BATON ROUGE - One of Mayor-President's top aides was placed on administrative leave after she reportedly bullied employees, the office of the mayor-president said.

The mayor-president's office is investigating a complaint against Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Monique Appeaning; no further information was provided by officials.

The Advocate reported last Friday that Chief Service Officer Yolanda Burnette-Lankford filed a complaint against Appeaning, which said Appeaning "created a toxic, intimidating and emotionally distressing environment." 

Burnette-Lankford wrote that Appeaning used a racial slur and slur against people with intellectual disabilities, alongside with interfering with Burnette-Lankford's duties and humiliating her in front of city-parish leaders, the report said.

Appeaning was appointed in Jan. 2025.