A company owned by the former top aide to Jefferson Parish At-Large Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken violated the state’s ethics code in 2023 by attempting to buy parish property while still employed by the parish, the Louisiana Board of Ethics ruled earlier this year.
The board issued a consent opinion in January stating that a company owned by Jeffrey Simno, a former chief of staff for Van Vrancken during her tenure as District 5 Council member, violated state ethics code in 2023 when it submitted sealed bids to purchase two parish-owned lots on Hesper Avenue in Metairie.
The board, however, did not elect to impose any penalties against Simno or his company and was instead “resolving this matter amicably through the publication of this Consent Opinion.” Had the matter been referred to the Ethics Adjudicatory Board and found to be a violation, Hesperus LLC could have received a fine of up $10,000 for each violation of the ethics code, the opinion states…