of research, and I do give them the benefit of the doubt. It is a new administration and sometimes it’s hard to change. So I do understand that, but I do want to cross t’s and dot the i’s and make sure that I have the public and the community’s best interest at heart.”