| Advisory opinion request regarding whether businesses owned by John Canik, a newly elected member of the Cameron Parish School Board, may continue transacting business with schools in Cameron Parish. |
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John Canik, a newly elected member of the Cameron Parish School Board (CPSB), and his wife own and operate two businesses, Canik's Feed and Grocery and Bayou Fuel Stop, in lower Cameron Parish.
Prior to his election, local schools within the parish made the following purchases from Mr. Canik's businesses:
1. Fuel for CPSB owned buses and vehicles through the WEX Fleet Card Program.
2. Food items for snacks for the Pre-Kindergarten class at South Cameron High School.
3. Food items for fundraiser suppers.
Cameron Parish is sparsely populated and the availability of fuel and/or groceries is limited to separate areas of the Parish. Canik Feed and Grocery is one of the few stores available in lower Cameron Parish as a result of Hurricanes Rita and Ike. The Bayou Fuel Stop, which participates in the WEX Fleet Card Program, is one of the few stores that sells fuel south of the Intercoastal Canal on the east side of the ship channel.
The decisions regarding purchasing fuel and/or food items for snacks and fundraisers are made by the individual schools and are determined predominantly by geography. The CPSB does not require the schools to purchase fuel and/or food items from Mr. Canik. However, his stores are located in close proximity to the schools and the bus routes being run to serve the schools.
The nearest fuel available to Canik's Bayou Fuel Stop is 13.2 miles to the West, 13.9 miles to the North, and 13.8 miles to the East. It is also unknown if those stores to the North and East participate in the WEX Fleet Program.
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According to the 2010 federal decennial census, Cameron Parish has a population of 6,839. Cameron Parish has a total area of 1,937 square miles, of which 1,285 square miles is land and 652 square miles is water. It is the least densely populated parish in the state.
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La. R.S. 42:1113A provides that no public servant, or member of such public servant's immediate family, or legal entity in which he has a controlling interest shall bid on or enter into any contract, subcontract, or other transaction that is under the supervision or jurisdiction of his agency.
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Adopt the proposed advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Haley Williams |
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