Two BR men to be honored

• By ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT
• Published: Oct 26, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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NEW ORLEANS — G. Lee Griffin and Robert Harper of Baton Rouge will be among the five main honorees at this year’s 43rd annual Monte M. Lemann Awards luncheon set for Thursday at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

The Lemann Awards are given to people working outside of the classified civil service system who have made the greatest contributions to the advancement of the merit system of public employment in Louisiana, according to Daniel E. Sullivan, executive vice president of the Louisiana Civil Service League.

Griffin and Harper will be joined by honoree Marlo A. Defillo of New Orleans, Boyd Mothe Jr. of Belle Chasse and Merlin Villar of Mandeville.

They will bring the total of Lemann recipients to 210 since the award was begun in 1965 in memory of Monte L. Lemann who was a staunch defender of the civil service system, Sullivan said.

A synopsis of the honorees follows:

• A veteran Baton Rouge banker, Griffin has been on the State Civil Service Commission for 10 years. During the recent legislative session, Griffin — a native of Dallas — worked with the Baton Rouge Chamber to negotiate a financial disclosure bill that would require realistic reporting by members of civil service commissions.
• Baton Rouge resident Harper, a budget analyst and later undersecretary of the Department of Natural Resources — under four governors — was instrumental in supporting many of the recent changes in the State Civil Service System. He also worked for more than 20 years overseeing the operating budgets of several state agencies while in the State Budget Office.
• Marlon A. Defillo of New Orleans is a 27-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department in which he is the assistant superintendent. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Defillo is credited with improving the image of civil service.
• Mothe, of Belle Chasse, has served on the Plaquemines Parish Civil Service Commission for six years. He is a fifth-generation funeral director, and has also dedicated himself to improving the parish’s civil service system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
• Villar has served more than 10 years as a member of the Mandeville Police and Mandeville Municipal Employees Civil Service Board. He is an executive director with AT&T of Louisiana and worked for AT&T for 32 years. He is a former member of the New Orleans Police Department and helped the Civil Service Board in adapting to the new challenges that came with increased activity and growth.