Finally, Some Good Political News (And Hope) for JP Council District 3

I’ve lived in Jefferson Parish for the past 18 years.

For the entirety of my time in JP, and for years before, Jefferson Parish Council District 3, which includes a chunk of the WestBank and South Kenner, has been a political cesspool.

From 1992 to 2004, Donald Jones was Councilman. He was term-limited out and defeated in his attempt to become an At-Large Councilman in 2003. In fact, he didn't even make the runoff. Seeking a comeback in District 3 in 2011, Jones finished 4^th in a 4 person field, also failing to make the runoff.

From 2004 to 2012, Byron Lee was Councilman for District 3. With the possible exception of Aaron Broussard, in my opinion, Lee was one of the most corrupt parish officials of our era and he has continued to stuff his face at the public trough and help his friends and family squander JP tax dollars with his influence as mentor to current District 3 Councilman Mark Spears, who, thankfully, is term-limited.

Just last year Lee surfaced in the news again with video of him yucking it up with Spears at a suite at the Zurich Open golf tournament.

Who paid for the suite? Spears,diverting money from his council district slush fund so he could act like a big shot.

For more on the Lee/Spears connection, click here. 

With Spears almost out the door, many JP residents (myself included) were hoping for a candidate with integrity to step up to actually represent the people of District 3, and not the Jones-Lee-Spears political cabal that has raped and pillaged JP for decades.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t appeared to be the case with Jones and Lee seeking to return to their former seat to pillage some more. Also mentioned as a possible candidate in District 3, former JP School Board member Cedric Floyd, who recently cost JP taxpayers tens of thousands in legal fees and settlements regarding sexual harassment allegations.

So, Jones, Lee, Floyd and...Derrick Shepherd?

Several people contacted me before and after the story by WDSU’s Travers Mackel regarding former State Rep, State Senator and convicted felon Shepherd’s campaign for the seat.

Shepherd, fresh from getting the numbers off the back of his shirt as an ex-con and suing the state to overturn a Constitutional Amendment banning felons from seeking public office for 15 years (now dropped to 5 years), is promoting himself as a “Military Man” and seeking a “second chance”.

A second chance at what exactly?

Shepherd, who resigned from the State Senate after he was charged with money laundering, tried a similar approach and “second chance” appeal in 2015, when he sought to return to the state house before he was denied in court.

In a 2015 press release announcing his state house bid, Shepherd said, "My campaign will offer hope to many citizens who have made a mistake that they too can receive a second chance at life.''

To WDSU’s Mackel, Shepherd said last week, "I think people can make their own decisions -- they can say, this guy has paid his dues, or they can say, get away from my door."

Has Shepherd paid his dues? Technically, yes, he served his time.

Should he have an opportunity at public office again? Absolutely not.  

Everyone deserves a second chance at life. But, serving in elected or appointed office should be held to a different standard.

We deserve to know and feel confident that our elected and appointed officials have integrity and will put the needs of us, their constituents and taxpayers, first, above their own greed and need to funnel money to their friends and family.

Unfortunately, “Integrity” and “Representing the Public” are foreign concepts to Jones, Lee, Floyd and Shepherd.

But, there is some good news (finally) for Jefferson Parish District 3 residents.

A very reliable source has told me that Kenner District 1 City Councilman Gregory Carroll is strongly considering entering the race and may issue an official announcement in the next few weeks. Qualifying is in August for the October election.

Councilman Carroll has 1,000 times more integrity than all of the other candidates combined and has represented District 1 (South Kenner and a chunk of Central Kenner) since 2009.

Carroll was a frequent thorn in the then-Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni’s side and repeatedly fought for the best interests of his district and the City of Kenner, despite the political costs.

Despite being the lone Democrat on the Kenner City Council, Councilman Carroll has pushed for fiscal responsibility and transparency in government.

Councilman Carroll rose in stature after standing up to Yenni in his attempt to close Lincoln Manor playground.

Carroll again showed his independence and bucked Yenni’s attempt at political retribution as Yenni tried to close streets and limit access to historical cemeteries in South Kenner.

Councilman Carroll has been a leader in the revitalization of Kenner’s Rivertown which has long been neglected by Kenner Mayors including Yenni. When Yenni borrowed millions for his poorly conceived 2030 Plan that all but ignored District 1 and Rivertown, Carroll fought diligently to get additional funding for the District.

While Rivertown is still a work in progress, the area is home to several restaurants including Gendusa’s, Porch & Patio and Fleur de Lilly. Rivertown is also home to Kenner’s Music in the Park and Movies in the Park which regularly draws crowds.

If Councilman Carroll does enter the JP Council D3 race and wins, I will be disappointed that he would be leaving the Kenner City Council but ecstatic at the prospect of him moving to the JP Council where God knows we need integrity and leadership.

But with Councilman Carroll potentially entering the race, there may finally be some hope for Jefferson Parish  District 3 yet.

Kenner's New Economic Development Director Doesn't Live In Kenner

Question: What city, despite having a residency rule approved by voters, will soon have 3 current and former Mayors, a Deputy CAO, a Deputy CAO of Public Works, and several department directors and assistant directors employed in city government earning well over $1 Million in salary and benefits courtesy of tax payers and only 1 of them actually lives in the city they govern?

Answer: If you guessed Kenner, thanks. You are paying attention.

Oh, and sorry if you are a resident of Kenner that actually believes that government respects you and your wishes.

The newest ex-mayor joining the Ben Zahn Administration is former Covington Mayor Candace Watkins.

Watkins was defeated in her bid to return as Covington Mayor in April finishing 3rd in a 3 person race.

Prior to that, Watkins was employed for 3 1/2 years in the Louisiana Office of Community Development/Disaster Recovery Unit as a "Disaster Recovery Specialist". Before joining the state, she was the Director of Community Development for St. Bernard Parish (where she also did not live) and spent 8 years as Covington Mayor.

Watkins signed a contract with Mayor Zahn as a "Consultant" (a semantic way to get around the will of the people of Kenner and the residency rule) to become the first Kenner Economic Development Director (although she can't really become a "Director" without the City Council granting a waiver to the residency rule).

Regardless of where Watkins lives (40 miles from Kenner) or what her title is, Zahn told The Advocate that she will work under her contract as a "Consultant".

Let's take a step back.

In 2014, when I ran for Mayor, I discussed the need for Kenner to have its own Visitor's Bureau and Economic Development entity. At the time, Kenner utilized the Jefferson Convention and Visitor's Bureau and JEDCO, both groups are heavily involved with then-Mayor Mike Yenni's political consultant Greg Buisson. Buisson is also the political consultant for Zahn, and several members of the Kenner City Council including Mike Sigur, Brian Brennan and Kristi McKinney.

While I believe strongly that the city needs an Economic Development entity, I don't agree with Mayor Zahn creating a city department staffed with political appointees, at least one of whom doesn't even reside in the city. 

An Economic Development entity should represent the city and should transcend politics, not serve at the pleasure of the Mayor or work for his agenda.

An Economic Development entity should promote Kenner and lay the groundwork to attract and retain businesses and jobs.

But, the ultimate "Economic Development Director" should be the Mayor.

The Economic Development entity can lay the foundation for businesses and provide a central point of contact to assist with real estate, permits, licenses, grants, funding and other issues, but the Mayor of a city needs to be the leader.

In Kenner, that won't be the case.

Ben Zahn is a florist and a decorator. He may be very good at what he does but no one would ever confuse Ben Zahn with a being a salesman. And, that's not a knock on the Mayor. Beyond color, I couldn't describe different varieties of roses and forget about me ever putting together a nice looking bouquet of flowers. Not going to happen.

Ben Zahn is not a "closer". It's just not in his skill set.

Unfortunately for Economic Development in Kenner, Candace Watkins isn't a "closer" either.

Covington is a nice small town. It's population is about 10,000 folks, less than 1/7th the size of Kenner. It has a Downtown (something Kenner doesn't), some nice shops and restaurants.

Covington has Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Covington is "Small Town Louisiana" at it's best.

But, during her 8 years as Mayor, what large businesses did Watkins recruit for Covington? What large retailers did Watkins bring to Covington? How many jobs was she responsible for attracting and retaining?

And, yes, the Covington area is growing now but during Watkins 8 years as Mayor, Covington grew by an average of less than 40 people per year.

So, if Covington wasn't booming during her time as Mayor; if she didn't attract, retain or help create thousands of jobs; and if she doesn't even live in Kenner, how can she be "Kenner's Economic Development Consultant/Director/Top Salesman"?

The short answer is - she can't. 

I mean, would you buy a car from someone who's never driven?

Now, let's look at another false narrative (see, I'm trying hard to not use the word "lie") from Mayor Zahn: The City will be saving money bringing Economic Development in-house (btw, this "false narrative" was also trumpeted by Kenner D4 Councilman George Branigan. In less than a year, Branigan has proven to be one of the leaders in the "false narrative" competition).

For years, Kenner paid JEDCO $75,000 per year to represent Kenner. As I stated previously, I believed that JEDCO should have represented Kenner for nothing since their funding comes from the JP General Fund, which Kenner contributes to indirectly through property taxes.

Watkins salary as a "Consultant" will be $90,000 per year.

Even Common Core Math proves that $90,000 is more than $75,000.

And that's just Watkins' salary.

When you add benefits, staffing, marketing materials, travel, and other expenses, this new city department will cost well over double, possibly triple, what we paid JEDCO. 

And, to be honest, I would be fine with double or triple if it yields results and was led by someone with experience and a proven track record.

Yes, I would prefer that it be a separate, non-political entity, but, I'd take it.

But, when the City of Kenner under Mayor Zahn feels the need to impose a recreation participation fee on its residents, when the city is already under a crushing debt load and the city is borrowing millions more to pay off a lawsuit from KFD that it never should have fought, when a chunk of University City and several neighborhoods South of I-10 are virtually unprotected from fire because the Zahn Administration did not have the forethought to provide a temporary Fire Station to cover the area for the almost 2 years before a new station can be built (a station that will also not adequately cover the I-10/Veterans neighborhoods), how can the City of Kenner afford another expense with another non-resident, unproven leader?

Again, the short answer - it can't.

The new Kenner Economic Development Department is yet another great opportunity squandered by Mayor Zahn for political purposes. 

 The Kenner City Council will vote on the creation of the new Economic Development Department at it's next meeting. Since Ms. Watkins is a political appointee, the Council will not vote on her appointment.

You can, and should, voice your opinions to the City Council and the Mayor and, if you care about Kenner's future, you will.

C'mon JP Council! 400k Residents and the Best You Can Come Up with is Keith Conley???

After the abrupt resignation of JP Councilman-at-Large Chris Roberts, the JP Council began the process of nominating Roberrts' replacement until the Fall election. The interim councilman will be precluded from seeking election to that seat, but not another council seat, in the election.

Traditionally, the two At-Large seats have been split among the East and West Banks - Councilwoman Cynthia Lee-Sheng resides on the East Bank while Roberts resided on the West Bank.

Lee-Sheng is seeking the Parish Presidency in the Fall and Roberts was term-limited so both seats will be open for the Fall election and jockeying for them has already begun in earnest.

District 1 Councilman Ricky Templet has announced he would seek the Division A seat held by Roberts before his resignation and District 2 Councilman Paul "Love Me Some Free Copelands" Johnston said he will run for the Division B seat currently held by Lee-Sheng.

Templet resides on the West Bank and Johnston on the East Bank which would mean, if both were successful, the At-Large seats would remain split among the East and West Banks.

Templet nominated former JP CAO Keith Conley for the interim seat to replace Roberts. Conley has said he was considering running for one of the At-Large seats but would not specify whether he would run in Division A against Templet (likely) or Division B against Johnston (highly unlikely). Both Conley and Johnston are clients of Jefferson Parish's Minister of Propaganda Greg Buisson.

So, if anything, it was a smart political move by Templet to nominate Conley, even if it breaks with the East/West Bank tradition and would be horrible for Jefferson Parish. The Conley nomination takes out Templet's chief rival for the seat.

Now the questions are: does Conley/Buisson file a lawsuit to overturn the preclusion of the interim from seeking the seat or does Johnston go back on his word and run against Templet allowing a clear path for Conley to seek the Division B seat.

Let me just get this out there from the jump - Keith Conley elected ANYTHING in Jefferson Parish is a bad thing for JP residents, a very bad thing.

But. this entire process was flawed. 

Buisson client, and Mike Yenni loyalist, Dominick Impastato nominated restaurant owner Larry Katz while fellow Buisson client Jennifer Van Vrancken nominated Lisa Jackson. Like Conley, both katz and Jackson reside on the East Bank and that is where the similarities end as neither had a show and were nominated simply for the theatre of showing they were nominated.

Katz quit the process early while Jackson, after filing her paperwork, enclosed a letter withdrawing and endorsing Conley.

No, this seat was Conley's all along.

And that makes this flawed process sad.

But, since we are stuck with Conley, let's examine his record.

I have written about Conley in the past. If you want a refresher, click here or here or here.

Conley was a JPSO Deputy before he "retired" after being named in a cover up of an assault on a Mardi Gras Parade attendee. Conley, the JPSO and several other Deputies were the target of several civil suits that resulted in over $330,000 paid to the victim.

Conley was named Assistant City Attorney by then-Kenner Mayor Ed Muniz. Subsequently, Concley was named Clerk of Court. All the while, despite being one of the highest paid City of Kenner employees, Conley continued his private practice as a Personal Injury Attorney.

Conley and his wife filed for bankruptcy discharging over $800,000 in debt. Shortly after filing, Conley "found" several thousand dollars which he chose to donate to the Mayoral campaign of Mike Yenni instead of paying off his creditors.

After Yenni was elected, Conley was named Kenner City Attorney. Again, while one of the highest paid city employees, Conley continued his private practice and also worked with the law firm of Yenni's bff Michael Brandner (he of the 2nd most stupid legal ads - sorry Juan LaFonta is 1st). Despite the "double-dipping", Yenni repeatedly defended Conley saying "There's nothing in the charter that doesn't allow him from doing it." While that may be true, I think if you're a Full-Time City Attorney you can't spend your days trying your own cases and, as I've said many times, just because it's technically not illegal or unethical, that doesn't make it right. Yenni and I have differed on this point many times. 

While City Attorney, Conley was appointed Interim Code Enforcement Director and given a healthy pay raise. Again, he continued with his private practice and with Brandner.

Conley resigned both positions and was rumored to be seeking an elected office.

Despite endorsing another candidate for the Council-At-Large seat, Yenni worked to position Conley for that seat and then publicly endorsed Conley and raised funds for his campaign. Conley became one of the "Consensus Team" designed to pass Yenni's flawed agenda.

After Yenni was elected JP President, Conley resigned from the Council, quit on the voters who elected him and joined Yenni's Transition Team. He was subsequently rewarded with the CAO position and a salary well north of $100,000.

While CAO, Conley was part of the cover up of the Harahan-River Ridge stench scandal which has caused health problems for residents, a loss of property value, and multiple lawsuits against the parish.

Conley resigned from JP government in December 2018 to seek either a JP Council-At-Large seat or, possibly, the Parish Presidency should Yenni not seek reelection.

So, in a nutshell, Conley is a failed JPSO Deputy who was drummed out of the JPSO after being involved in the cover up of an assault; he's a political opportunist who would rather give money to his friends and secure a politically appointed position than pay his bills; quit on the voters that elected him after he helped his friend, Mike Yenni; joined Yenni at the parish and was involved in another cover up which has led to health issues for thousands of JP residents; and is now appointed to the JP Council and hopes to parlay that into an elected position.

So, again I ask, is this really the best the JP Council could do?

It also brings into question the judgement of Ricky Templet.

Yes, it was a good political move for Templet to nominate Conley but, for someone that is seeking a parishwide seat himself, Templet certainly didn't consider the best interest of the residents of Jefferson Parish.

And that is disappointing.

Just as disappointing is the fact that the other 5 council members also thought so little of the residents of JP that they put out this flawed dog and pony show in the hopes that we wouldn't notice.

Well, some of us did notice and some of us will remember.

So, while this process was smoother than the last interim council pick (which needed to be made by Governor Edwards), neither pick was a victory for JP residents. \

Just politics as usual at our expense.

Despite Lingering Questions and Possible Overpayment, Zahn Pushes Ahead With KFD Land Purchase

The move of a Kenner Fire Station, caused by the new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, is leaving many Kenner residents, and at least one City Councilman, with unanswered questions and other questioning the financial judgement of Mayor Ben Zahn.

The current Fire Station is located on Loyola Drive, just South of I-10. From its location in the median, it has access to both Northbound Loyola and Southbound Loyola and easy access to Veterans Memorial Highway.

With the Loyola road widening project to provide a flyover ramp to the new airport terminal, that Fire Station must be relocated and it will be demolished.

After months, seemingly years, of haggling between the State and City of Kenner over the value of the Loyola Fire Station (which has been in bad shape since Katrina with complaints of mold that were never addressed according to several Kenner Firefighters), the two finally agreed last month and the City will receive $3.46 Million to pay for the land and construction of a new Fire Station. .

After so much delay, you would think that the City and Mayor Zahn would have exhausted all possibilities in finding the perfect location. And, while the City did undertake an appraisal of the property in March 2018, not much investigation into other properties has occurred since then.

Even with the delay, District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll asked Mayor Zahn to slow the process down until more discussion could be held at the next Council Meeting on January 18th.

In a memo Wednesday afternoon, Councilman Carroll said,

"On behalf of the citizens of District 1 and the City of Kenner, I am respectfully asking that you delay the purchase and any signing of documents pertaining to purchasing the property...that would be used as a replacement for City of Kenner Volunteer Fire Department #38...until after our January 18th Council meeting. 

There are a number of new questions and concernt that has been brought to our attention on the purchase of the property that I feel has not been fully answered and that should be addressed, such as: 

- The purchase price of the aforementioned property. 
- The location and safety concerns of the proposed fire station to the citizens of District 1 and District 5. 
- The legality of the final approval of the purchase agreement not being signed by the Kenner City Council for the final approval."

Despite the Councilman's memo, and citizen concerns, Mayor Zahn pushed the sale through and issued his own statement Thursday.

Logically, you would assume that the City would look to move the Fire Station to land that the City already owns, and many have pointed to the vacant lot adjacent to the Kenner Police Department Complex. That land is used for excess parking.

In a statement, the City said this option was investigated but could not be considered due to the ground level traffic in the area until the flyover is built.

But, since no one has questioned KPD response time (which, theoretically would be impacted even more severely than an adjacent Fire Station), I'm not buying that as the reason why the Fire Station wasn't placed next to the KPD Complex.

If ground level traffic congestion is a major factor, what is Mayor Zahn and Chief Glaser's plan to mitigate that issue for KPD? Why haven't we heard about that?

In addition, since the flyover ramp construction is temporary, and the Fire Station should be permanent, any ground traffic issues would also be temporary.

Instead, Mayor Zahn chose a tract of land that is not on a main road as the current Fire Station is (and would be if placed next to the KPD Complex on Vets), but on a side road in a residential area. While the land is zoned Commercial, 3 of the streets surrounding it are narrow, residential streets and the fourth side of the property is the back of Church's Fried Chicken.

A fire truck leaving the proposed Fire Station and headed Northbound on Loyola, would need to cross over Loyola adding critical response time. If that same fire truck was headed Southbound on Loyola to the KPD Complex, Susan Park or the industrial complex West on Vets, the truck will be mired in traffic going towards I-10. Anyone that has tried to exit the Circle K knows what a quagmire that can be.

If traffic was such a vital consideration for NOT putting the new Fire Station adjacent to the KPD Complex, why wasn't traffic also a factor in selecting this off-the-beaten path site? Service and response time to residents and businesses located  South of I-10 along Vets will be significantly impacted.

As anyone that has shopped at the Circle K at Loyola and I-10 knows, exiting the Circle K in either direction, is difficult (unless you are going West on I-10. At times, that area is a quagmire.

Initially, Zahn and his Administration said that they were told by PIAL, the Property Insurance Industry of Louisiana - the group that ranks Louisiana Fire Departments and Fire Insurance costs - that the new Fire Station had to be built on the Duke property and that would help Kenner improve it's fire rating from a 2 to a 1, thus lowering the cost of fire insurance premiums for Kenner policyholders.

But, that was not the case.

A spokesperson for the PIAL said they've had no conversations with the City of Kenner regarding the new Fire Station and, even if they had, they cannot tell the City where to locate a Fire Station or that moving a Fire Station would even improve Kenner's fire rating. 

Now the Mayor is backtracking (again) and putting the decision on the location of the Fire Station on KFD Chief Ryan Bergeron.

In a text message Zahn said, "Fire Dept. suggested the general location based on safety and response time issues."

But, the safety and response time concerns of many served by the location of the current Fire Station, neighborhood on Veterans as well as the industrial buildings by the Airport and West of Loyola on Vets, clearly weren't a factor.

In addition, since the Volunteer Fire Department was forced to move out yesterday (January 10th), why was there no contingency plans for the station to be temporarily housed in that area to continue to protect the residences and businesses in that section of Kenner?

And, we haven't even begun to discuss the outrageous land cost for this parcel of land.

There were three appraisals for the property: one from the state, the city and the property owner.

The property owner's appraisal is highest at $1,952,160. It was conducted two months AFTER the City's appraisal in May 2018 and includes some unconventional assumptions to attain that high value including that the property would be rezoned and marketed as a potential Hotel/Motel Development. As such, the comparables listed include a hotel on Severn Ave in Metairie and a hotel on Vets.

Since the appraisal was AFTER the City of Kenner's appraisal, the property owner already knew of Kenner's interest thus making the property more valuable in his eyes and increasing the appraisal. .

The City's appraisal, in March 2018, values the property at $910,000.

The State DOTD appraisal comes in at $668,000.

The property is currently assessed at a value of $230,400 for property tax purposes. 

The City is paying $1.5 Million for the property.

In his mind, Mayor Zahn believes that Kenner made a great deal because it won't cost the City any money (yet).

In a text message Zahn said, "At the end of the day, the purchase of the land and the construction of the new fire station will cost the City of Kenner absolutely nothing."

But, as with most politicians, Mayor Zahn fails to consider that all funding, whether it is Local, Parish, State or Federal, is OUR money anyway.

So, while it may be true that the land and Fire Station won't cost the City of Kenner (an abstract entity) any money, it will and does cost the people of Kenner plenty.

Mayor Zahn also hasn't disclosed if, spending almost 1/2 of the funding received (regardless of where it came from) on land alone, will result in building a not state-of-the-art Fire Station. That should be the Mayor and City's top priority - building a new Fire Station that will last for decades.

Also, Mayor Zahn claims that the new Fire Station location will be boon to economic development in the City.

I think the only economic development the City will see is if the KFD Firefighters stationed at that location like Church's Chicken, which is adjacent to the proposed Fire Station land.

So, the new Fire Station will be located in a residential area and not on one of Kenner's main roads, on a grossly overpriced piece of land that that the City is paying $1.5 Million and is appraised for property tax purposes at 1/7th and by the DOTD at 1/2 that amount, will hurt KFD's response time to incidents on Veterans Blvd., will not spur economic development (except at Church's Chicken - maybe), will result in almost 1/2 of the City's DOTD funding going towards the land meaning a non state-of-the-art Fire Station, and in general is a bad deal for the City of Kenner.

But, the good news is that no City money will be used on the project (yet).

And, who said I'm not an optimist?