At Thursday’s Kenner City Council meeting, the Council
approved naming the Kenner Police Department Complex after former KPD Chief and
current Causeway Police Chief Nick Congemi. I said “current Causeway Police
Chief” because Congemi is very much alive.
I know what you’re thinking: isn’t there a law saying that
buildings (like postage stamps) can only be named after dead people?
Yes, there is such a law.
However, when you’re an elected official you quickly learn
that there are exceptions and exemptions for every law if you just do your
research and pass another law.
Former Kenner City Councilman and current D92 State Rep Joe
Stagni authored HB 205 in the past Regular Session. The bill authorized the City
of Kenner to name the Kenner Police Department Headquarters after Congemi.
As with most local bills, the bill passed 83-0 in the House
and 32-0 in the Senate. State legislators normally vote “FOR” such local bills
because they don’t want their own local bills defeated.
Look, my issue isn’t with Nick Congemi who did some good
things as Kenner Police Chief, although he did many things that I disagree with
too and I am vehemently opposed to him continuing to feed at the public trough
as a grossly overpaid Police Chief of a Police Department that is a “Police
Department” in name only.
No, my issue is with exceptions to laws.
If you don’t like a law or if it doesn’t adequately reflect
the views of residents, it should be repealed. There should never be exceptions
to a law that favor one city or, in this case, one person. Period.
Laws are, or should be, designed for the PUBLIC benefit.
In a conversation, State Rep Stagni told me that during the
2017 Legislative Session, several bills were put forth by legislators to get
around this same state law and honor folks that were still living by naming
buildings after them.
Had I known about those exemptions last year and in prior
years, I certainly would have written about them too.
And, while the
fact that there were other exemptions in prior years may be true, that doesn’t
make it right.
The bottom line is: we are a nation of laws, not a nation of
exceptions and exemptions.
Are there existing state laws that should be repealed? Of
course.
Isn’t it a legislator’s job to repeal antiquated laws rather
than find loopholes and file additional laws to allow for exceptions and
exemptions? Well, I think you know my answer to that one.
Isn’t a legislator’s job to discuss and debate laws that
impact the “common good” rather than one city, one business or one person? You
probably already know my answer to that one too.
No legislator or legislative body should pick winners and
losers. That’s not what we elected them to do.
When he was a Kenner City Councilman and as he is now as a
State Representative, Joe Stagni has always done his homework, researched the
issues and been responsive to his constituents. I can’t compare him to other
State Reps because I don’t know but, while he was on the Kenner City Council I
don’t think that any Councilman could claim that they outworked or
out-researched him.
For the record, he was my councilman for 8 years and we often spoke about issues. Compare that to my former Councilman in Kenner's District 2 who, to this day, has not replied to an email or returned a call regarding an issue in District 2 or the City of Kenner.
Now, I am not inferring that Rep Stagni is not doing his job
or not voting on difficult issues and making hard decisions. Has he cast every
vote in agreement with me? Of course not. But, he has always listened and tried
to explain the rationale behind his vote, whether we agreed or not.
But, when a Legislative Body whose primary role is to
discuss, debate and approve a state budget, can’t accomplish that seemingly
simple task within a Regular Session and needs 3 “not-so” Special Sessions to
pass House Bill #1, filing, debating and discussing bills and finding
exceptions and exemptions to state law seems like it should be last on the list
of priorities for our State Legislature.
Again, if you don’t like a law, whether you’re a legislator
or a citizen like me, work to get the law repealed.
That’s the American way.
There’s nothing “Right” about finding exemptions and
exceptions.
And, there’s nothing “Right” about honoring
someone who is still eating from the public trough.
