Is Buisson The Real Reason For Lyin’ Ben’s Mayoral Delay?

If you’ve read ClickJefferson in the past, you know that I’ve said for years that with Mike Yenni nothing is ever as it seems.

Sadly, it’s taken a sexting scandal with a teenage boy to get some of you to believe me.

I don’t want to make any height jokes, but, perhaps it’s because he has lived in Mike Yenni’s shadow since it appears that with Lyin’ Ben Zahn, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

No, there haven’t been any allegations of Lyin’ Ben and young boys, but, when it comes to deception and protecting the financial interests of the Minister of Propaganda Greg Buisson, Zahn and Yenni are identical.

In our last post, we discussed Lyin’ Ben’s ridiculous statement that he wanted to wait for his election as Kenner’s Mayor to be “certified” before he resigned his JP Council seat. Delaying his resignation would result in an Interim Councilman being appointed and seated for almost a full year before an elected Councilman could take over the remainder of Zahn’s unexpired term.

If Zahn would have resigned last week, an election could have been held in the Spring rather than next Winter.

At first glance, it appeared that Zahn wanted to approve an Interim Councilman to take his seat and have another friendly Pro-Yenni vote on the Council before allowing voters the right to choose his successor.

But, is that really the reason?

After my post, I received a few emails suggesting otherwise.

Could helping our old friend Greg Buisson be the true motivation behind Lyin’ Ben’s delay?

Let’s jump back to 2014.

After his defeat of the Pro-Buisson Machine candidate Louis Congemi, JP Councilman-At-Large Chris Roberts put forth an ordinance that would ban political campaign managers like Buisson from receiving funds from NGOs that received Parish funding.

As we’ve discussed in the past, Greg Buisson has his money grubbing paws in several lucrative Parish honeypots including JEDCO, the Jefferson Convention & Visitor’s Bureau; fairs and festivals like Family Gras; fishing rodeos; and Buisson also has the contract to put up Mardi Gras parade reviewing stands.

Buisson, not wanting to lose his multiple spots in the JP Tax Payer trough, cried “Foul!” and filed a lawsuit against Roberts and the Parish.

Buisson claimed that he was being singled out.

So what.

Roberts’ ordinance was long overdue.

Buisson has exerted his influence over those he has helped get elected and leveraged his relationships with elected officials to profit himself at our expense for years.

The Buisson Tax Payer Gravy Train should have ended long ago.

Instead, rather than do the honorable thing and recuse themselves from votes involving Buisson, those that Buisson has relationships with have continued to vote to approve tax dollars for Buisson-affiliated organizations.

And you wonder why Louisiana has a poor reputation when it comes to political ethics.

Recently, the spineless JP Council backtracked on the Roberts ordinance and allowed Buisson to keep his Mardi Gras stand contract.

The Council said that no other company bid on the contract.

What the Council should have done is secure multiple bids on the contract. Surely there are enough 

businesses out there that would have jumped at the chance to replace Buisson.

Why was there no outreach to minority or Disadvantaged Businesses?

Because Buisson has several members of the JP Council like Lyin’ Ben along with JP’s resident Sexual Predator-In-Chief Mike Yenni in place to protect him.

But let’s get back to the Buisson connection and Lyin’ Ben’s resignation delay.

Sources have told ClickJefferson that, behind the scenes and away from the TV cameras and the public, Lyin’ Ben has been pressing the Council to settle the Buisson lawsuit regarding the Roberts ordinance.

The settlement would involve a cash payment (from YOUR tax dollars) and payment for Buisson’s legal expenses.

We are told that Yenni has also been involved in discussions regarding the settlement amount which Yenni would approve.

And when is the JP Council scheduled to discuss the lawsuit settlement?

If you guessed at their next meeting, you would be correct.

Thus, Lyin’ Ben’s delay would mean that he will be in his Council high chair casting yet another vote to help line the pockets of Greg Buisson at OUR expense.

Of course, the Council may take up the lawsuit settlement in Executive Session which means we will never know which of Buisson’s Council lackeys will join Zahn in giving your money to Buisson. 

The fact is, regardless of whether it’s a public vote or a vote in Executive Session, anyone that has utilized the “services” of Greg Buisson and his company should recuse themselves from voting.

I know however, that it’s wishful thinking to believe that our elected officials are actually there to represent the best interests of the people of Jefferson Parish.

If all goes according to Lyin’ Ben’s plan, Greg Buisson gets richer (at YOUR expense) and Zahn helps his (and Yenni’s) campaign manager in the process.

Once again, everyone wins – except the tax payers of Jefferson Parish.

Not Yet Mayor, Lyin’ Ben Continues To Screw Kenner

As Mayor-Elect, you would think (or, at least, hope) that Lyin’ Ben Zahn actually cared about Kenner.

However, as I told you before the election, like his BFF, former Kenner Mayor and Current JP Sexual Predator-In-Chief Mike Yenni, Ben Zahn cares about one thing…Ben Zahn.

When Yenni was reelected as Kenner Mayor in the Spring of 2014, he immediately began his campaign to become Jefferson Parish President.

When he wasn’t trying to hook up and have sexual romps with teenage boys, Yenni was fundraising, making promises to contractors and neglecting the position that he was elected to.

Kenner went for a year and a half with an absentee Mayor looking for his next political job (and sexual conquest). 

After he was elected Parish President, rather than immediately resign his position as Mayor, Yenni waited until he was inaugurated as Parish President. This meant that, instead of a Spring election to fill the remainder of Yenni’s unexpired Mayoral term, the election would be delayed until November of 2016 and Kenner would have an unelected “Acting Mayor” for almost a full year.

So, an absentee Mayor campaigning for a year and half and then an “Acting Mayor” for another year.

Since the Kenner City Council President was elevated to “Acting Mayor”, in this case the ethically-challenged District 2 Councilman Mike Sigur, the residents of Kenner’s District 2 were essentially left without a Councilman and any representation on the City Council.

In addition, since Yenni tapped Kenner Councilman-At-Large Keith Conley for a position in JP government, an Interim Councilman was appointed to replace Conley. That appointee served almost a full year denying the entire City a duly-elected Councilman-At-Large.

As was the case with Yenni, after Yenni’s election to Parish President, Zahn immediately began his Kenner Mayoral campaign.

And, like Yenni, now that he has been elected, instead of resigning his position on the Jefferson Parish Council, Zahn is delaying his resignation and his delay will result in the election to fill Zahn’s unexpired term happening in October of 2017 instead of this Spring.

Zahn claims that it would be foolish for him to resign his seat on the JP Council before his election as Mayor is “certified”. Certification normally takes place within 10 days of the election.

Since Lyin’ Ben won by a 2-1 margin , his opponent, Kenner City Councilman Gregory Carroll isn’t calling for a vote recount, and there are no claims of Russian Hackers impacting this election, Zahn’s claims about certification are specious.

Due to Lyin’ Ben’s delaying tactic, JP District 4 will be without an elected representative on the JP Council for almost a full year.

 

 Not that Lyin’ Ben, as a JP Councilman for 5 years, did anything great for Kenner. In fact, Zahn did 1,000 times more for Metairie than he ever did for the City he will preside over next month – or whenever he gets around to it.

At least Metairie got some decorative lights on West Esplanade and LaFreniere Park got an Al Copeland statue for the pigeons to aim at.

Of course, the JP Council will appoint an Interim Councilman until voters can elect a replacement to fill the rest of Zahn’s JP Council term. The bad news is that, invariably, the Council just rubberstamps whomever the outgoing Councilman (Zahn) nominates.

Lyin’ Ben says that he will “interview” several candidates before making a decision on whom to nominate.

 
Yeah, that makes me fee much better.

Summarizing The Kenner Mayoral Election

Since Hurricane Katrina, Kenner voters have enjoyed a distinct contrast every four years in their Mayoral candidates. This election is no different.

Unlike the past campaigns however, this election does not feature all Republicans as the major, or leading, candidates.

Party affiliation though, is the easiest difference to discuss.

Republican (although in name only) Lyin’ Ben Zahn is attempting to hop from his position on the JP Council back to Kenner. This is the reverse of what Lyin’ Ben did in 2011, when he quit on his Kenner District 3 constituents to hop to the JP Council.

Zahn has the blessing of former Mayor and current JP Sexual Predator-In-Chief Mike Yenni. The two share campaign contributors, the campaign management of Minister of Propaganda Greg Buisson, and a penchant for spending other people’s money – both in the form of no-bid contracts for their contributors and in using their campaign funds to enrich their personal lifestyles.

Zahn’s top JP Council aide was also Yenni’s driver for the beginning of Yenni’s Mayoral stint before he too hopped to the JP Council.

Democratic Kenner City Councilman Gregory Carroll is Zahn’s runoff opponent.

Long considered the most fiscally Conservative member of the Kenner Council, Carroll represents District 1, a primarily minority district.

The two have differed on several major issues over the past 6 years.

Zahn supported Yenni’s plan to double Kenner property taxes. Carroll actively opposed Yenni’s plan.

Zahn supported tripling sewerage fees. Carroll opposed the drastic fee increase and preferred a more moderate increase.

Zahn supported Yenni’s plan to close playgrounds after his property tax scheme was soundly defeated by voters. Carroll opposed closing any playgrounds and offered other suggestions to balance the budget.

Zahn supported extending the Crescent City Connection tolls. Carroll opposed the toll extension.

While no longer a member of the Kenner Council, Zahn supported Yenni’s 2030 debt plan. Carroll opposed saddling our children and grandchildren with Tens of Millions in debt without voter approval.

While not in his JP Council district, Zahn supported Yenni’s plan to sell streets in Carroll’s Kenner Council district to the Levee Board. Since the street sale would have limited access to historic cemeteries, Carroll held several public meetings in his district and spoke out at the Levee Board’s meeting. He galvanized community support and the Levee Board backed off their plan and put forth a less invasive plan with more community involvement and input.

In Councilman Carroll you have a low tax, small government, fiscally conservative Democrat who is not beholden to the campaign contributors that have pushed their candidates up the ladder so that the campaign contributors can continue reaping the benefits of no-bid contracts and your tax dollars.

Zahn has approved Hundreds of Millions in no-bid contracts that have enriched his campaign contributors often to the detriment of the people he was elected to represent.

Councilman Carroll has worked to save you money and keep more money in your pocket. Lyin’ Ben thinks he can spend  your money better than you can.

The BP Oil Spill was a horrific, damaging event to our state and our parish. When Jefferson Parish settled with BP, rather than dedicate the funds to coastal restoration and improving our hurricane and flood protection, Lyin’ Ben wanted to use the bulk of the money for pay raises for parish employees and divide the remainder among the council districts so each could add to their council slush funds.

That fact alone should disqualify Lyin’ Ben from ever being in a position where he can have access to and spend tax dollars.

When you couple that with Zahn’s being on the wrong side of every major issue (taxes, fees, debt, the CCC Toll extension, playground closings, etc.), it’s easy to see why I am supporting Councilman Carroll for Mayor.

You should too.

The election is tomorrow (Saturday). You can vote for the same old politics as usual and keep Kenner run by Mike Yenni and Greg Buisson, or you can vote for a fiscally conservative man of integrity in Councilman Gregory Carroll.

It’s your choice Kenner – not the Political Machine’s, the campaign contributor’s or, thankfully, the Times-Picayune’s.

Your vote, your choice.

Please choose wisely.

Lyin’ Ben Likes Spending Other People’s Money

At the end of every casino advertisement there’s a note saying “If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-I’m a Degenerate Gambler”.

Ok, so it doesn’t really say that but you know what I mean.

Political ads should have the same disclaimer except we already know what problems they have.

In the case of Jefferson Parish Councilman and Kenner Mayoral Candidate Ben Zahn he has two main problems: Zahn is a pathological liar and he has a spending problem – he likes spending other people’s money.

The “news” on Nola.com that Zahn is outspending his runoff opponent, Kenner Councilman Gregory Carroll, by a 30-1 margin came as no surprise.

Ben is just following the Minister of Propaganda Greg Buisson’s playbook: raise hundreds of 

thousands from contractors; inundate the unsuspecting public with splashy mail pieces; put signs up everywhere (and have folks take down your opponent’s signs or intimidate businesses that have signs for your opponent); put out BS polls and spoon feed the media; get as many fake endorsements as possible; and discourage the public from supporting your opponent with your overwhelming signs, direct mail pieces, robocalls and lies.

Of course, Zahn, like most political candidates, doesn’t spend any of his own money so what does he care?

As long as he wins, Zahn can reward his campaign contributors with lucrative no-bid contracts.

Essentially, Zahn uses campaign contributor’s money to win and then pays them off with OUR money.

Over the past 10 years, Zahn has approved Hundreds of Millions of dollars in no-bid contracts for his campaign contributors.

Since Zahn has no “real” money himself, it’s a perfect scheme.

Mike Yenni, Aaron Broussard, and thousands of politicians through the years have followed the same scheme: get campaign contributions – hand out contracts to contributors.

Of course, to hear the Times-Picayune extoll the virtues of Zahn the “businessman” in their ridiculous endorsement of Zahn, you would think that Lyin’ Ben was Kenner’s version of Donald Trump (instead of Lyin’ Hillary).

Calling Zahn a “businessman” is an affront to anyone that has actually started or managed a business.

The T/P says that Zahn owns “Zahn’s Decorating”..

Ok.

We all know that Zahn is, or was, an unlicensed florist who lived off his disabled Father’s florist license for years so, since that scheme has been exposed, Zahn started another business as a “Decorator”.

Can’t call himself a “florist” anymore so Lyin’ Ben is now a “Decorator”.

So, what exactly does it take to be a “Decorator”.

Nothing at all.

In fact, if you or I were so inclined, we could open up a “Decorating” business.

It really is that easy.

Of course, the T/P doesn’t tell you that nor do they tell you that Lyin’ Ben took over $50,000 from Aaron Broussard’s campaign account (again, other people’s money) for “flowers” or that Zahn, while unlicensed and a Kenner City Councilman, had a contract with Jefferson Parish to provide flowers for the Parish-owned Alario Center and a backdoor deal to provide flowers for events at the Pontchartrain Center (which was in Zahn’s Council district).

And, while it was extolling Lyin’ Ben’s business acumen and economic development abilities, did the T/P mention how many non-family members that Zahn’s Decorating employs?

Of course not.

Did the T/P divulge how many businesses and jobs that Zahn has recruited to Kenner during his tenure on the JP and Kenner Councils, or his connections to other business groups like Envision 2020 (we’re almost in 2017 so what exactly did Envision 2020 accomplish again?)?

The answer to those questions is the same as how many non-family jobs Zahn has created.

ZERO.

But, the T/P did mention that Lyin’ Ben is going to focus on Economic Development.

Of course, they said the same thing about our Sexual Predator-In-Chief, Mike Yenni.

Just as the T/P Editorial claimed that Zahn served two terms on the Kenner City Council (wrong again), Zahn continues to prove that the more times you tell a lie, the more people actually believe you.

BTW, for the T/P Editorial Board and those interested, Zahn was re-elected to the Kenner City Council in 2010 and quit on his constituents to hop to the JP Council in 2011, just as he was re-elected (without opposition) to the JP Council in 2015 and is quitting on his constituents yet again in his attempt to hop to Mayor.

Is it any wonder why the public doesn’t trust the mainstream media when the vaunted T/P Editorial Board can’t even get simple facts correct? Or were they trying to intentionally deceive us yet again?

So, the reality is that Zahn hasn’t served two terms at any elected position.

Must be nice spending other people’s money to move from job to job despite being woefully inadequate.

The fact is, Lyin’ Ben makes more money on the JP Council than he ever did as an unlicensed florist or as a “Decorator”.

When you add in the money Zahn skims from his campaign account (other people’s money) to pay for his meals, gifts and other items, and the money that Lyin’ Ben makes for supplying flowers to Mike Yenni’s prom dates, Lyin’ Ben is living the high life.

Sorry Ben, Mikey this year’s Prom scene, unless he goes incognito or hangs out in the Little Boy’s Room as he is known to do.

Over the past few months, whenever I’ve encountered a Ben Zahn supporter, I’ve asked them the same question:

“What specifically, besides try to double your property taxes, triple your sewerage fees, attempt to close playgrounds and approve the largest debt in Kenner’s history without voter approval has Ben Zahn ever done for Kenner?”

I have always been met with a blank stare.

“Well, uh, I’m sure he’s done something.

”

A clown does “something”.

So does a Sexual Predator, but we won’t go there (although the T/P Editorial Board also endorsed our Sexual Predator-In-Chief no less than 3 times).

In 2011, when I ran against Zahn for JP Council, Lawrence Chehardy did a robocall for Lyin’ Ben. Chehardy bashed me and said that Zahn was the “low taxes” and “small government” candidate.

Ok.

So, answer this for me please.

In 5 years on the Kenner City Council and 5 years on the JP Council, please point ordinance where Zahn tried to lower your taxes or reduce the size of government.

I’ll save you the time because you can’t.

But, I digress. We were talking about Lyin’ Ben’s spending problem.

f you look through Zahn’s campaign finance report, you can see how much money Lyin’ Ben has spent from his campaign account (other people’s money) to finance his own lifestyle.

Thousands of dollars in expensive meals (allegedly with constituents although I don’t believe that Lyin’ Ben has any “constituents” in New Orleans or on the Northshore), gifts, giftcards, holiday meals, and more.

In fact, if you eliminate the money that Lyin’ Ben pays the Minister of Propaganda Buisson, he probably has spent more money on non-campaign items than on the elections themselves.

One other quick point to illustrate Lyin’ Ben’s spending problem.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, Zahn sued me twice and lost.

He offered to settle his suit attempting to ban me from telling the truth about Zahn’s conflict of interest with the now-defunct Kenner Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.

After the Attorneys worked out the details, there was one final detail that Zahn insisted on:

The money that he paid to settle the lawsuit had to be paid from – wait for it – his campaign account.

That’s right.

Even when Lyin’ Ben knew he was wrong he couldn’t man up and pay the bill himself, he paid it with other people’s money.

If you think there are too many lawsuits now how many do you think there would be if you could sue someone and use other people’s money like Lyin’ Ben to pay when you lose?

Let’s summarize: Lyin’ Ben uses other people’s money to hop from political job to political job; uses other people’s money to finance his lifestyle (c’mon Ben – buying your kids Slushies with other people’s money is rich even for pond scum like you); and when he sues people and loses, Lyin’ Ben uses other people’s money to settle the lawsuits.

For the record, I didn’t receive a penny or personally profit from the settlement. The last thing I wanted was money from Zahn’s campaign.

Besides, I can buy my own meals.

Isn’t it time that YOU made Lyin’ Ben pay for his own meals too?