Monday, November 7, 2016

Ben Zahn – JP’s Hillary Clinton (or Mike Yenni Lite)


Elections are funny, particularly this one.
For the past year r so, Donald Trump has been racing across the country repeatedly proclaiming that Hillary Clinton is a liar and has used her positions in government to benefit herself personally and increase the profits of her campaign contributors.
“Crooked Hillary” is Trump’s refrain.
For the past several years, I’ve told you two things consistently: Ben Zahn and Mike Yenni were pathological liars who have used their government positions to enrich themselves and their campaign contributors.
I guess it’s really true – all politics are local.
Hillary lies on National TV and Zahn lies in direct mail pieces (he wouldn’t dare go on TV and face a reporter’s question. Like Yenni, Zahn hides behind written statements carefully crafted by the Minister of Propaganda, Greg Buisson).
Zahn put out several direct mail pieces and could have easily been charged with Mail Fraud.
In one, Zahn used fake renderings (just like Yenni did when he was promoting his 2030 Scheme) of Williams Blvd. Titled, “A New Williams Blvd Under Mayor Ben Zahn”, the piece was a complete fabrication. It would take a MASSIVE REZONING effort and even more debt than Kenner could afford to make Williams Blvd. as idyllic as Yenni and Zahn would like you to believe. There are houses that were made into commercial offices up and down Williams along with old strip centers and commercial blight. Ben Zahn doesn’t have the experience, the knowledge or the ability to remake Williams Blvd.
And, stop showing us underground powerlines. Entergy isn’t going to spend Tens of Millions of dollars unless there is another Katrina and it is forced to.
The other day, I got another piece of Mail Fraud from Zahn. In it, Zahn claimed to tell the former owner of The Esplanade Mall, Simon Properties, to “Upgrade or Uproot.” Obviously, Zahn was not aware that the mall was sold to new owners. In addition, the Mayor (and a JP Councilman like Zahn currently is) can do little to force a private property owner to sell or invest more in their property. While we all want an improved Esplanade, the City can only assist the owners, work to recruit business (or, in Kenner’s case, trust JEDCO to do it for us – which it doesn’t), and make Kenner more business friendly (which it isn’t).
Did I mention that JEDCO and the Jefferson Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, which also receives Kenner tax dollars, are both clients, like Yenni and Zahn, of Buisson?
In addition, the thought of Ben Zahn issuing an ultimatum is hysterical. Anyone that has ever met Zahn or heard him speak knows that he has no backbone. If Zahn actually had a spine, he would have condemned Yenni for him immoral sexting of a teenager. Instead, Zahn signed a wimpy letter seeking Yenni’s resignation along with several of his other councilmen who all have ties to Greg Buisson (and who probably wrote the letter and crafted it to not be too hard on Mikey).
The similarities between Ben Zahn and our potential Liar-In-Chief and our current (hopefully I won’t be saying that much longer) Sexual Predator-In-Chief are striking.
Like Hillary, a true Progressive Democrat, Zahn and Yenni are Republicans In Name Only (RINOs). Zahn and Yenni are both Republicans simply to win elections, nothing more. Yenni and Zahn are BIG GOVERNMENT, HIGH TAX and SPEND PROGRESSIVES despite what the Jefferson Parish Republican Party and sham groups like the Greater New Orleans Republicans (GNOR), who only pop their heads out of the sand when it’s time to TELL YOU whom to vote for, would like you to believe.
Memo to the JP Republican Party: There are 3 R’s running for Kenner Mayor and the only real Conservative running for Kenner Mayor is a Democrat – Gregory Carroll. What does that tell you about your party’s values?
Like Hillary and Yenni, Zahn earns more now as a JP Councilman than he ever has in his life (discounting the money laundering he did with Aaron Broussard’s campaign account). If Zahn is elected Kenner Mayor, and reelected in 2018 when the Mayoral pay increase takes effect, Zahn and Yenni will both earn over $100,000 per year from their positions on the taxpayer doll.
Like Hillary and Yenni, Zahn’s net worth has skyrocketed, not from his floral business, but from his elected positions.  Zahn has done very well for himself in the PAY-TO-PLAY cesspool that is the world of politics.
Like Hillary and Yenni, Zahn has been coddled by the media. Even when he has blatantly lied to The Times-Picayune, they still have endorsed him.
Like Yenni, Zahn has spent TENS of Thousands of dollars in campaign money to finance his lifestyle. Like Yenni, Zahn has paid for meals, gifts, gas, and even Slushies for his kids from his campaign account (AKA other people’s money).
Like Yenni, Zahn has awarded TENS of Millions in No-Bid Contracts to his campaign contributors.
Like Yenni, Zahn’s political mentor was Aaron Broussard.
Like Yenni, Zahn has the same Campaign Manager, the Minister of Propoganda, Greg Buisson.
Like Yenni, Zahn has many of the same campaign contributors and supporters.
Like Yenni, Zahn supported the extension of the Crescent City Connection tolls.
When Yenni was Mayor of Kenner, Zahn supported Yenni’s plan to Double Property Taxes.
When Yenni was Mayor of Kenner, Zahn supported Playground closings which would have severely impacted the Hispanic and Black communities. Did Yenni and Zahn think that limiting recreational access to our at risk youth would reduce the crime rate?
Unlike Hillary and Yenni, Zahn isn’t under FBI investigation…yet, but Zahn has been investigated by other governmental entities for his questionable ethics and judgement.
If you want big government in Kenner; if you want a government that caters to the Elite and could care less if you’re an average citizen that doesn’t write a check to a political candidate; if you’re FOR HIGHER TAXES and a reduced quality of life; if you want a Mayor that uses other people’s money to enrich himself and enhance his lifestyle; if you want another Mayor with questionable ethics, vote for Ben Zahn.
So, if Ben Zahn is elected Mayor of Kenner, will he be the Next Hillary or Yenni or Both?
After Aaron Broussard, Mike Yenni, and a year of the ethically challenged “Acting Mayor” Mike Sigur, hopefully the voters of Kenner can learn from their past mistakes and not promote Ben Zahn.

Obviously, the Jefferson Parish Republican Party hasn’t learned from its past mistakes.