The final tally is in, and it’s staggering: The City of Natchitoches spent additional $57,636 in taxpayer funds to prevent citizens from accessing public records they were legally entitled to see.

That’s the cost of playing “Hide-the-Ball”… a nearly two-year legal battle that Mayor Ronnie Williams Jr. and City Attorney Alex Washington waged to keep voters in the dark about whether the Mayor had actually received the $40 million in grant funds he claimed in campaign advertising.

A $57,636 Cover-Up

According to invoices recently obtained through… ironically — another public records request by local voter and taxpayer Carl Sias, the city paid Gold Firm in Alexandria tens of thousands of dollars to fight transparency at every level of Louisiana’s court system.

The breakdown reveals an administration willing to spend whatever it took to maintain secrecy:

• Trial court defense: Thousands spent fighting a straightforward public records request
• 3rd Circuit Appeal: More thousands after losing at the parish level
• Supreme Court Appeal: The final, desperate push after two court defeats

All told, $57,636 in public money went to outside counsel to hide public information from the public.

What Taxpayers Got for Their Money

For $57,636, Natchitoches taxpayers received:

• Three court losses — every judge who reviewed the case found the city violated public records law
• Delayed transparency — the truth buried until long after the election
• Attorney’s fees — $1,785.60 awarded by the trial court
• More legal fees — an additional $11,828.09 awarded by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the plaintiffs’ attorney

In total, the city’s obstruction cost taxpayers more than $69,000+ when court-ordered penalties and the citizens’ legal fees are included.

The $4,500 Question

A group of concerned citizens pooled their funds to ask a simple question: Did the Mayor receive the grant funds before the election?

The administration’s response was to spend nearly 13 times that amount… in taxpayer money… to avoid answering.

The Real Cost of “Hide-the-Ball”

Beyond the dollar figures, the true cost is measured in public trust and governmental accountability.

The Williams administration chose to weaponize the legal system against transparency, turning what should have been a routine three-day response into an 18-month constitutional battle. At every level… parish court, appeals court, and state supreme court… judges rejected the city’s arguments and affirmed citizens’ rights to public records.

Yet Mayor Williams and City Attorney Alex Washington pressed on, appealing defeat after defeat, spending more and more taxpayer money to maintain their wall of secrecy.

Questions That Remain

Even now, critical questions linger:

• What was in those records that justified spending $57,636 to hide them?
• Did the Mayor actually receive the $40 million in grants before the election, or was the campaign claim misleading?
• Who authorized the decision to spend tens of thousands fighting a losing legal battle?

  The PRR from Mr. Silas requested in part all contracts, engagement letters, or fee agreements between the City of Natchitoches and outside legal counsel retained for Pesnell v. City of Natchitoches. No such documents were produced in response to Mr. Silas’ Public Records Request. So by what authority did the Mayor or City Attorney hire attorneys in the Gold Firm to handle this Public Records Request. Section 4.02 of the Natchitoches City Charter provides:

  “ D. No special legal counsel shall be employed by the City except by written
  contract and approval of the council.”

  The records provided in response to Mr. Silas’ Public Records Request reveal that the City Attorney charges $150/hr for legal services whereas the attorneys from the Gold Firm charged $180/hr. While both rates are reasonable, why hire outside counsel at a higher rate than what you pay the City Attorney or the four Assistant City Attorneys. Why not just let the City Attorney do his job? Had the Mayor presented a contract with the Gold Firm to the council for approval as required by the City Charter, hopefully one of the council members would have asked this question. Interestingly, the City has again hired attorneys in the Gold Firm to respond to the Silas Public Records Request and again the public has a right to know by what authority did the City hire outside counsel.

A Pattern Emerges

This case is part of a broader pattern in the Williams administration, where public records requests are met with obstruction, delay, and expensive legal maneuvering. The Natchitoches Parish Journal has previously reported on state investigations involving subpoenas to city officials and other transparency issues.

The $69,000+ spent on the Pesnell case represents just one example of an administration that views public accountability as the enemy rather than a fundamental obligation.

The Lesson for Voters

For $69,000+, the Williams administration purchased 18 months of secrecy. But they couldn’t buy vindication. Three separate courts… including Louisiana’s highest… ruled the same way: The city violated the law.

Natchitoches taxpayers deserve better than an administration that spends their money to hide the truth from them.

The game of “Hide-the-Ball” is over. The city lost at every turn. And taxpayers are left holding a paid $69,000+ bill for a cover-up that never should have happened.

Here are the Invoice Chart showing Invoice Date, Totals Hours Per Invoice and Total Amount Per Invoice

Attached All Documents Produced here:

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