Bunkie Councilman Lem Thomas seeks help against ‘evil’ City Council

Bunkie Alderman Lem Thomas has written a letter to several agencies -- including the U.S. Justice Department and State Attorney General’s Office, seeking help in the ongoing problems between City Hall and Bunkie Police Chief Bobby Corner.
In the undated letter, Thomas calls the City Council “evil” and says he “needs help from anybody.”
The letter surfaced during the Christmas holidays and appeared on several Facebook posts.
“The administration has (been) trying to drive the Chief of Police Bobby Corner off the job,” Thomas writes. “We have been dragged through the courts, we are dealing with a sex scandal, we have been threatened with complete takeover by the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office.”
Thomas also sent the letter to the USDA, Kisatchie-Delta, Louisiana Municipal Association, Louisiana Police Association and Risk Management, the city’s insurance carrier.
Thomas wrote that the only thing the city administration can do now is to attempt a recall of Corner, but Corner’s opponents are unable to get enough signatures to force a recall election.
He noted that in the two years he and Corner have been in office, the council has not purchased a patrol car or any other major piece of equipment for the police department. The council has also stopped hiring police officers, Thomas added.
“They are evil to no extent, they will go to any extreme to destroy him (Corner),” Thomas wrote. “Every time they have challenged him, they have lost. They will not accept egg on their faces. To be right, they have to win.”
Bunkie Mayor Mike Robertson would not comment, saying he has not spoken to Thomas about the letter.
Councilwoman Brenda Sampson said she was surprised by the content of the letter and was disappointed by Thomas’ action.
“Upon reading Councilman Lem Thomas’ letter to various entities, I was disappointed and taken aback, to say the least,” Councilman Travis Armand said. “Councilman Thomas’ interpretation of events and assessment of the very real problems with the Bunkie Police Department have been formed upon a series of baseless opinions, certainly not facts.”
Armand said he admires Thomas’ “enthusiastic search for solutions to a situation,” but said he believes the answers “exist not in outside agencies, but in the police department proper -- specifically the chief and his management of the personnel and resources at his disposal.”
Armand said Thomas should “use his personal relationship with Chief Corner to persuade him to both work with the council and to abide by the Lawrason Act.”
The sex scandal Thomas referenced is a lawsuit alleging Corner sexual harassed a female police officer. The suit lists Corner and the City of Bunkie as defendants in the case.
Thomas erred in his comments on a recall petition. Such an action cannot be initiated by a city administration. It must come from a registered voter residing within the Bunkie city limits. There has been no petition started or even a public call for a recall effort.
Concerning other allegations in the letter, the council has refused to hire police officers unless Corner provides the proper paperwork to support the hiring of the applicant. Corner told council members he cannot provide background check information to the council because such investigations must remain private and submitting them to the council would make them public records.
“Risk Management will not tell the council who they can or cannot hire,” Robertson said. “However, Risk Management believes the council should have access to any information, including background checks, that would help them make a decision on hiring.”
In his letter, Thomas writes that the situation has reached a critical point. and that he is Corner’s only ally.
Thomas said the community voted Corner into office after the former police chief, the late Mary Fanara, decided not to seek re-election.
He said Fanara had started to neglect the office, the department was “bleeding money,” and the people wanted it stopped.
Thomas also accused Fanara of giving some city police equipment to the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Doug Anderson said he is unaware of APSO having any equipment that belonged to BPD.
“At first glance, I thought race was the problem and that race was something we could easily handle,” Thomas continued in his letter. “This is more than about race. Something is terribly wrong here and it goes way beyond race. Race is only a small part of this situation.”
Thomas closed by saying, “We need 10 police officers, five police units, five laptops, vests and ammo.”
Attempts to reach Thomas for further comment were unsuccessful.

AVOYELLES JOURNAL
BUNKIE RECORD
MARKSVILLE WEEKLY

105 N Main St
Marksville, LA 71351
(318) 253-9247

CONTACT US