LIVINGSTON, La. — In a dramatic and unexpected move Monday night, the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control voted 6-4 to fire Library Director Michelle Parrish following a motion by Parish President Randy Delatte.
Delatte voted to terminate Parrish, along with board members Kristan Whann, Jonathan Davis, Sheila Goins, Dewanna Christian, and Trey Cowell. Delatte gave no concrete reasons for Parrish's termination, stating that it was based on "his personal feeling " that Parrish who was appointed director in 2023, was the cause of the constant issues with the board.
The four remaining members who opposed the motion, including the board’s president and vice president, resigned and walked out of the meeting. According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, neither Parrish, the library staff, nor the resigning board members were informed in advance that a termination vote would take place. They reportedly believed the session would be limited to an evaluation and that any contract-related decisions would be scheduled for a future meeting.
Board President Jennifer Dorhauer called Delatte out on this issue, stating, " I want to apologize to the public. Because I stated beforehand that I thought there would be no actionable issue once we went into executive session and I called Mr. Randy on this and said that he knew what he was going to argue and he let me lie to the public and I apologize for that."
The News is awaiting comment from Parish President Randy Delatte who had to attend his father's funeral on July 16th.
The firing is the latest escalation in a years-long controversy surrounding the Livingston Parish Library tied to the Lafayette based group, Citizens for a New Louisiana. Executive director of the organization Michael Lunsford said in an email to the Livingston Parish News Wednesday morning, "As you’re probably aware, the Livingston Library has been a project we’ve been working on for about three years."
CFNL has a documented history of activism targeting public library systems across Louisiana, including efforts to challenge book content, oppose national professional associations, and influence local board appointments and policies.
Citizens for a New Louisiana has pursued similar campaigns across the state, including in Lafayette, St. Tammany, and Rapides parishes, with varying levels of success.
The controversy surrounding the library and the CFNL influence has extended to local state legislators, as well.
In 2023, State Sen. Valarie Hodges, sponsored a bill that expanded the Livingston Parish Library Board from seven to nine members, a move widely viewed as an attempt to shift board control in favor of Citizens for a New Louisiana-aligned members.
In 2024, State Rep. Kellee Hennessy Dickerson introduced a bill that would have criminalized the use of public funds to pay for ALA memberships with penalties including two years in prison. The bill did not pass but reflected the broader agenda advanced by CFNL.
Parrish’s dismissal follows the 2023 resignation of former library director Giovanni Tairov, who stepped down during the initial wave of controversy involving Citizens for a New Louisiana. Tairov had led the Livingston Parish Library system since 2010 and was recognized as the Louisiana Public Library Director of the Year in 2019.
A lifelong resident of Livingston Parish, Parrish lives in the parish with her husband and six children. She began her career with the library system in August 2014 as an outreach coordinator and later moved into administrative roles. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science and a Master of Business Administration.
During her tenure as director, Parrish oversaw several major initiatives, including the temporary relocation and reclassification of approximately 30,000 young adult books and materials. These items were moved to the adult section while staff conducted a content review to ensure compliance with Louisiana Revised Statutes § 25:225. The law requires public libraries to adopt policies that limit minors’ access to sexually explicit materials and conform to community standards of decency.
The library system also received a clean audit under her leadership. The most recent financial audit, covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, was completed by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor and released on June 13, 2025. According to the report presented at the September 17, 2024 board meeting, there were no findings or material deficiencies.
Parrish also presided over increased public engagement, including growth in the library’s annual Summer Reading Program and Comic Con event. In addition, Livingston Parish voters renewed the library’s 10-year, 10-mill property tax on November 18, 2023, which provides the majority of the system’s operating budget. The renewal extended dedicated library funding through 2033.
In 2024, the Livingston Parish Council removed all members of the existing Library Board of Control, citing administrative concerns and ongoing conflict. Several of the removed members were publicly aligned with Citizens for a New Louisiana. New board members were appointed later that year.
An ongoing defamation lawsuit against Citizens for a New Louisiana also originated from a 2022 library-related controversy in Livingston Parish. Amanda Jones, a local school librarian, filed suit against the organization’s executive director Michael Lunsford and blogger Ryan Thames over public accusations made following her comments at a board meeting. The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the case could proceed. It remains pending in district court.
