By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – With the rain pouring outside on a Wednesday morning, Warren Montgomery brushed off the raindrops from his new navy blazer and sat down.
He immediately apologized for being late and laughed about his good intentions to follow his own guidelines for the day.
“Look at this,” he said opening up a yellow, legal pad. “I was going to exercise at 5 a.m., but it’s scratched off because I didn’t get it done. I had a Bible Study at 6, but it’s scratched off. And now I’m late to see you.”
The newly-elected district attorney, who has taken over leadership for the North Shore in the 22nd Judicial District Court, is a popular man these days and admits he has been putting in “maybe 60 hours or more a week.”
But Montgomery is still all smiles and said he is committed to changing the image of the District Attorney’s Office for St. Tammany and Washington parishes, not just from a personal perspective, but also by convincing the public that justice will be done for all.
“Yes, I have been besieged with requests to meet and talk with people, and I’m meeting as many as I can,” he said. “I truly appreciate the interest and the support. It’s humbling, truly humbling.
“The main thing I want the public to know is that I am working hard and in most cases it’s more important to make the right decision than a fast one,” he said. “I’m being methodical and prudent in the process to bring trust back to this office.”
Montgomery is one month in as the new D.A. for the North Shore, becoming the first new district attorney for the 22nd Court in over 24 years. Walter Reed held the position for over two decades, but is currently the target of a federal investigation into wrongdoing that could bring an indictment for using his power for personal gain. With the threat of criminal charges looming, Reed declined to run for a seventh term.
With Montgomery winning election in December it brought an outsider to the position following a runoff victory that experts saw as a statement by the public wanting a new face in the office.
Since taking over, Montgomery began by bringing in three independent men to head an overview of the criminal, civil and administrative areas of the District Attorney’s Office. He said there is much to do, in his opinion, to bring the trust of the people back.
“As the D.A., I’m the gatekeeper in charge of making very important decisions that will affect people’s lives. I have to make decisions about whether we seek the death penalty against someone, whether we prosecute someone at all, and even decisions about whether someone spends one day in jail or not,” he said. “In reality, I take a lot of these decisions home with me.”
He said he has held several meetings with the entire office staff, which totals well over 100 employees. Montgomery said four employees quit before he came on board, and after a week, four others were let go.
“Some people were very close with Walter and just left the office before I got there,” Montgomery said. “Then I moved some people into different positions.
“In my meeting with the staff I tried to communicate that decisions in this office will now be made on merit, not because of who you were close with,” he added. “That is how we will run this office in every way.”
When asked what areas of the District Attorney’s Office need to be improved or reviewed, Montgomery went back to his yellow, legal pad.
“Look at all this?” he said, pointing to a long list. “There is a lot of work to do.”
Topics that will be getting close scrutiny are the diversion program, the screening process to decide what cases are prosecuted, how the district attorney will represent government bodies in St. Tammany, the need for improved technology in the office, the mental health situation in St. Tammany, overall funding and revenue, improving personnel, office morale and improving the image the office has.
“Right now the image of this office is not good, and the relationship between the D.A.’s Office and the press has been bad for years,” he said. “It’s important to change that.”
Montgomery said he has special concern for the office employees, the vast majority of which have done a good job while under duress.
“The people here have been under attack because of what has happened at the top,” he said, referring to Reed’s investigation into possible wrongdoing. “Now there is new management with me coming in and it’s natural to worry about whether you will keep your job.
“But as I said before, that will all be determined on merit,” he added.
Montgomery said he brought in Scott Delacroix to review the administrative side of the office, while attorney Greg Weiss is reviewing the criminal side of the department, and Tony LeMon was brought in as the third member of the transition team to review how civil cases are being handled.
“We really want to see what ways the district attorney’s office can help the mental health crisis in our parish,” he said. “But that also ties into reviewing the funding. We want to know exactly what money is coming in, and where it is being spent.”
Montgomery was asked his view of the Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany (CCST) organization, which began as a watchdog group in 2011 due to questions involving a waste transfer station in Lacombe. In five years the group has grown to become an outspoken voice concerning public affairs on the North Shore, while also forming an investigative team that was credited with aiding the start to the investigation against Reed, as well as the recent indictment of the Pearl River mayor for allegedly using public money for his own good.
CCST, while appreciated by some, has drawn criticism from other public officials for claiming too much power in trying to assist government bodies perform their investigative work.
Montgomery said he may not always agree with everything CCST does or stands for, but is appreciative of the assistance they have brought in highlighting questionable actions by public officials in St. Tammany.
“I am glad CCST is in business. We need light shone on any suspicious activities in our parish and I am thankful for their involvement,” he said.
“As I said, I may not always agree with them, but I will weigh the pros and cons of anything they bring to me,” he said. “As long as we can agree or disagree respectfully and honestly with each other, I am happy they are trying to assist us.”
The most recent indictment of Pearl River Mayor James Lavigne for allegedly using town money to buy a generator and boat that ended up at his home has been criticized in some circles as being something that wasn’t such a big problem and should have been left alone.
Montgomery had a strong opinion about those who felt Lavigne’s case wasn’t big enough to warrant being prosecuted.
“Anyone who says the Pearl River case is not a big deal isn’t busting their butt out there working every day for every dollar they can make,” he said. “I think some people forget how hard citizens work for their money and to support their families. Anyone paying their taxes shouldn’t see any of that money being misused.”
Montgomery pledged during the past campaign that he will serve no more than two terms and then step down.