EDITORIAL: Jefferson Parish's Tim Whitmer finally resigns
Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Tim Whitmer has finally resigned as Jefferson Parish's chief administrator, and that's welcome news. But it'll take much more to restore public confidence in the Broussard administration. Mr. Whitmer had been on paid leave since Dec. 16 as revelations mounted about his private dealings with public entities and parish contractors. They included a firm of Mr. Whitmer's doing business with the parent company of River Birch Inc. while he oversaw a parish process that led to a massive landfill contract with River Birch. At the very least, Mr. Whitmer's actions involved serious conflicts of interest. Federal investigators are examining whether they also included criminal violations. Through it all, President Aaron Broussard refused to fire Mr. Whitmer, who as an appointed official served at the president's pleasure. That raised serious questions about President Broussard's tolerance for improper behavior. If Mr. Whitmer's private dealings and his failure to disclose them were not firing offenses, then what type of shenanigans does it take to get fired in the Broussard administration? President Broussard Monday gave Mr. Whitmer a copy of an internal parish report about Mr. Whitmer's dealings. President Broussard said that after Mr. Whitmer had a day to respond, "the consideration of disciplinary action would be appropriate." Most parish residents believe firing Mr. Whitmer was appropriate weeks ago.