Yenni/Buisson Lies, Pt. 2

In Part 1 of our Mythbuster series, we debunked two lies that continue to be perpetuated by the propaganda team of Mike Maunoir/Yenni and his loyal henchman, Greg Buisson. Today we debunk two more myths.

MYTH #3 – YENNI “I HIRE A QUALIFIED TEAM”

Yes, I know that I’ve written about this before but, since it’s on his TV commercial, Maunoir/Yenni is obviously proud of his choices and his team. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the folks in the Maunoir/Yenni Administration and his personnel choices.

CLERK OF COURT

The Clerk of Court through the majority of the Maunoir/Yenni Administration had no prior government or management experience. Her job prior to becoming Clerk of Court? Director of Promotions at Rock N Bowl.

The current Clerk of Court, Tamithia Shaw, is the former Code Enforcement Director who resigned and abruptly left Kenner City Government only to subsequently return.In a statement announcing her resignation, Yenni said, "She is looking forward to getting back to her passion of helping children and their families throughout the parish." Since it was less than a year and a half before Ms. Shaw returned, perhaps that really wasn't her "passion". At least Ms. Shaw is an attorney.

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COURT or PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER?

The Assistant Clerk of Court position was created after Yenni’s hand-picked Streamlining Budget Committee recommended deleting the position of Public Information Officer. In true Yenni form, he simply moved the former PIO into the new position.

After the former PIO/Assistant Clerk of Court retired, Yenni hired former Times-Picayune reporter Bob Ross to become the new Assistant Clerk of Court.

Ross was recently moved to the recreated position of...wait for it... “Assistant to the Mayor/Public Information Officer”. I know what you're thinking - didn't Yenni's Committee recommend that position be eliminated? Of course they did and, when it was convenient for Yenni, it was eliminated.

Well, at least Ross does have the experience to write press releases.

INFORMATATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

This “Department” was created by Yenni after he took office. While it is within the City Charter to add (and delete) departments at the whim of the Mayor, you would think that the first head of a new department would be immanently qualified.

C’mon, we’re talking about Mike Yenni.

Who did Maunoir/Yenni tap to head this new department: his former secretary. Her IT, Management or Government experience prior to becoming a Mayoral Secretary? None. She was a legal secretary.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a Secretary and working your way up the ladder. My mom was a secretary before moving up to Office Manager and ultimately becoming a Mortgage Broker and running a Regional office for a nationwide company. That's impressive for someone with only a high school diploma and a testament to my mom's hard work and determination.

However, I trust my mom around my computers as much as I would trust Kenner’s IT Director.

So, not only did she get a job she is not qualified for, she also got a hefty raise. In an article announcing job cuts in Kenner, and Yenni stating, "We only fill positions if it's an absolute necessity for the department," there’s also this nugget:

“One of Yenni's political appointees, Valerie Waguespack, received a much bigger boost. She went from being the mayor's executive assistant making $47,319 a year ago to the open position of head of Information Technology and Telecommunications, which pays $60,000, a $12,681 increase.”

In defending the promotion and raise the Times-Picayune reported,

He said Waguespack is working toward her master's degree and that, as former Mayor Ed Muniz's assistant, she helped the mayor's office improve its technology. "She's been at the forefront of getting our new website," he said.

That’s nice – she's going to school while working. But, “she’s been at the forefront of getting our new website”?

What exactly does that mean – “getting our new website”? Built? No. Designed? Hardly.

Perhaps she suggested the City get a new website? Possibly. Did she handle the coding for the new website? Not a chance. Kenner’s IT Director can’t write code.

But, she was at the “forefront”.

And, she is a whiz on Facebook…

And, don’t forget that Waguespack was on Yenni’s Inauguration Committee.

So, I guess it was absolutely necessary that you move your Secretary into an unfilled position that she was not qualified for AND give her a $12k raise.

DEPUTY CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

Prior to becoming Mayor, Maunoir/Yenni was appointed by Ed Muniz to the position of Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to that, Maunoir/Yenni was appointed by Aaron Broussard to be the Director of JP’s Citizens Affairs Department where he was in charge of the Mardi Gras Parade schedule and Senior services, overseeing a budget of less than $800k (or about the revenue of a small convenience store by the way).

When Maunoir/Yenni ascended to Mayor, he moved Mike Quigley from Deputy CAO to CAO. The City of Kenner did without the position of Deputy CAO (NOTE: Pratt Reddy was Deputy CAO for Public Works – the overall Deputy CAO position was not filled).

After several months in office, Yenni hired an Internal Auditor. Her governmental experience – none. 

Her auditing experience – none. In fact, she wasn’t a “Certified” Auditor.  

In fact, prior to joining the City of Kenner, she worked for an Insurance Adjuster in Texas. 

Less than two years into her new position, the Internal Auditor was promoted to Deputy CAO and put in charge of all city departments except Finance and Public Works.

In an August 2012 post written by then Times-Picayune reporterBob Ross, announcing the promotions, Yenni said that, with the reorganization, Quigley would be better able to work on “economic improvements” including Laketown.

That will free Chief Administrative Officer Mike Quigley to focus on economic improvement programs, including development of the Laketown area, as well as working with Gonzalez on current sewer projects.

“I think we’ve done a very good job of hiring the right people for the right jobs,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to miss a beat.”

Yeah, keep telling yourself that Mikey.

We don’t have time to discuss other dubious hirings like the Recreation Director who is now trying to privatize playgrounds after trying to sell naming rights to a field and pocket the money for the "Kenner Sports Fondation" - whatever that is (I’ve always been fond of the name Muss Bertolino Stadium myself); the City Attorney who filed for bankruptcy a couple of weeks after delivering a large campaign contribution to Yenni (shouldn’t you have used that money to pay your bills Councilman Conley? And let’s not discuss your stint with the JPSO. Been to any parades lately?) and who authorized spying on Kenner employees; the still "Interim" City Attorney who is “Interim” after over a year because that way Yenni can go around the wishes of the people of Kenner who voted for a Charter Change mandating that City Directors actually live within the City of Kenner; and others.

The point isn’t whether or not these folks are nice people, or whether a Secretary should be made a Department Director, or even if some of these folks have grown into their jobs (although I take issue with tax dollars going to political appointees for “on-the-job training”).

No, there are two points here.

1). Mike Maunoir/Yenni is an intellectual lightweight who needs to surround himself with people who can’t challenge him or his intellect. Mike Maunoir/Yenni needs to feel like HE is the smartest person in the room.

The fact is, the only time that Mike Maunoir/Yenni is the smartest person in the room is when he goes to the bathroom alone – and, even that may be debatable.

That kind of arrogance will be a disaster at the Parish level with a budget 10x that of the City of Kenner and far more projects and area to cover.

And 2). Maunoir/Yenni has not hired a “qualified team”. Whether you agree with the other point or not, this point is indisputable. You aren’t “qualified” to be a Clerk of Court, an Assistant Clerk of Court, an IT Director or a the Deputy CAO of City (with all but 2 City Departments reporting to you), or any City Department Director when you have no governmental management experience or relevant experience in what that department does.
.

Assisting or contributing to a politician’s campaign does not automatically make you “qualified”.

MYTH #4 – YENNI “I’M A GOVERNMENT STRATEGIST”

I couldn’t stop laughing when I heard this one. Mike Yenni – “Government Strategist”. It still cracks me up.

Ok Mr. Mayor. Let’s look at your track record as a "Government Strategist":

-        

  -----After less than a year on the job, you increased sewerage fees by 145% and borrowed tens of millions of dollars to fix Kenner’s antiquated sewerage system. Kenner received a low-interest DEQ loan. Did you rescind the sewerage increase once you got an influx of state money? Of course not. Did your fee increase and borrowing fix Kenner’s sewerage issues? Of course not. If they had, you wouldn’t have borrowed even more money this year. 5 years as Mayor and 4 years as CAO and sewerage still backs up into Kenner homes when there is a heavy rain. Where has all the money gone?

-       -----  Were you a “Government Strategist” when you tried to double Kenner’s property taxes? How about when you pouted to the media that “There will be cuts that everyone will feel” when the voters resoundingly defeated your tax plan?

-         

------- Were you a “Government Strategist” when you tried to close playgrounds in predominantly minority areas? How about your plan to “privatize” Kenner playgrounds and sell City-owned buildings? Is that what you consider “Government Strategy” – giving away City assets for pennies on the dollar?

-       

-----  Were you a “Government Strategist” when you openly campaigned against two Good Government Charter Changes designed to limit the Mayor’s power and political influence and were overwhelmingly approved by Kenner voters?

----- Were you a "Government Strategist" when you extended the City's trash contract for an additional five years without notifying the City Council for months or putting the contract out for bid? Even the Times-Picayune criticized you. Don't think Bob Ross helped write that editorial. 

----- Were you a "Government Strategist" when you supported the extension of the Crescent City Connection Toll?

----- Were you a "Government Strategist" when you increased occupational license fees (which, since they are based upon revenue are really a hidden business tax)?

----- Were you a "Government Strategist" when, instead of adding Kenner Fire Department personnel so we could meet the national standard of 4-men-on-a-truck and provide better fire protection to citizens, you choose to spend $1 Million redeveloping the Code Enforcement Office?

-    

----- Were you a “Government Strategist” when you took on the largest debt in Kenner’s history without a vote of the people? Yeah, hanging your hat on a 1950’s law and a politically connected judge is something to be proud of. Where are the quarterly reports on the 2033 Plan progress two years after the bond debt was sold? Which projects have been completed with the bond money? Which projects have been completed with regional/state/federal funding and where did the money that was budgeted for those projects go? Seems to me that the only thing that has been completed with the bond money is the hiring of a politically connected “Project Manager”. Why has there never been an open accounting of the bond and grant money and, if there has, why has it not been shared with the people of Kenner? Don’t WE have a right to know?

---It certainly doesn’t take a “Government Strategist” to form hand-picked committees to deflect blame from your weak attempts at governing nor does it take a “Government Strategist” to Tax, Borrow and Spend, Spend, Spend while neglecting important city functions like Economic Development, Public Safety and Quality of Life.

-Is it the “Government Strategist” in you who maxed out Kenner’s debt and is now leaving one year into your second term? Don’t you think the people of Kenner deserve a Mayor who lasts the full term instead of one who is discussing his next job right after his re-election? Remember little Ben Zahn letting it slip that he “committed to Mike well over a year ago” when Yenni announced his Parish Presidency campaign?

I’m glad that my tax dollars have paid your Mayoral salary for the past year and half while you’ve been putting your hand out for more campaign contributions for your next job, instead of finishing what you were elected to do in Kenner (which, by the way, wasn’t to borrow us into oblivion when you couldn’t double our taxes).  

Last July, during his 2nd inaugural speech, Yenni said, "Let me state this clearly...I am happy...I am proud...And I am eager to get started on the next 4 years of progress in Kenner."

And who can forget, "I pledge to every Kenner resident that we will remain a city of progress throughout these next four years."  

Were you lying to the people of Kenner last year or were those simply words on a page? 

Kinda sounds more like a “Political Opportunist” than a “Government Strategist” to me. 

Another Longtime Kenner Business Fleeing The Esplanade

Shoppers at The Esplanade mall in Kenner will have one less place to grab a bite to eat soon as the Chick-fil-a location, a mall staple for 30 years, has announced they are closing their doors.

A sign posted states:

"Thank you for letting us be a part of your community since October 9, 1985. 

It's hard to say goodbye but we will be closing our doors October 17, 2015. We will miss you!

Chick-fil-a, The Esplanade."


Chick-fil-a joins a long list of stores that have fled The Esplanade including Ann Taylor Loft, The Gap, Hollister, and others.

Last year, Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni told Fox 8 that he was "blindsided" by store closings at The Esplanade and, as she has done in the past, then District 4 Councilwoman Maria DeFrancesch (now Council-At-Large) discussed potential new stores at The Esplanade "like Belk's" which, like the Kohl's store Yenni and DeFrancesch discussed in 2011, still have yet to materialize.

Sadly, after next week, I will now need to trek to Metairie and endure Veterans Blvd. traffic to enjoy my Chick-fil-a sandwich and waffle fries.

Maunoir? Yenni? And Why It SHOULD Matter To You

I know there are still some folks out there who believe that Michael Matthew Maunoir changing his name to Michael Salvador Yenni is an old issue and that Michael Matthew Maunoir was of pure heart and really didn’t change his name for political reasons.

If you are one of “those” people, since I’m not going to change your mind anyway, please indulge me for a few minutes.

Michael Matthew Maunoir III was born June 15th, 1976. Remember that date, because it is important.

In his answer to Elton Lagasse claiming that Maunoir changed his name for political gain, Maunoir/Yenni looks into the camera and claims that Lagasse’s “attacks are deceitful”. But who is really stretching the truth here?

In the ad, Maunoir/Yenni says:

“After my parent’s painful divorce, I lived with my mother Peggy Jo Yenni and my grandmother, Lucille Yenni. They were the family I knew. So I took the family name.”

But is that all there is?

With Maunoir/Yenni, nothing is ever as it seems.

Michael Matthew Maunoir III changed his name to Michael Salvador Yenni on January 20^th, 1998 (again, note the date).

In the paperwork filed by Aaron Broussard (yes, THAT Aaron Broussard), it states:

“Petitioner desires to change his name to Michael Salvador Yenni so that he may have the same last name as that of the mother, Peggy Yenni, and as that of his grandfather, Joe Yenni, and his uncle, Michael Yenni.”

And Maunoir/Yenni says that in his ad, "I took the family name."

Fair enough, right?

But wait…Yenni WASN’T the family name yet…

When my parents were divorced, my mother asked in the divorce proceedings to change her name back to her maiden name.

When I got divorced, my ex-wife asked in the divorce proceedings to change her name back to her maiden name.

Most women do.

But not Peggy Jo Maunoir.

Peggy Jo Maunoir and Michael Matthew Maunoir, Jr. were legally separated on July 9^th, 1995. They were officially divorced on October 3^rd, 1996.

In 2003, at the unveiling of a portrait of Joe Yenni, the Times-Picayune reported:

“At Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting, (Tim) Coulon presented Joe Yenni’s widow, Lucille, with a dozen pink roses. Yenni’s daughter, Peggy Jo Maunoir, and two of his grandchildren, Mike and Rachael Yenni, also attended.”

Seven (7) years AFTER the “painful” divorce, Maunoir/Yenni’s mother still had not changed her name.

 Now, I’m not saying that the divorce wasn’t “painful”. Clearly, all divorces are painful to someone. But, shouldn’t it have been more painful to the woman involved and wouldn’t she want to change her name her name BEFORE her children did?

And, what happened to the Maunoir’s other child?

In a City of Kenner Press Release announcing the death of Lucille Lawrence Yenni (the grandmother) dated August 10^th, 2008 (or twelve years after the Maunoir divorce), it says:

“She is survived by her daughter, Peggy Jo Yenni; and five grandchildren: Michael Salvador Yenni, Bradley J. Maunoir (Celeste Deal Maunoir), Rachel Elizabeth Yenni, Joseph Salvadore Yenni II and Michael Joseph Yenni, Jr. Michael S. Yenni has followed in his grandfather and uncle into politics and is currently the chief administrative officer for Kenner.”

 Obviously, his parent’s divorce was not so painful for Bradley Maunoir that he felt compelled to change his name to Yenni too. But then, Bradley isn’t living off the past glories of his grandfather and uncle either.

So, to summarize:

Michael Matthew Maunoir III born June 15^th, 1976.

His parents separate on July 9^th, 1995 (Michael Matthew Maunoir III is 19 years old).

His parents divorce on October 3^rd, 1996 (Michael Matthew Maunoir II is 20 years old).

On January 20^th, 1998, 2 ½ years after his parents separated and facilitated by Aaron Broussard with multiple mentions of his deceased grandfather and uncle, Michael Matthew Maunoir III (age 21 ½), legally changes his name to Michael Salvador Yenni.

March 2003, 8 years after they were separated and almost 7 years after they were divorced, Peggy Jo Maunoir still hasn’t changed her name.

August 2008, 12 years after his parents divorced, Bradley Maunoir hasn’t changed his last name either. In fact, he still hasn’t.  

Of the 3 people who could have changed their name, only Michael Matthew Maunoir III, with the help of Aaron Broussard, changed his name but not out of respect for his mother – she was still Peggy Jo Maunoir for years after.

Did Michael Matthew Maunoir III immediately change his name after his parent’s “painful” divorce – NO.

When he petitioned the court, did Michael Matthew Maunoir III lie – YES. His mother still hadn’t changed her name.

Why, in the name change documents, in the City of Kenner Press Release regarding his grandmother’s death, on his City of Kenner biography, and every other opportunity, does Michael Matthew Maunoir III continue to remind folks who his grandfather and uncle were?

“Elton Lagasse may want to relive the past, but I am focused on the future.”

Yeah, we believe you Mikey…

Look, I’m not disputing that the Maunoir divorce was painful or traumatic for Michael Matthew Maunoir III. But, what I am saying is, the trauma should have caused an immediate response. 

Michael Matthew Maunoir III was an ADULT and he was an ADULT when his parents separated and divorced. He didn’t need anyone’s permission to change his name. Why wait a year and a half?

Did he want to hurt his father? I could buy that rationale. He was named after his father and grandfather. But, Michael Matthew Maunoir III has NEVER said that.

If his mother had changed her name in the divorce, I could buy that too. But, his mother and brother hadn’t changed their names, yet Michael Matthew Maunoir III (named after his father) did, and not only his last name but his middle name too.

When you put the pieces together (Aaron Broussard facilitating, the continual references to his grandfather and uncle, the delay in changing his name, the fact that he has NEVER held a non-political job, the reports that he wears his deceased uncle’s shoes, the fact that he spent tens of thousands of tax dollars to rehab his uncle’s old JP vehicle, etc.) can you honestly say that Michael Matthew Maunoir III DIDN’T change his name for political gain?

If you can, you are a better person than Michael Salvador Yenni - because he CAN’T.

As I’ve said several times, whether it’s Michael Matthew Maunoir III or Michael Salvdor Yenni, nothing is ever what it seems.

And, that’s why this name change matters.

When you consider who to cast your Parish President vote for, you should weigh three important factors: credibility, integrity, and honesty.

On those criteria, Michael Salvador Yenni fails miserably.

If, almost 20 years later, Michael Matthew Maunoir III STILL can’t be honest with himself, what makes you think he will ever be honest with you?

The Yenni-Buisson Cavalcade of Lies Takes To the Airwaves, Pt. 1

If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth.

-          Nazi Propagandist Joseph Goebbels

Not content with merely lying to folks at a handful of candidate forums, in glossy mail pieces or in a complete misrepresentation of the “State of City” (really, I don’t know how people actually kept their lunch digested while listening and watching that drivel), Kenner Mayor Mike Maunoir/Yenni continues to perpetuate the myth that is “Mike Maunoir/Yenni – Government Strategist” with tv and radio ads written and produced by Jefferson Parish’s favorite political snake, Greg Buisson.

Wait, I retract that last statement. Calling Greg Buisson a snake is an affront to snakes everywhere. 

And besides, snakes don't have pockets to put their ill-gotten gains or hands to put into our pockets to fleece us, as Buisson does on a daily basis. 

When your entire life is a lie, as Maunoir/Yenni's is, and it unfolds before your own eyes, you actually start to believe the hype. We’ve seen it with professional athletes who have a great year and sign a huge contract, only to be cut the next the year. They believed the hype – and Mike Maunoir/Yenni believes the hype written by Buisson and crafted by Aaron Broussard.

Now, I’m not talking about the latest Maunoir-Buisson collaboration, yet. You know, the one where little Mikey Maunoir looks into the camera with the eyes of puppy dog who has just been disciplined for soiling the carpet for the 1,000^th time and decries the bad, bad man Elton Lagasse is for reminding voters once again that Mike Yenni changed his name for political purposes and is a fraud.

The fact of the matter is that Mike Yenni is a glorified lab rat, a modern day Frankenstein, if you will, concocted by Aaron Broussard and thrust upon us by the greedy bastard that is Greg Buisson.

Now, before you think I’m getting carried away  and play the “he hates Mike Maunoir/Yenni and will do anything to help Elton Lagasse” card, take a breath. Elton is far from perfect and if you’re a faithful reader of ClickJefferson.com (and, really, why wouldn’t you be a faithful reader?), Councilman Lagasse and I have had our disputes over the years.

Disagreements on issues aside, I respect Elton Lagasse. He has always been honest with me, never ducked a question or not returned a phone call. Elton Lagasse has more integrity in his left pinky toe than Mike Maunoir, Mike Yenni, or whatever his name is today, has in his entire body.

In fact, while he frequently calls me out and sometimes gets a little confused with the facts, Al Morella has more integrity than Maunoir/Yenni as well. At least Al has the intestinal fortitude to stand up at almost every Council meeting for his 3 minutes, and try to get answers. Al Morella has a backbone.

The people of Kenner and Jefferson Parish need more Al Morellas. Unfortunately for Al, we don’t need him as Parish President or Kenner Mayor. Of course, we don’t need someone with ZERO  integrity like Mike Maunoir/Yenni in elected office either.

You don’t believe me? You actually believe that Mike Naunoir/Yenni has integrity? Well, over the next couple of weeks, we will continue to dig beyond the rhetoric and the puppy dog eyes, and post facts regarding the hoax that is Mike Maunoir/Yenni.

Think of ClickJefferson.com as your local version of “Mythbusters”.

Hopefully, the joke will not be on JP voters on October 24^th.

We will have time to explore the name change in greater detail as we get closer (remember, this is only Part 1…) but first this…

MYTH #1 - YENNI “I’VE CUT $8.5 MILLION FROM KENNER’S BUDGET”

Why the media continues to allow campaign ads with whoppers like this included is beyond me. It’s no wonder the public trusts the media almost as much as it trusts Congress.

As I pointed out last year, and the year before, and the year before that, this statement is a complete and total LIE. But, as Goebbels said, “If you repeat a lie often enough…”

In 2010, Mike Maunoir/Yenni’s first year in office, the City of Kenner’s budget was $56.5 Million.

This year, in Mike Maunoir/Yenni’s fifth year in office, the City of Kenner’s budget is $60.4 Million – an INCREASE of almost $4 Million.

Now I know that Mike Maunoir/Yenni was a below average student but surely he took basic math somewhere.

So the budget increased by almost $4 Million. So what, you ask? And I agree with you. Pension costs are skyrocketing; insurance is increasing; costs are going up. But, tell the truth.

Let me put it to you another way: if it’s warmer than normal and you run your a/c constantly to cool your house, your electric bill will increase. When you get the next electric bill and learn that it doubled, do you take it to your boss and ask for a salary increase? No, you cut your grocery budget, cut back on Starbucks, or make some other sacrifice because you know that if you don’t pay that big electric bill, they will cut off your power.

While you may have temporarily “cut back”, you didn’t really cut your budget. Your income stayed the same as your expenses grew.

Maunoir/Yenni may have moved around  $8.5 Million from some phantom budget, but the City of Kenner’s budget DID NOT DECREASE during his term in office. He has not done more with less, as Maunoir/Yenni and Buisson continue to imply with their semantic word games.

MYTH #2 - YENNI “I BALANCED THE BUDGET EVERY YEAR AS MAYOR”

Big deal. Isn’t that what you’re paid to do as Mayor?

And, the fact is, four out of the five years, the City of Kenner Budget was “balanced” by moving money from the the “Rainy Day Fund” and from the capital projects budget, not by cutting staff, programs or reducing the size of government, or doing “more with less” as you and I would need to if our expenses increased and our income didn’t.

I know, you think I have an axe to grind and some of you don’t believe anything negative about Maunoir/Yenni.

Would you believe it if it was in his own words?

In the Mayor’s letter to the Council regarding the 2015/2016 Budget, Yenni writes:

“The proposed 2015/2016 budget is being presented for your review and consideration. While revenues are showing improvement the budget continues to be a challenge. As you know over the past several years the City has had to use a portion of the fund balance and dedicate a portion of the City’s capital funds to operations to balance the budget.”

 Meaning, rather than cut my political appointees, not give them raises or cut bloated City government, Maunoir/Yenni approved moving funds from street and sewerage projects and Kenner’s safety net, the fund balance, to pay for city operations.

Why not, right? Maunoir/Yenni took on the largest debt in Kenner’s history (without voter approval) to pay for his “wish list” of projects to pay back his political contributors and borrowed even more to pay for sewerage work (again, without voter approval due to a 1950’s law and more semantic word games).

So, what does this mean? It means that Kenner’s Fund Balance (the “Rainy Day Fund”), while slightly more than 10% of the increased budget, could be significantly larger had it not been raided annually by  Maunoir/Yenni to “balance the budget” and Kenner is facing enormous debt for the next 20 years.

A portion of the fund balance, coupled with the $3.5 Million in Sales Taxes that annually go toward the new bond debt, could have been used on the capital projects contained in Yenni’s 2033 Plan, used to beef up Police and Fire personnel and equipment, used to enhance our Recreation Department, or any number of projects WITHOUT incurring the massive debt that Maunoir/Yenni incurred and is now attempting to bail out on to go spend JP’s money and rack up a mountain of debt in our parish.

What would Maunoir/Yenni do with JP’s share of the BP Oil Spill Settlement money? Would he agree with his little buddy Ben Zahn and devote a chunk to pay raises? Funnel more money to his campaign contributors? There’s no telling but, you can be certain that Maunoir/Yenni would spend it all and more before the first month of interest was paid.

To summarize, not only has Maunoir/Yenni depleted Kenner’s savings account, he maxed out Kenner’s credit cards too.

Just think what would have happened if Maunoir/Yenni had been allowed to double property taxes too.

Is that what a Conservative Republican does: Tax, borrow and spend, spend, spend? And now you know why I’m not a Republican anymore.

NEXT TIME – MORE LIES, I MEAN, MYTHS FROM THE MAUNIOR/BUISSON TEAM.

Definition of Oxymoron - LA Ethics Board

It should come as no surprise to many of you that I've long had issues with the Louisiana State Ethics Board and their practice of imposing fees for late filing of forms rather than smacking elected officials who game the system and use campaign funds to finance their personal lifestyles (which should be the mandate of the ethics board).

Admittedly, because I like to think that I am a fairly logical person, I have many issues with the Ethics Board, from their campaign finance software that candidates are required to use which contains more bugs than New Orleans during cockroach season and which cones with no instructions or support (need help? hire an accountant to prepare the forms for you) to arcane rules that truly make no sense (if you raise less than $5,000 in campaign contributions you can file on paper however if you loan your campaign your own money you MUST file electronically) to the fact that the Ethics Board has one true mission - raise money to pay salaries by imposing late fees instead of truly monitoring campaign contributions and expenses.

In essence, the Ethics Board is designed to make it as difficult and cumbersome as possible for a true "citizen" candidate to run for office.

But really, what do you expect from a State Board, formed by elected officials, stacked with current and former elected officials and their appointees, governed by legislators, and funded solely by fees that they can collect.

Of course, if a candidate is fined they can appeal. But, the appeals process is stacked against everyday folks too. For one, you must trek to Baton Rouge for a weekday hearing. Since many citizen candidates must work, this is difficult. At the hearing, you are given a few scant minutes to plead your case. Sometimes your late fee is reduced, rarely it is eliminated, and often the Appeals Board says, "Screw you - pay up."

Now, when a candidate is dinged with a late fee, should he ever run for office again, you can bet his opponent will harp on that at every opportunity, particularly if their campaign is managed by Greg Buisson.

Despite the clear fact that a LATE FEE is NOT an "Ethics Violation", that doesn't stop folks from exaggerating the truth on an unsuspecting public.

My run ins with the Ethics Board have all been regarding the late filing of forms.

 I have never committed a "true" ethics violation;

- never spent campaign money on fancy automobiles or Saints/LSU boxes like State Senator John Alario;

- never spent campaign money on bottles of water, gasoline or slushies for my kids like JP Councilman Ben Zahn;

- never accepted free advertising from an NGO that I approved funding for (Ben Zahn, again);

- never spent campaign money on holiday gifts in February (a Valentine's Day Present for his wife or a certain "special" someone in the French Quarter?) or tens of thousands on Mardi Gras Beads and Krewe dues or spent $1,500 on a lavish meal at New Orleans restaurants like the Name-Changer-In-Chief. Kenner Mayor and candidate for Parish President Mike Yenni;

- never accepted tens of thousands in PAC money over the annual limit like State Senator Danny Martiny;

- never accepted $20k in one day from a video poker operator using multiple front companies and then deny that I ever met him like JP Councilwoman Cynthia Sheng. (FYI, everyone who EVER donated to my campaigns, whether it was $10 or a max donation, received a phone call, a note or some personal contact from me expressing my gratitude for their support).

Shouldn't each of those be 'Ethics' violations and result in an investigation and, at least, fines from the Ethics Board?

In fact, none of the above has ever resulted in any investigations, fines or sanctions by the Ethics Board.

No, the Ethics Board is too busy chasing late fees.

About a week or so ago I received yet another letter from the Ethics Board giving me 30 days to pay a $2,000 Late Fee. I'm sure that if I don't, you will read about it in the Times-Picayune so, I'll save you trouble of forking over your hard-earned dollars to read about little old me.

After my failed Mayoral campaign in 2014, my final campaign report showed that I wrote off the money that I loaned my campaign and I had a balance in my account of $12.67.. Don't know how that happened. I could have lied and put in a fake expense of $12.67 for postage, gas, or Slushies for my kids (if I had some), but I just wanted the process over, so I submitted the form.

Writing off old debt is a common practice. I surely wasn't going to hold fundraisers to pay myself back or seek donations. No, it was my money, I risked it and I lost. So what?

The next day, I went to Capital One Bank after checking the sofa cushions and laundry for loose change to come up with $2.33 to deposit so I could cover the $15 service charge and close my account.

According to the Ethics Board, I was required to file a form this year showing that I loaned myself the $2.33.

$2.33!!!!!

Pretty funny right? It has cost them more money in certified letters than the $2.33 I scrounged up to close my account and they are fining me $2,000.

This week, the Ethics Board took action against another "Citizen" candidate, banning Scarlett Alaniz from running against the aforementioned Slushie King, Ben Zahn. It seems that Scarlett owed $700 or so in late fees from a previous campaign. When you "qualify" for office you are asked to attest to several questions: do you owe the Ethics Boards any fines? have you paid your taxes? etc.

In my mind, the whole process of "Qualifying" as a candidate in Louisiana is bogus anyway. Who decreed that you needed to pay a fee to run for office? Why do I need to attest to the payment of taxes on a piece of paper? Shouldn't the voters decide whether paying taxes 'qualifies' me, rather than a piece of paper and a political board?

Of course, the Ethics Board has taken no action against JP Councilman Chris Roberts and probably won't despite Roberts failure to file taxes for several years and only filing them on the day he qualified.

Has the Ethics Board asked to see the date/time stamp on Roberts' receipt and matched that to the time he filed his candidacy papers to see if it was legal or not?

Just one citizen wondering. To be honest, I really could care less whether Roberts filed his taxes or some politically-connected judge ruled that, since he was owed a refund anyway, Roberts gets a pass.

That's for the voters to decide and if they deem Roberts "qualified", who am I to judge?

But, I do think that it's patently unfair that Scarlett, who is my longtime friend and has done great work for years in the Kenner community, got kicked off the ballot for paying late fees too late.

No candidate should ever be excluded from the political process over late fees paid to an Ethics Board that has no clue what the word "Ethics" means.

When the US was formed, there was a poll tax. Only property or livestock owners who paid an annual tax could vote. This was designed to exclude non-property owners, people of color and poor whites from the voting process.

Despite the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which gave non-property owners who were male and black males the right to vote, many states, including Louisiana, continued the arcane practice of the Poll Tax.

It took a Populist like Huey Long to get the Poll Tax repealed in Louisiana.

For all intent and purposes, isn't a "Qualifying" Fee to be on the ballot and run for political office akin to a Poll Tax?

The qualifying fee is a financial impediment to everyday citizens running for office. But, that's why it's here - to keep elected officials and the chosen few in power while locking true citizen candidates out of the process.

Similarly, the Ethics Board, with it's arcane forms, ridiculous regulations, and focus on collecting late fees rather than investigating ethics violations and enforcing punishment on those who abuse the system, is designed to keep those in power and exclude those who don't have time to educate themselves on the Ethics Board's chicanery or who choose to forgo paying an accountant to file the forms.

Do you buy yard signs or pay an accountant to file forms?

For me, that was an easy answer. Of course, I've also been dinged for late fees.

So, while the Name-Changer-In-Chief Mike Yenni spends other people's money on $1,500 dinners and the Ben Zahn's of the political world figure out how they can charge their campaign accounts for more than 3 meals a day, I will be looking under my sofa cushions for loose change for gas money to trek to Baton Rouge when the Ethics Board files a law suit to collect $2,000 over my neglect to report $2.33.

Don't you just love Louisiana politics?

LaBruzzo’s “Surprise”

NOTE: For the record, I have known John LaBruzzo for easily 10+ years. I have campaigned for him and contributed to his prior campaigns. I’ve known Conrad Appel for some time as well, although I have never campaigned for him or contributed to him. I’ve also known Polly Thomas for many years and campaigned for her and contributed to her in the past. So, now you know.

Ok, now that the obligatory disclosures are out of the way, I have some explaining to do. I know it’s been awhile since my last post. Needed a little break and wanted to stop the rumors that I would be running for something this October (although I can’t believe y’all let Cynthia Sheng get appointed to Council-At-Large without an opponent – shame on you…).

Yeah, it seems like every time I criticize someone, some folks crawl out from under their rocks and claim that I’m attacking them personally because I want their job. Now, some of you are going to believe what you want to believe but, trust me, NOTHING, NOTHING could be further from the truth.

I am critical of elected officials, and folks not elected as well, when I think they are wrong on an issue or, in the case of Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni, wrong on MOST issues.

But more about the fake Conservative Republican Family Values Name Changer-In-Chief later, today we are talking about John LaBruzzo.

Many political insiders were surprised when the former State Rep decided against seeking the JP Council seat that he had announced for and instead qualified for the 9^th District Senate seat held by incumbent Conrad Appel.

Appel won a runoff against Polly Thomas, who also qualified for the Senate seat, in 2008 to serve the remainder of now Congressman Steve Scalise’s term. Appel was re-elected in 2011 without opposition.

To be fair, I think Conrad Appel is a very nice man with a nice family. He and his wife have always been very cordial to me. When I’ve had a question about an issue or a position, Conrad has always returned my call or gone on the radio with me, even when he knew I was on the opposite side. You have to respect that – most elected officials duck and cover when their assistants tell them I’m on the phone or dodge my emails.

Unfortunately, I haven’t contacted Senator Appel very much in the 7 years that he’s been in the State Senate and therein lies the issue. If I’m calling legislators in Cenla more than I’m calling a Jefferson Parish State Senator, especially a Republican (and, no, John Alario is as much a Republican as Mike Yenni – sorry for bringing up the Fake Conservative Republican Family Values Name Changer-In-Chief again, but it’s true and I just can't stop myself from continuing to point out hypocrisy) that’s a problem.

The fact is, in 7 years, aside from being Pro-Business and quiet as a mouse as Louisiana’s budget has increased (definitely not a Conservative trait - by the way, have I mentioned lately how Kenner's budget has increased and government grown despite the people of Kenner not approving Yenni's plan to double property taxes? ) and being on the wrong side of Common Core, I can’t point to anything substantive that Appel has done.

Perhaps that’s not a fair commentary. Maybe it’s a good thing that we don’t hear more from our state legislators. Maybe Senator Appel went to Baton Rouge in 2008 and said, “You know, I agree with that Walt Bennetti guy that we already have too many damn laws so I’m not going to propose any new ones.”

Nah, I don’t think he said that either.And he has proposed bills and gotten them passed. Can't tell you what they accomplished though.

On the flip side however, you know John LaBruzzo has put his name on several controversial issues. Now, whether that was by design to make a name for himself or whether he actually believes his ideas are best for Louisiana, is not for me to say.

But, let's look at a couple instances where LaBruzzo and Appel are on opposite sides: 

Should people receiving government assistance who aren’t working be drug tested? Yeah, I think so. They would be drug tested if they were employed.

Should there be harsher criminal penalties for violent offenders? No debate from me.

Should the Federal and State Governments get out of the education business and anything related to 

Common Core be repealed? Absolutely.

Those three issues are state issues and they are John LaBruzzo’s issues. He couldn’t tackle any of those if he was on the Jefferson Parish Council.

So, was I surprised when LaBruzzo qualified to run for State Senate against a Republican who isn’t really Conservative and is on the wrong side of a major issue like Common Core? Not at all, in fact, I was scratching my head when LaBruzzo said he was running for Parish Council.

And, to be honest, when it comes to John LaBruzzo, not much could surprise me.

Running against an incumbent like Appel and a very well-known fellow Republican like Polly Thomas is no easy task. Thomas was barely defeated by Appel in 2008 and has been active in the Republican Party and community groups since then.

But, if anyone is up for a fight it is John LaBruzzo and I wouldn’t bet against him.

Buckle up residents of Senate District 9 – it’s going to be an interesting 6 weeks.