Jefferson Parish Council passes resolution calling for review of Mike Yenni's hire
The Jefferson Parish President along with the council are calling for the state board of election supervisors to review a recent controversial hire to the Registrar of Voters.
Former Jefferson Parish president Mike Yenni started with the office on Monday.
He is accused of a texting scandal with a teen boy, which led to him not seeking reelection.
Parish President Cynthia-Lee Sheng was against the hire and docked his salary by $20,000 when he took the job, according to sources with her office.
Yenni is making $60,000 a year in his new position.
Mike Yenni spoke with WDSU about his new job.
On Wednesday the council approved a resolution to ask the state board of election supervisors to review the hire to see if his hiring violated any ethical or legislative standards.
WDSU reached out to Yenni who said he didn't want to comment at this time on the council's request.
Yenni addressed the criticism of the new job earlier this week, saying he is qualified for the role.
"I think my resume speaks for itself. I'm overly qualified to do this. You know, they can live in the past all they want. The past is the past. We're moving forward," Yenni said.
Yenni stepped away from government in Jefferson Parish in 2019 after he was accused of texting a teenage boy. On Monday, he returned as the Chief Deputy of the Registrar of Voters.
"It feels great because I've always enjoyed serving the public, especially in Jefferson Parish and the great city of Kenner," Yenni said. "This is an apolitical office. We don't welcome politics. We welcome the governmental operations of the office. And that's what I'm truly going to enjoy working in."
The hire by Dennis DiMarco has many parish leaders questioning the decision due to Yenni's controversial past.
Yenni was embroiled in a texting scandal in 2016 that had many calling for his resignation.
Now, Yenni says he is ready for a fresh start.
"I opened a registrar's office in the city of Kenner with Mr. DeMarco back when I was mayor so that we could encourage more voting. And then when I was parish president, was able to expand the East Bank office so that we could have more early voting," Yenni said.
Given the importance of this election cycle, Yenni said he and his staff are focused on the tasks at hand.
"We need to make sure that we have safe, secure elections and that the voters can come into our offices and feel like they're getting expedited through the process," Yenni said. "I think it's a great opportunity to make sure everybody understands to vote early and vote often."
Ahead of the presidential primary, Yenni says they plan to open several satellite offices.
They are also preparing for an influx of mail-in ballots.
Yenni said there will be locations at the East Bank and West Bank regional libraries, as well as a plan for an expanded number of voting machines.