Senator To Move Into City Hall
by William Johnson - Opelousas Daily World (excerpt)

State Sen. Donald Cravins Jr. is in the process of moving his office into the Opelousas City Hall and questions have been raised about both the legality and ethics of the move.

Complicating the issue is the fact Sen. Cravins' father is Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins Sr.

While calls to both the state Legislative Auditor's Office and the State Ethics Board produced no definitive answers, both agencies saw no real areas of concern.

"Sen. Cravins called us and I didn't see any problem," said Jenifer Schaye, an attorney with the State Legislative Auditor's office.
She said it is not uncommon for legislators to have offices in their hometown's city hall.

The space is not being donated. Mayor Cravins said the senator will be paying $400 a month in rent; "which is pretty good," the mayor said.

In this case, because the matter involves a father and son, Schaye referred the matter to the state Ethics Board for an opinion.

"The law says you can't have a transaction with a family member, but in this case, the transaction is actually between the city and the senator. The mayor receives no benefit," Schaye said.

Richard Sherburne, administrator to the state Board of Ethics, agreed.