Last year Mayor Tim Riley was served with the Petition for Mandamus against the City of Gonzales, filed by Liberty Fence & Supply LLC (Liberty Fence) on October 9.  Liberty Fence, owned by James Saizan and represented by Kim Landy, sought satisfaction of five outstanding invoices submitted to the city in February 2025 totaling $23,600.  […]

Gonzales City Council, by identical 3-2 votes, approved two Special Use Permit applications to operate Airbnbs last night.  Councilman Kirk Boudreaux moved to approve both applications, based on the Zoning Commission’s recommendation (see below) dated June 1 and including a list of restrictions.  Boudreaux was joined in the majority by Councilmen Eddie Williams and Tyler Turner […]

In March of 2025, less than three months into his first term, Mayor Tim Riley had occasion to request an opinion from Louisiana’s Attorney General.  Yesterday, Riley received the long-awaited opinion that would resolve a long-simmering dispute between his administration and a couple (or three) of city council members.  Two questions were answered. First: Question: […]

A unanimous City Council adopted Mayor Tim Riley’s 2026-27 General Fund Budget on Monday with 22 pages worth of amendments.  All five council members voted to adopt the PACE Center Budget and requisite amendments to last year’s Operating Budget.  The process comes to a close before the 2025-26 Fiscal Year ends in five days, avoiding […]

Elective office in the legislative branch comes with perks, unlimited time during meetings to expound upon any pet peeve or project one likes, restrained only by Robert’s Rule of Order (not those of courtesy, decorum or civility).  But there are pitfalls. For example: “This is not personal,” Councilwoman Terri Lambert pre-qualified her opposition to Willie […]

Ordinance practice in the City of Gonzales can get confusing, evidenced by the Council’s 3-1 vote (with an abstention) to discontinue Retiree Medicare Stipends received by ultra select few former employees (including a couple of mayors).  No stated criteria, aside from date-of-birth renders one lucky former employee eligible and others out of luck. With Councilwoman […]

It’s deja vu, all over again as Gonzales City Council rejected the 2026-27 General Fund Budget proposed by Mayor Tim Riley on Monday.  No one in the Riley administration was surprised by the outcome, a 3-2 vote against the primary operating budget, the same three members in opposition to the PACE Center Economic Development District budget […]

Gonzales City Attorney Allen Davis provided an opinion from Louisiana’s Attorney General after three council members vociferously criticized Mayor Tim Riley during a Budget Workshop this week.  Terri Lambert, Cynthia Gray James and Kirk Boudreaux launched a joint attack against a handful of salary increases, anticipating Monday’s vote on the 2026-27 budget.  “We need to […]

Whether or not to charge James Saizan of Liberty Fence & Supply criminally…it is an ongoing discussion.  Louisiana’s Licensing Board for Contractors investigators insist that Saizan violated Revised Statute 37:2163, Engaging in business of contracting without authority prohibited; penalty (see below) and should be charged.  Those investigators referred the matter to local authorities tasked with making […]