The Thirsty Chinchilla
The Southside Economic Development District, also known as SEDD, is a public entity with a governing board. That board participates in decisions tied to development and plays a role in how opportunities and resources are directed within the community. Because of that, board membership carries public responsibility.
One of the individuals connected to SEDD is Herbert Guillory. Public records show that Guillory has also held leadership roles in multiple nonprofit organizations in the Monroe area, including the NE Louisiana Black Chamber Foundation and the Monroe Regional Black Chamber Foundation. These organizations have received substantial public funding through ARPA allocations.
ARPA funds were distributed locally through the Ouachita Parish Police Jury. That brings in another key figure, Michael Thompson. As a Police Juror, Thompson participates in votes, motions, and funding approvals. Records show that ARPA funding supported by that governing body went to organizations where Guillory holds leadership roles.
This does not prove wrongdoing and it does not suggest that any funds were misused. What it does show is that a public official involved in funding decisions and a nonprofit leader connected to organizations receiving that funding are operating within the same local governance ecosystem. That overlap is a matter of public interest because transparency is essential when public funds are involved.
During a SEDD board meeting, members discussed hiring a company called Evobrand for website work. In that same meeting, a board member asked whether anyone on the board had any relationship with Evobrand. That question was raised publicly and entered into the record. Guillory responded that he had no ownership in the company.
In a separate legal filing unrelated to SEDD, Evobrand stated that they had previously worked with Guillory on a website project which made me wonder why it wasn’t disclosed as a possible conflict of information.
This creates a straightforward question. When a vendor is being considered for public work, and a relationship is raised during a public meeting, and separate records show prior collaboration, were all relevant relationships fully understood or disclosed at the time decisions were being made.
When I checked the history of the SEDD website, I could see that it temporarily went offline as being under construction. This aligned with the timeline in which SEFD paid over $4,000 for their website rebuild. However, when the website returned online, there were minimum changes… if any at all.
When you step back and look at the full picture, the records show public funding flowing through local governing bodies, nonprofit organizations receiving that funding, individuals serving in leadership roles across those organizations, and those same individuals participating in or connected to public boards.
This post does not claim that any laws were broken, that any funds were misused, or that any individual acted improperly. It highlights overlapping roles, shared involvement in organizations, and connections between public boards and funded entities. It raises questions about transparency, disclosure, and how decisions are made when public money is involved.
I am not an attorney or an accountant. This post reflects my interpretation of publicly available records. Additional documentation or context may exist. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing. This content is intended to promote transparency and accountability.
