GOP official urged to quit

• By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON AND MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: May 6, 2009 - Page: 1A

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A Republican lawmaker called for the head of the state GOP to resign Tuesday night for sending a public records request to a legislative leader who has been a critic of Gov. Bobby Jindal.

State Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, said Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere does not represent him.

“I am going to ask Mr. Villere to stand up, be a man and resign,” he told the House.

Another legislator, state Rep. Joe Harrison Jr., asked Villere to make a public apology.

The Napoleonville Republican is a member of the party’s State Central Committee.

The squabble is the latest skirmish over public access to the governor’s records.

The next battle takes place today in the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is hearing a bill about whether the public should be privy to the governor’s schedule and correspondence.

Villere did not respond to three phone calls Tuesday night.

The comments stem from a letter that Villere sent House Speaker Pro Tem Karen Peterson, D-New Orleans, who criticized Jindal for opposing legislation that would open his office records to public scrutiny.

Several legislators said Jindal is meeting with lawmakers this week on Senate Bill 278 after mounting a successful campaign to scuttle House legislation that would have given the public access to most of the governor’s office records.

SB278 would expand the number of the records related to the Governor’s Office that are shielded from public scrutiny.

One lawmaker said Jindal is concerned about SB278 being amended to expand the records reach.

Jindal refused, through a spokesman, to comment Tuesday.