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STATE OF LOUISIANA " ' DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE LDU. ° TS192: �_ LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS •. P.O.BOX 4368 /y)/ fY ♦ BATON ROUGE, LA 70821 CW/I� °rFioeN ,, (225)219-5600 � FAX:(225)381-7271 1-800-842-6630 wwwethics.la.gov August 21,2017 Mr. Eric Mancuso,Jr. Sewerage&Water Board of New Orleans 8800 S. Claiborne Avenue New Orleans,Louisiana 70118 Re: Louisiana Board of Ethics Docket No. 2017-700 Dear Mr. Mancuso, The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its August 18, 2017, meeting, considered your request for an advisory opinion as to any nepotism issues involving your employment by the Sewerage&Water Board of New Orleans (Water Board),as well as approval of a disqualification plan. You stated that you have been employed by the Water Board since January 6, 2014, as a Utility Maintenance Master Specialist 1 in the Instrument Shop - Group 4130 in the Facility Mainte- nance Department. Your supervisor is Harry Quebedeaux, who is a Utility Master Maintenance Supervisor. At the time of your hire, your father, Eric Mancuso, Sr. was employed as a Utility Maintenance Supervisor over Electricians Group 4120. On October 14, 2016, your father was promoted to the position of Utility Senior Service Manager, placing him as a supervisor over your group. Additionally, as of January 7, 2017, Eric Mancuso, Sr. has assumed the interim role of Utility Senior Service Administrator over the Facility Maintenance Department. The Board concluded, and instructed me to inform you, that your continued employment by the Water Board presents no violation of the Code of Governmental Ethics (Code). La. R.S. 42:1119A provides that no member of the immediate family of an agency head shall be em- ployed in his agency. La. R.S. 42:1102(2)(a) defines "agency" as a department, office, division, agency,commission,board,committee,or other organizational unit of a governmental entity. La. R.S. 42:1102(3) defines "agency head" as the chief executive or administrative officer of an agency. As acting Utility Senior Service Administrator,Eric Mancuso,Sr. is considered the agen- cy head over the Facility Maintenance Department. However,La. R.S. 42:1119C(2),provides that the Code shall not prohibit the continued employment of any public employee nor shall it be construed to hinder, alter, or in any way affect normal promotion advancements for such public employee where a member of the public employee's immediate family becomes the agency head of such public employee's agency, provided such public employee has been employed in the agency for a period of at least one year prior to the member of the public employee's immediate family becoming the agency head. Since you were employed by the Water Board's Facility Maintenance Department for more than one year prior to your father becoming your agency AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER