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Terrebonne sheriff apologizes for using R-word during council meeting

The Courier - 6/2/2021

Jun. 2—Terrebonne Sheriff Tim Soignet has apologized for using a term at last week's Parish Council meeting that in the past was used to describe people with mental disabilities.

While addressing the council during a heated discussion about installing traffic cameras in school zones, the sheriff used the word, now widely considered derogatory, to criticize a portion of the language in the ordinance.

The council delayed the traffic-camera proposal 30 days while parish attorneys examine any legal issues associated with the program.

"We need to get something done and things need to move," Soignet said during Wednesday night's meeting. "If it takes 30 days, I'm willing. (Parish Attorney Jules Hebert), that last statement at the bottom, they asked us to put it in. I thought it was r*----*d, but we did it."

Soignet later apologized for using the word and said it was taken out of context.

"I referred to something they added in the ordinance that I thought was dumb because it didn't make sense," the sheriff said. "I wasn't being derogatory against anyone. I would never direct anything like that to anyone. That's not in my character and anybody who knows me knows better than that. I certainly apologize. I would never say that to anyone. I didn't realize that was an offensive word. I will be a little more selective with what words I use."

After the conclusion of the meeting, Councilwoman Jessica Domangue took to her Facebook page to address the issue.

"Last night, during our council meeting, an offensive word was used to describe an action by the council," Domangue wrote. "As a social worker who works with children, I am publicly apologizing for not speaking up when this word was spoken. As elected officials, we should never use language that may be offensive to others, especially special needs children and adults."

In a phone interview Friday, Domangue said she made the Facebook post after being contacted by a concerned parent.

"I actually received an email from a woman who has a special-needs child and she was very upset that no council member corrected the sheriff whenever he said that," Domangue said. "It already didn't sit well with me because I did say, 'that wasn't a very appropriate word,' but I wasn't mic'd up so no one heard it. When I received that email I just couldn't let it go. I had to say something."

Soignet said he became caught up in the heat of the two-hour debate about the traffic cameras. He and other supporters of the proposal say they hope to increase traffic safety around the schools with no upfront cost or taxpayer money spent.

"It was a little heated but I'm trying to slow people down in those school zones," he said. "These are all the schools in the parish that are problematic. I'm fighting for children to slow people down. It's been frustrating but we're going to work through it."

— Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 448-7639 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanVCopp.

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