New AG Opinion Renews Debate On Kenner Car Allowances

Is it a reimbursement or extra compensation for political appointees?

For several years, the people of Kenner have pondered that question. Kenner officials have claimed that auto and cell phone allowances, even without the appropriate documentation or mileage, were legitimate reimbursements.

It didn’t matter that the City of Kenner is only about 11 square miles and most of the political appointees that were receiving $300 – 500 per month in auto allowances rarely, if ever, left their offices.

It didn’t matter that the IRS has said that mileage commuting from home to work is not reimbursable.

It didn’t matter that this policy went on for years since former Mayor Ed Muniz, and then-CAO now-Mayor Mike Yenni, came under criticism for reducing the amount of employees who received city take-home vehicles while simultaneously significantly increasing the number of employees receiving extra money in their paychecks in the form of these allowances.

It didn’t matter that employees were paid a flat, monthly fee regardless of their vehicle or cell phone usage.

It didn’t matter that these allowances were listed on employees’ W-2 forms as income.

It didn’t matter that the Kenner City Council never approved these payments until earlier this year.

And, it really didn’t matter that many Kenner residents have long complained about this wasteful and abusive spending.

Now, the Louisiana Attorney General Office has weighed in and we’ll see if their opinion matters.

In an opinion sought by Mayor Yenni after receiving more criticism from the public, Assistant Attorney General Emailie Boyce said that the allowances should be considered compensation. This flies in the face of Kenner City Attorney Keith Conley who repeatedly referred to the allowances as “reimbursable expenses”.

At a Kenner City Council meeting earlier this year to discuss and, finally, attempt to legitimize these payments, the Council almost universally discussed how hard these city employees worked and how they deserved this extra compensation.

ClickJefferson.com discussed the auto allowances in June: http://www.clickjefferson.blogspot.com/2012/06/open-and-transparent-arent-in-mike_28.html

The AG opinion clearly falls on the side of “compensation” instead of “reimbursable expenses”.

Regarding the fact that employees received a flat fee and a payment not based on actual mileage, Boyce wrote, “These facts seem to contradict the assertion that the car allowance is merely a reimbursement of the employee’s expenses.”

Boyce further states, “(I)t is the opinion of this office that the car allowances provided to certain City employees are compensation, rather than reimbursement.”

Regardless of how the Kenner City Council, Mayor Yenni or City Attorney Conley want to spin this, clearly the auto and cell phone allowances that certain Kenner employees have received for years has been excess compensation. Unfortunately, since the City Council, instead of prudently waiting for the AG opinion, has already voted to legitimize these illegal payments, Kenner residents have no recourse to stop the practice.
 

More on Edwin Edwards and Reality TV

This morning, I was a guest on KPEL 96.5fm in Lafayette with Ken Romero and Bernadette Lee discussing Edwin Edwards and the forthcoming reality show featuring the ex-con/governor and his really young 3rd wife.

Here's a link to some excerpts from the interview and the entire audio portion courtesy of KPEL965.com: http://kpel965.com/are-we-footing-the-bill-for-edwin-edwards-reality-show

“The EWE Show”

On Friday, Entertainment Weekly magazine spilled the beans on the worst kept secret in Louisiana: former Governor and ex-con Edwin W. Edwards and his new, really young wife would be starring in an upcoming reality tv show.

Called “The Governor’s Wife”, although they married after Edwards was released from prison and 15 years after he was last Louisiana’s Governor, the show will follow Trina Edwards as she transitions into married life with the ex-con/governor and new stepmom to Edwards’ four children, including two daughters who are both 60+ themselves.

Picture a Louisiana octagenarian former governor ane ex-con meets "Honey Boo Boo". And, yes, that will be the first and last time that Honey Boo Boo is mentioned on ClickJefferson.com.

Trina, who is 35, and Edwards, 85, married in July 2011 after Trina began a pen-pal relationship with Edwards while he was in prison. Of course this begs the question: what is a 30+ year-old woman with two of her own kids, doing having any kind of relationship with a man in prison. Only in Louisiana and ready made for tv.

At least, ex-con/governor Edwards thought so.

Edwards has been pitching a reality show since before the pair was married. Reality producer Shaun Sanghani (a Tulane grad formerly involved in the energy business and Creator/Executive Producer of several reality shows including “Girls, Guns, Gators” and “Guardian Angels”, about the citizen crime fighters of the same name) has been travelling the country trying to sell cable nets on the project. Finally, A&E bit.

The show has been in filming since last year and Friday it was announced that A&E bought an initial run of 12 episodes that will premiere Wednesday, February 27^th at 9pm CT.

A&E knows that Louisiana is fertile ground for reality shows. The 2^nd season finale of Duck Dynasty drew a record 6.5 million viewers, making it the most watched A&E telecast of all time.

Edwards was always colorful and is known for his off-the-cuff quips. Regarding allegations of illegal campaign contributions, Edwards said, “It was illegal for them to give, but not me to receive”. When asked about his impending race for Governor against Dave Treen, Edwards said, “The only way I can lose this election is if I’m caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.”

And, who can forget Edwards reply to a reporter who asked what he had to do to win the 1991 Gubernatorial election against David Duke: “Stay alive,” Edwards said.

I’m sure that Edwards has been saving up his one-liner while he was in prison. Unfortunately, the nation will have yet another reason to laugh at Louisiana starting February 27^th.

Kenner Council Rounds Up Some “Usual Suspects” For Aviation Board Slot

The ink wasn’t dry on the Times-Picayune article announcing that David Campbell, Kenner’s longtime representative on the Armstrong Airport Aviation Board was resigning, and the Kenner City Council had already declared three possible candidates as his replacement. Unfortunately, rather than choosing truly independent candidates, two of the three candidates are familiar faces with potential conflicts of interest.

At Thursday’s meeting, the Council nominated:

-          Jules Corona, a former airline executive who is now retired

-          Jim Hudson, former head of Omni Bank and now Vice-President of IberiaBank (which bought Omni in 2011)

-          Todd Murphy, current President of the Jefferson Chamber and a former executive of Omni Bank who served under Hudson

Readers of ClickJefferson.com will recall that Hudson has a long and, in my opinion, inglorious history of serving on boards and committees in Kenner and Jefferson Parish. Some of Hudson’s notable “achievements” include:

-           Serving on the Fat City Advisory Board, which was responsible for the controversial Fat City rezoning ordinance. It’s been over two years since the rezoning ordinance was approved which caused dozens of businesses to close and hundreds to be unemployed. Fat City may be revitalized one day. Of course, that may not be in our lifetime.

-          Serving on Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni’s hand-picked Streamlining Government Committee. That committee was formed after the voters of Kenner overwhelmingly defeated Yenni’s plan to double property taxes. One of the committee’s recommendations for “streamlining” Kenner was to close 6 playgrounds. So much for quality of life. Thankfully, after public outcry, Yenni backed away from this “brilliant” idea.

-          Serving on Yenni’s “Economic Development Committee”. This committee is supporting Yenni’s 2030 Vision which calls for Kenner to borrow $30 Million dollars to fund beautification projects. I don’t need a “committee” to tell me that putting some trees in the median of Chateau Blvd. won’t create much “economic development”. Unless, of course, you own a tree service.

Hudson has also served on Greater New Orleans, Inc., the Jefferson Business Council and the East Jefferson General Hospital Board.

Hudson also was instrumental in denying a license to The Blue Monkey Bar. The Blue Monkey was a proposed night club that was in development months before the Fat City rezoning ordinance was approved and wasn’t even located in Fat City but was subjected to “Fat City rules”. In addition, according to court documents, Hudson, and others associated with Omni Bank, contended that The Blue Monkey “would not be consistent with the character of the businesses in the neighborhood and that it could damage property values”. This despite the fact that there were other bars in the area open 24-hours and The Blue Monkey would be open for significantly reduced hours. Here’s a link to a lawsuit that was filed by Blue Monkey LLC against Jefferson Parish and the Jefferson Parish Council regarding the refusal of the parish to approve the Blue Monkey’s zoning: http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/louisiana/laedce/2:2010cv02947/142699/25/0.pdf?1301581536

Aside from the questionable actions and decisions of these boards, there are also other potential conflicts regarding Hudson and the Aviation Board including the disposition of 260 airport buyout properties. In time, the Aviation Board will approve the sale of these properties to individuals and developers for their return to commerce as commercial properties. As a long-time banker and financier, Hudson has numerous potential conflicts with many area developers. Will he recuse himself from voting on matters involving those developers and, if so, how will that serve to protect the interests of the citizens of Kenner?

Murphy also has many of those same potential conflicts.

At this critical juncture with so much riding on the development of these buyout properties and the expected property tax boost to Kenner, can the city afford any potential conflicts of interest?

The Kenner City Council voted 7-0 to send these three nominees to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu for his ultimate approval.

While I generally applaud government acting swiftly, with something this important I wonder, after over 10 years of David Campbell, what was the rush?

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Be sure to listen to Walt Bennetti Monday mornings at 7:07am on the Ken and Bernie Show on KPEL 96.5 in Lafayette. Click here to listen live:

 http://www.kpel965.com

Saints Fan Takes Matters Into His Own Hands - Literally

A 26-year-old St. Tammany Parish man is accused of hiding his genitals under a Saints Santa hat and exposing himself in a WalMart parking lot.

Brian Harris was arrested after a woman complained of the flashing as Harris sat in his 1998 Honda Civic. The woman said that Harris made eye contact with her and grinned. Unfortunately, the woman did not get Harris' license plate but did give detectives a description of his car.

About two weeks later, a WalMart security guard was tipped off about a man masturbating in his car, again in the WalMart parking lot. The security guard was given a partial license plate number, which police used to track down Harris at his Covington residence.

Harris admitted to fondling himself under the Saints Santa hat, but denied that he exposed himself. Why someone would even admit to that is mind boggling. Just deny everything, dummy.

Harris is out on bond. If he is convicted, he could get up to 3 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500 on each obscenity charge. Anyone know the value of a 1998 Green Honda Civic?

Here's a link to the Times-Picayune article: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/01/covington_walmart_flasher_book.html

Indian Women Beat Politician Accused Of Rape

So, you think you're having a bad day? Be happy that you're not Indian politician Bikram Singh Brahma.

Brahma is accused of "seducing and subsequently raping" a married woman. It's unclear whether Brahma actually "raped" the woman or whether the relationship was consensual. Brahma is reported to have been sexual with the woman for sometime and allegedly strung her along by making her promises of a high position in government. Certainly not the first time that a politician has lied or used his position to get into another position with a woman. Here in Louisiana, they make movies about our politicians and their philandering ways and soon we'll have a new "reality" show starring former Governor Edwin Edwards and his less than 1/2 his age 3rd wife.

What is unusual about this case in India is that the public actually took the law into their own hands. Women are caught on camera beating Brahma, while men in this village just looked on. The women also ripped off Brahma's shirt in an attempt to shame him.

Here's a link to the story on GlobalPost and a video: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/130104/women-beat-rape-politician-india-video

Do you think that we in America could learn something from this story? Perhaps we could walk up and punch our elected officials when we know they are lying to us? It doesn't need to be hard or draw blood - just enough to bruise or leave a mark and let them know that we know they're lying.

Of course, the humiliation of being bruised might make some politicians get out of office but, maybe that's exactly what we need right about now.

I've got my video camera. Who wants to punch a politician? 

JEDCO Director Retiring On A Scandalous Note

Earlier this year, Lucien Gunter, the Executive Director of JEDCO (Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission), announced that he was retiring at the end of this year. Since Mr. Gunter is 85 years old, I didn’t really think his announcement was a surprise.

Now, little by little, we’re learning the rest of the story.

First, there was the revelation that Mr. Gunter used his JEDCO email account to promote political candidates specifically those that JEDCO was supporting for the Jefferson Parish School Board.

Now, the story goes even deeper.

A Times-Picayune article (http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/12/ethics_investigation_urged_for.html#incart_more_business) revealed that a JP Internal Auditor is claiming that since 2007 when he was hired, Mr. Gunter has violated the residency rule requiring him to reside in Jefferson Parish. The audit also uncovered the fact that Mr. Gunter used a deeply discounted apartment as a cover for his St. Tammany Parish residency. Mr. Gunter paid $300 per month for an apartment that would normally rent for $1,100 – 1,200 per month. This deep discount was courtesy of real estate magnate Henry Shane and his First Lake Properties.

In addition, Mr. Gunter is alleged to have been reimbursed over $11,000 for meals at local restaurants. While this is not against JEDCO policy, since JEDCO conveniently doesn’t have a policy, it is against Jefferson Parish policies.

 Gunter also received a $750 monthly car allowance and received almost $2,000 in reimbursements for mileage and parking.

While I have met Mr. Gunter several times during his tenure at JEDCO, it wasn’t until January of 2011 that I had a really significant conversation with him.

In the previous incarnation of ClickJefferson.com, I wrote an editorial criticizing JEDCO for a controversial billboard advertising campaign. You remember the billboards all over Jefferson Parish asking ridiculous questions like “Who’s Reinventing A City?”, “Who Lowered Crime Rates?, and, my personal favorite, “Who Built Better Levess?”.

In addition to running on ClickJefferson.com, the editorial was also picked up statewide by BayouBuzz.com. Here’s a link: http://www.bayoubuzz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151216%3AJefferson+Parish+Economic+Unit+Involved+In+Controversial+Ad+Campaign&catid=137%3Alatest-buzz&Itemid=622&tmpl=component&type=raw

On the morning that the editorial was published, I received a phone call from a JEDCO representative. The JEDCO rep had a message for me: “Mr. Gunter would like to meet with you today. Can you make it here at 2?” Sure, I said, I’d love to. What’s the worst that could happen? I get chewed out for 15 minutes? For the opportunity to get some questions answered, I’d put up with it.

Well, 15 minutes turned into over 2 hours as Mr. Gunter extolled the virtues of JEDCO, their importance to Jefferson Parish, the help that JEDCO could give me as a business owner, and how my thinking about JEDCO was wrong and I just didn’t understand.

That’s how it always works when I criticize the actions of someone who thinks they are powerful or the organization that they represent: I don’t understand.

When I criticized Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni regarding his plan to double property taxes in Kenner, the Mayor called me into his office (again, for over 2 hours) to tell me that I didn’t understand how government worked. When I’ve criticized Jefferson or Orleans Parish Councilmembers, or other elected officials, it was the same story: I didn’t understand.

I really can't count the number of times that I've been told by some elected or appointed official that I don't understand.

In fact, that’s a pretty popular deflection tactic employed by many: don’t talk about the issues and blame the other person because they clearly don’t understand.

So, after 2 hours of listening respectfully to Mr. Gunter tell me that I don’t understand, he threw me another familiar line. Noting my strong support of Jefferson Parish and Jefferson Parish businesses, Mr. Gunter talked about the similarities between he and I and JEDCO and ClickJefferson.com.

“After all, we’re both on the same team,” Mr. Gunter said.

“No, we’re not,” I replied. And that was how our conversation abruptly ended.

It was true then and it’s true now: Mr. Gunter and I aren’t on the same team. Never have been. Never will be.