Ex-lawmakers tapped for Pardon Board
Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed two former state legislators to the state Pardon Board this week.
Former state Reps. Mert Smiley Jr., R-St. Amant, and Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, both will join the five-person board that pays $36,000 annually as a part-time job.
Smiley made a successful bid for Ascension Parish assessor in the fall.
He does not take office until January.
Hardy lost a re-election bid.
Both Smiley and Hardy stepped down last month from the Louisiana Legislature.
Smiley was considered a Jindal legislative ally while Hardy was the only black legislator to support Jindal’s proposed merger of Southern University at New Orleans and the University of New Orleans.
The proposed merger ultimately failed on the House floor.
Jindal also reappointed to the board former Grant Parish Sheriff Leonard “Pop” Hataway, of Dry Prong, and former state Rep. Henry “Tank” Powell, of Ponchatoula.
The changes mean a majority of the Pardon Board is made up of former legislators.
Smiley and Hardy replace Kenneth Jones, who is a retired Wisconsin law enforcement official, and Clement Lafleur Jr., of Ville Platte, on the board, according to Jindal’s press office.
Lafleur was an appointee of former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, but Jindal appointed Jones four years ago.
The only other Pardon Board member is Chairman Larry Clark, who is an Alexandria florist.
Clark’s term also is expired but he will continue to serve until he is replaced or reappointed. Clark was first appointed 20 years ago by former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards.
The Jindal administration is still waiting to receive nominations from victims’ rights groups within in the state before deciding on a new appointment, according to the press office.
The board considers applications for pardon, sentence commutation and restoration of certain rights for prisoners within Louisiana.
The Pardon Board is one of just a few state boards that pays an annual salary for part-time work.
Marsha Shuler
contributed to this report.