T-P Columnist James Varney Talks Kenner Politics, Expensive Studies, And Shines A Light On The "Crazy Kenner Distruptor" (Me)

In a column that was posted online yesterday on Nola.com and in today’s print edition of the Times-Picayune, columnist James Varney takes a look at what is happening in Kenner with Mayor Yenni’s 2030 Plan and asks why the City of Kenner received a $420,000 Grant to study how Williams Blvd. could be more “pedestrian-friendly”, and why the study even costs $420,000 since most of Williams Blvd. was already studied in another study just a few years ago.

Varney actually stood at the intersection of Williams Blvd. and Veterans (arguably Kenner’s most trafficked intersection) and counted the number of pedestrians that were trying to cross the street during lunchtime.

Now that is dedication.

Varney’s count:  a whopping 5 pedestrians.

So, essentially, as part of his 2030 Plan, Mayor Yenni wants to spend Millions of Borrowed Dollars to improve pedestrian traffic for a handful of people and put a bike path on Williams Blvd. that runs under I-10.

Now, could Williams Blvd., and Kenner for that matter, use a facelift? Of course and if the City had the money and Mayor Yenni wasn’t undertaking the large Debt Plan in Kenner’s history, I would probably be in favor of his plan.

But, we don't have the money and the reality is, the intersection of Williams Blvd. and Vets will never be a spot where Kenner residents and visitors park their vehicles and walk from shopping center to shopping center. In fact, there’s only 1 small shopping center at that intersection to begin with.

Is crossing the street at Williams and Vets hazardous? Sure. In my current condition, I couldn’t do it.

But does making an intersection “pedestrian-friendly” when pedestrians don’t use it and there are no plans to give pedestrians a reason to use it, worth the expense when the city has so many other pressing needs? I don’t think so.

And, how many additional accidents will a bike path on Williams Blvd. cause? The city should be shifting bikers off a main State road instead of encouraging them.

Varney also talked about Mayor Yenni’s feud with me and Citizens For a Better Kenner and how Mayor Yenni thinks we’re “crazy” because we happen to disagree with him.

What Mayor anywhere calls the people that he was elected to represent, even those who disagree with him, "crazy"?

Anyway, feel free to read the article and post comments to it and here.

I asked my mom and she doesn’t think I’m crazy but she’s a little biased.   

Oh yeah. If you do think I’m ‘crazy’, please post your name and address so I can hunt you down.

Hopefully, you know that I am kidding.

Unfortunately, Mayor Yenni wasn’t.