ASCENSION – A parish councilman was formally censured Thursday evening in a virtual council meeting for leaving a profane voicemail.

Councilman Joel Robert, who represents Ascension Parish Council District 2, left the voicemail on the phone of the parish secretary, Cinnamon McKey, according to council officials.

The voice on the recording, purported to be Robert's, used the "f-word" in a ten-second tirade over the secretary not returning a phone call or reading a letter Robert asked her to read.

Teri Casso, the council chairwoman, said she requested the official censure discussion to be added to the August 6 council meeting, however, she was not in attendance.

The motion to censure Robert took less than 30 seconds to pass. Robert issued a brief apology for his actions, stating, "I just wanted to publicly say, Cinnamon, I am from the bottom of my heart I am sorry. It will never happen again. It was inappropriate."

Prior to the meeting Thursday night, Robert has apologized and says the voicemail was left in a fit of emotions surrounding not being able to attend a recent hearing on development.

"It was no way acceptable," he said in a phone conversation with WBRZ. "I made a mistake and let my emotions get to me. I can't take it back. I screwed up," he said. Robert said he has called the secretary and the secretary's family along with writing a letter of apology.  

Click HERE to listen to the voicemail. 

Robert said he and his family have been on vacation for the last week and were not able to attend a meeting about neighborhood development. He'd hoped a message he'd written be read during the hearing but it wasn't, he said. He left the voicemail upset his thoughts were not expressed at the hearing.