Youth Basketball registration begins in Kenner today (Thursday, 11/1) but, this year will be different than other years.
For the first time ever, Kenner families will be charged a $10 "Participation Fee" for the privilege of having their child play Kenner Recreation Basketball.
Mayor Zahn and some members of the City Council point to a 2015 Ordinance titled "Kenner's Recreation Master Plan" authored by then-Kenner City Councilman Dominick Impastato as the rationale for the "Participation Fee".
While primarily dealing with the creation of "Sports Academies" The Ordinance includes a provision to charge non-residents a "Participation Fee":
"The Parks and Recreation Department will assess a participation fee for non-city residents."
The Ordinance DOES NOT provide for a "Participation Fee" for City Residents.
In fact, the Ordinance states:
"That the City of Kenner will continue to maintain and promote the Playgrounds and the sports and programs at those Playgrounds. That will include, but not be limited to, tackle and touch football, volleyball, basketball, track and field, soccer, baseball, softball and cheerleading. The funds for these progams will come from money budgeted to the Parks and Recreation account. Every effort will be made to keep all programs low-cost."
The Ordinance passed 6-1 with only Kenner District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll opposing it.
Yes, other municipalities and parishes charge various fees for Recreation Department participation, and Kenner has charged fees for several Recreation programs that primarily involved a compensated teacher and/or materials for things like Painting or Ceramics.
But, since coaches at Kenner's playgrounds are uncompensated volunteers and Kenner owns the playgrounds, gyms and ball fields that are home to organized sports in Kenner (and paid for with our tax dollars already), charging a "Participation Fee" for organized sports makes zero sense.
Assuming Kenner fields 4 teams of 10 players per gym, that amounts to about 360 Kenner youths playing basketball. At $10 per player, that equals a whopping $3,600 in revenue that the City will generate from the "Participation Fee" for youth basketball.
$3,600 is even less than the $4,000 annually the City gives each playground booster club and when judged against a $66 Million annual City budget isn't even a rounding error.
Since the amount of revenue generated is so tiny, why charge the fee at all?
Certainly, the City of Kenner doesn't need $3,600 to help pay the gym light bills.
And, this fee will be per child per sport - not per family. So, if a family with 4 children participates in 3 organized sports (baseball, basketball, football), it will cost that family $120 per year just in "Participation Fees".
$120 may not seem like a lot of money to you, but it means a lot to many in Kenner.
Per the 2010 Census, the per capita income for the City of Kenner is $19,615 or about $6,000 less per capita than Jefferson Parish. That $19,615 figure is pre-tax total income. Yes, there are some pockets of wealth in Kenner but, on average, Kenner is a low income community. Any additional taxes and fees assessed to citizens will adversely impact the finances of a majority of Kenner residents.
Besides, Mayor Zahn doesn't need a vote of the people to approve a new fee and he is well aware that a new property tax, even for Recreation, would fail miserably.
But, why was this "Participation Fee" dropped in the laps of Kenner residents without any notice and without the approval of the Kenner City Council?
According to the Kenner City Charter, "Imposing any license, requiring any permit, establishing any charge for services rendered, or increasing the rate of any license, permit or service charge" must go before the Kenner City Council in the form of an ordinance and "shall not be adopted until at least 28 days after being introduced, nor until the proposed ordinance shall have been published by caption in the Official Journal".
Neither of these things happened.
When asked if this "Participation Fee" didn't equate to a "charge", Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn simply replied, "No."
Well, if it looks like a Duck, and it walks like a Duck, and it Quacks like a Duck, I guess in Kenner it's really a Turkey.
Many in Kenner are already questioning if this is a punitive move by the Mayor to push back at critics in the Kenner Black Community who pushed back over Zahn's aborted Nike ban.
Whether that is the case or not, like the Nike ban, the optics of this don't look good for Kenner and monetarily, this "Participation Fee" for city revenue is meaningless.
So, the question remains - if this fee won't do anything materially positive for the City of Kenenr or Kenner Recreation and will only take money from people who predominantly don't have excess cash to begin with and create more negative optics and bad feelings in Kenner - why even impose this fee?
Ponder that question while you plan your Holiday menus.
And remember, Turkeys are bigger than Ducks.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Monday, September 24, 2018
Kenner Councilman Proposes New Law Because Homeless People "Stink"
The City of Kenner, fresh off negative National and International publicity after Mayor Ben Zahn first banned Nike purchases by booster clubs and then rescinded the ban, is headed for another black eye after a Kenner City Councilman proposed an anti-loitering ordinance targeting homeless people because they "stink".
Loitering laws across the country have been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court for being "overly vague" and for not providing "clear, distinct guidelines for acceptable conduct."
This ordinance, proposed by Kenner District 4 Councilman George Branigan, is also vague and repulsive
The proposed ordinance says:
"(T)here is a public safety concern regarding individuals remaining in essentially
one (1) location for no obvious reason, to linger, to stay, to saunter, to dawdle, to stand around, or to delay an activity with aimless stops and pauses or to otherwise spend time idly or to be dilatory".
So, do I need an "obvious reason" to sit in my backyard and watch the sunset or is that "dawdling"?
I know, that's a poor analogy.
The ordinance does however seek to stop anyone from "dawdling" in public places including restaurants (hurry up and chug that wine or you could be cited for "dawdling"); stores (I'm going to start citing folks who "dawdle" at Wal-Mart and visit with folks instead of getting their groceries and heading straight to the checkout); and public places like parks (no more hanging out at City Park reading a book and watching the ducks for you, young man).
Branigan's ordinance says that people can't "dawdle" on public sidewalks. So the next time that you and your neighbor want to have a chat on a sidewalk, make sure one of your kids is on the corner acting as a lookout for KPD. You never know...
In addition, several residents complained about the ordinance, which was up for First Reading at the last council meeting, because it was posted on the Council Agenda by caption only - meaning the ordinance hadn't even been written before the Council Agenda's deadline.
While the City Attorney's office said it was permissible and not illegal to put forth an ordinance by caption only, as we've shown several times including with former Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni's sexting with a high school boy, just because it may not be technically illegal that certainly doesn't make it right.
By Charter, ordinances are introduced at First Reading giving citizens time before the First Reading and again before the Second Reading, to know what laws the Council is trying to implement. At the Second Reading, there is an opportunity for public comment before the Council votes on any proposed laws.
But, even more troubling than the possibility of an unconstitutional, questionably introduced law (that ironically, says law enforcement can cite you if you disobey their command to move on - but doesn't cite the punishment - a fine? Jail?) was Councilman Branigan's bizarre rationale for even introducing the law.
Evidently, Councilman Branigan, whose District includes the North Kenner Public Library, is concerned about the safety of residents since there happen to be some homeless people temporarily staying outside the library and they occasionally use the library's restrooms.
"There are homeless people living outside the library, which is a dangerous situation. During the day, they were going into the library and the poor people hadn't had baths or showers, and they stunk, obviously."
Obviously.
I could be wrong but last time I looked, there wasn't a smell test for entry to the library - or the Kenner City Council Chambers.
Not content to stop there, Councilman Branigan continued:
"And when they went into the library they were using the bathroom in the library to wash their clothes and clean themselves off."
The shock and horror! Homeless people actually trying to wash themselves.
I'm sure that the Kenner Police Department has far more important things to do than break down public restroom doors, frisk and handcuff homeless people using a public restroom sink to wash their face and brush their teeth, and haul them off to jail or fining them.
And, how exactly does Councilman Branigan think that a homeless person is going to pay a fine?
A defiant Councilman Branigan then went into a rambling speech about how the library is next to a school and a walking track at a playground and the homeless people using the library restrooms were a "safety" concern.
"My concern was for the children at that school and for the people on the track. If I would have waited two weeks (to properly introduce the ordinance) and some child got abducted or some person got attacked, I would have been really aggravated with myself for not taking a stand."
Please, stop the drama. The Academy Awards aren't for months.
Has there been a child abducted in Kenner by a homeless person recently? A person attacked by a homeless person? Have there even been any attempts or threats made against children or adults from homeless people using the public restroom at the library?
If there is a real safety issue with homeless people at the library, shouldn't the library or the School Board hire a security guard or off-duty KPD officer? The fact that the library and the School Board havn't done this should tell Councilman Branigan that "safety" isn't the real issue here.
I know, there's always a first time but there's been several recent reports of children abducted and attempted abductions from stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and others. Thankfully, none have occurred in Kenner. Will Councilman Branigan propose an ordinance to ban those stores next?
It's for the safety of the children, right?
As a human being (and, yes, I checked before I wrote that), I am repulsed by Councilman Branigan's comments.
As a citizen of Kenner, I am outraged, not just by his lack of sensitivity and compassion, but also the fact that this law doesn't fix the problem, and, as an elected official, shouldn't he try to fix the real problem, or, at least, identify it?
If the real problem is homeless people, what does this ordinance do to fix THAT problem? Does Kenner have a homeless shelter where people can go? Does the City have programs to help the homeless gain employment, transition to permanent housing, and move back into society?
What is sad is, there have been homeless people in Kenner for years, whether they are Veterans who have had difficulty transitioning back to society, the mentally ill, or folks who have not fared well with the new economy.
There was a mentally ill woman that hung out by the old Rite Aid at 33rd and Williams for some time. I gave her food from the Taco Bell there several times. She never tried to abduct me (although she did complain once about my choice of tacos).
While homelessness is an emergency, it's not an emergency because a child "may be abducted" or because some homeless folks use a public restroom to wash themselves off. I've seen people wash themselves off in public restrooms in businesses and highway rest areas for decades. That isn't a crime.
No, this is only an "emergency" because a Councilman was told about the issue. There are no Kenner Police incident reports regarding homeless people at the library. Safety and possible abductions or crimes is a false narrative.
Homelessness, though, is a problem.
Here's an idea: instead of demonizing the homeless for using a public restroom, why doesn't the City of Kenner show compassion and actually try to help these folks live a decent life. I'm relatively certain that they don't wake up everyday and enjoy the fact that they need to go into a public restroom just to wash their face or clean their clothes.
I know there are homeless people who are beyond help and can't transition back to society. But, shouldn't we at least try?
Introducing a vague, possibly unconstitutional ordinance and possibly fining or incarcerating folks because they are homeless, shouldn't be the kind of message any city, let alone a City like Kenner which is already reeling from negative publicity, wants to send.
What's next? Driving homeless people to the Kenner City Limits and dropping them off to get them out of Kenner?
Don't laugh.
At least one Kenner City Councilman wants to make it illegal for homeless people to wash their faces in a public restroom.
Hopefully, the other 6 Council members and Mayor Zahn have more compassion, human decency and common sense than Councilman Branigan.
Loitering laws across the country have been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court for being "overly vague" and for not providing "clear, distinct guidelines for acceptable conduct."
This ordinance, proposed by Kenner District 4 Councilman George Branigan, is also vague and repulsive
The proposed ordinance says:
"(T)here is a public safety concern regarding individuals remaining in essentially
one (1) location for no obvious reason, to linger, to stay, to saunter, to dawdle, to stand around, or to delay an activity with aimless stops and pauses or to otherwise spend time idly or to be dilatory".
So, do I need an "obvious reason" to sit in my backyard and watch the sunset or is that "dawdling"?
I know, that's a poor analogy.
The ordinance does however seek to stop anyone from "dawdling" in public places including restaurants (hurry up and chug that wine or you could be cited for "dawdling"); stores (I'm going to start citing folks who "dawdle" at Wal-Mart and visit with folks instead of getting their groceries and heading straight to the checkout); and public places like parks (no more hanging out at City Park reading a book and watching the ducks for you, young man).
Branigan's ordinance says that people can't "dawdle" on public sidewalks. So the next time that you and your neighbor want to have a chat on a sidewalk, make sure one of your kids is on the corner acting as a lookout for KPD. You never know...
In addition, several residents complained about the ordinance, which was up for First Reading at the last council meeting, because it was posted on the Council Agenda by caption only - meaning the ordinance hadn't even been written before the Council Agenda's deadline.
While the City Attorney's office said it was permissible and not illegal to put forth an ordinance by caption only, as we've shown several times including with former Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni's sexting with a high school boy, just because it may not be technically illegal that certainly doesn't make it right.
By Charter, ordinances are introduced at First Reading giving citizens time before the First Reading and again before the Second Reading, to know what laws the Council is trying to implement. At the Second Reading, there is an opportunity for public comment before the Council votes on any proposed laws.
But, even more troubling than the possibility of an unconstitutional, questionably introduced law (that ironically, says law enforcement can cite you if you disobey their command to move on - but doesn't cite the punishment - a fine? Jail?) was Councilman Branigan's bizarre rationale for even introducing the law.
Evidently, Councilman Branigan, whose District includes the North Kenner Public Library, is concerned about the safety of residents since there happen to be some homeless people temporarily staying outside the library and they occasionally use the library's restrooms.
"There are homeless people living outside the library, which is a dangerous situation. During the day, they were going into the library and the poor people hadn't had baths or showers, and they stunk, obviously."
Obviously.
I could be wrong but last time I looked, there wasn't a smell test for entry to the library - or the Kenner City Council Chambers.
Not content to stop there, Councilman Branigan continued:
"And when they went into the library they were using the bathroom in the library to wash their clothes and clean themselves off."
The shock and horror! Homeless people actually trying to wash themselves.
I'm sure that the Kenner Police Department has far more important things to do than break down public restroom doors, frisk and handcuff homeless people using a public restroom sink to wash their face and brush their teeth, and haul them off to jail or fining them.
And, how exactly does Councilman Branigan think that a homeless person is going to pay a fine?
A defiant Councilman Branigan then went into a rambling speech about how the library is next to a school and a walking track at a playground and the homeless people using the library restrooms were a "safety" concern.
"My concern was for the children at that school and for the people on the track. If I would have waited two weeks (to properly introduce the ordinance) and some child got abducted or some person got attacked, I would have been really aggravated with myself for not taking a stand."
Please, stop the drama. The Academy Awards aren't for months.
Has there been a child abducted in Kenner by a homeless person recently? A person attacked by a homeless person? Have there even been any attempts or threats made against children or adults from homeless people using the public restroom at the library?
If there is a real safety issue with homeless people at the library, shouldn't the library or the School Board hire a security guard or off-duty KPD officer? The fact that the library and the School Board havn't done this should tell Councilman Branigan that "safety" isn't the real issue here.
I know, there's always a first time but there's been several recent reports of children abducted and attempted abductions from stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and others. Thankfully, none have occurred in Kenner. Will Councilman Branigan propose an ordinance to ban those stores next?
It's for the safety of the children, right?
As a human being (and, yes, I checked before I wrote that), I am repulsed by Councilman Branigan's comments.
As a citizen of Kenner, I am outraged, not just by his lack of sensitivity and compassion, but also the fact that this law doesn't fix the problem, and, as an elected official, shouldn't he try to fix the real problem, or, at least, identify it?
If the real problem is homeless people, what does this ordinance do to fix THAT problem? Does Kenner have a homeless shelter where people can go? Does the City have programs to help the homeless gain employment, transition to permanent housing, and move back into society?
What is sad is, there have been homeless people in Kenner for years, whether they are Veterans who have had difficulty transitioning back to society, the mentally ill, or folks who have not fared well with the new economy.
There was a mentally ill woman that hung out by the old Rite Aid at 33rd and Williams for some time. I gave her food from the Taco Bell there several times. She never tried to abduct me (although she did complain once about my choice of tacos).
While homelessness is an emergency, it's not an emergency because a child "may be abducted" or because some homeless folks use a public restroom to wash themselves off. I've seen people wash themselves off in public restrooms in businesses and highway rest areas for decades. That isn't a crime.
No, this is only an "emergency" because a Councilman was told about the issue. There are no Kenner Police incident reports regarding homeless people at the library. Safety and possible abductions or crimes is a false narrative.
Homelessness, though, is a problem.
Here's an idea: instead of demonizing the homeless for using a public restroom, why doesn't the City of Kenner show compassion and actually try to help these folks live a decent life. I'm relatively certain that they don't wake up everyday and enjoy the fact that they need to go into a public restroom just to wash their face or clean their clothes.
I know there are homeless people who are beyond help and can't transition back to society. But, shouldn't we at least try?
Introducing a vague, possibly unconstitutional ordinance and possibly fining or incarcerating folks because they are homeless, shouldn't be the kind of message any city, let alone a City like Kenner which is already reeling from negative publicity, wants to send.
What's next? Driving homeless people to the Kenner City Limits and dropping them off to get them out of Kenner?
Don't laugh.
At least one Kenner City Councilman wants to make it illegal for homeless people to wash their faces in a public restroom.
Hopefully, the other 6 Council members and Mayor Zahn have more compassion, human decency and common sense than Councilman Branigan.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Whether New Orleans or Kenner, Moving CIty Hall Doesn't Make Sound Fiscal Sense
Ironically, both the City of New Orleans and the City Of Kenner are each contemplating moving their City Halls. In both cases, they are bad ideas.
On my radio program Monday on WGSO 990 AM, Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn discussed at least three possibilities for moving Kenner City Hall from it's Central Kenner location on Williams Blvd. to the West Esplanade-Chateau corridor: the Esplanade Mall, the nearly-vacant Pavilion Shopping Center, and the land directly across Chateau Blvd. from the Pavilion that formerly housed the OMV and retail businesses and restaurants pre-Katrina.
Currently, the bulk of Kenner business is at the three building City Hall Complex but the City of Kenner does house employees at about 10 other locations across Kenner.
On the face of it, consolidating City offices appears to be a good idea. Having one location to conduct ALL city business is convenient. Paying lower insurance premiums would also be a plus as would the economic impact of several hundred city employees on the restaurants near the proposed West Esplanade sites.
But, when you dig deeper, the financial ramifications of a move far outweigh the "convenience" of a consolidated Kenner City Government.
If you put City Hall at the Esplanade or Pavilion, admittedly some businesses will benefit. But, taking a huge section of retail space out of commerce and turning it into non-sales tax generating space, won't help Kenner's declining retail base.
As the Mayor often mentions, more folks are spending their money online, whether it's due to convenience or lower prices. But, online shopping, while growing at a huge rate, represents less than 10% of total sales.
Are malls in decline? Of course. But good property owners have been successful in re-purposing even old, tired malls like the Esplanade.
Perhaps the Mayor is correct and the Esplanade is beyond repair. I don't buy that and one only needs to look at Elmwood, Lakeside Shopping Center or any of the multiple shopping centers that are booming in Baton Rouge and other areas to see that the entire world isn't shopping online.
Nor is the bulk of Kenner.
In addition to taking a huge amount of retail out of commerce, the City would also turn from an "owner" into a "renter". The huge cost of paying rent at either the Esplanade or the Pavilion would completely offset any insurance savings due to consolidation. And, what would happen to the current buildings that houses Kenner operations? Do we really need even more commercial blight?
No, the answer to turning around Kenner's retail base, improving our sales tax and property tax bases isn't moving City Hall to what should be retail or mixed use space.
The answer to fixing the Esplanade, the Pavilion and Kenner, is complicated though and politicians like simple fixes.
At this time, with Kenner Mayor Zahn firmly in place for the next four years, he should be bold and double-down on economic development. Just as the Esplanade is on it's 3rd owner in two years, the Pavilion needs new ownership and the land across from the Pavilion on Chateau needs to be developed - NOW.
The City of Kenner has 4 primary economic development growth areas and each has its own set of challenges: Laketown, Rivertown, the West Esplanade Corridor (The Esplanade, The Pavilion and Chateau) and Williams Blvd.
Each needs help in order to reach their potential but, ALL can grow and prosper independently.
Laketown and Rivertown should be Entertainment/Retail hubs. Both can be home to specialty retail and focus on different audiences. Laketown, with the Treasure Chest Casino and the Pontchartrain Center along with a potential partnership with Atlantis Gaming (or another investor), can be geared towards tourists and draw folks from Metairie, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes while Rivertown can be marketed to Harahan/River Ridge residents and St. Charles (Hahnville, Destrehan, Luling, St. Rose, Norco).
Laketown is on its way and well past the pie-in-the-sky, or rather, Ferris Wheel-in-the-Sky, that former Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni had drawn up years ago. I always questioned the inclusion of a Ferris Wheel at Laketown. Now, we know why Yenni wanted one.
Rivertown too is improving but, as Kenner District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll said, "It's taking baby steps." New restaurants and retail are opening in Rivertown but the area needs much more and a much larger commitment from Mayor Zahn and Kenner officials to jumpstart it's progress.
Rivertown can't afford more years of "baby steps" after a decade of dismantling and neglect by Yenni and his predecessor Ed Muniz.
The Esplanade, with it's new owner, should be re-positioned as Retail/Residential, with the addition of apartments and/or condos, even offices, and a reduction (but not elimination) of retail space. The Esplanade could be the "family-friendly" shopping/entertainment venue that Kenner (and all of East Jefferson) craves. Adding 200-400 upscale residential units, and the 800-1000+ residents, would far outweigh the potential economic impact of 400 City of Kenner employees. Adding more "family-friendly" activities and a safer shopping environment would pull Kenner, Metairie and other residents away from Lakeside, Elmwood and other areas and give them a reason to spend their money in Kenner.
There is no other property like the Esplanade in Kenner and no available land to build a retail or mixed use property at the scale that could be done at the Esplanade. But, it would take a major investment and major effort from City Government and taxpayers to get there.
The Pavilion could be a mecca for upscale retailers, whether it's antique shops or specialty retailers, or a "Town Center" development. It could also be a mixed-use property with apartments and/or condos, offices, even Senior living. Imagine Seniors living in a truly self-contained area with a grocery, drug store, retail, a health clinic or urgent care, restaurants, a hair and nail salon, and more. What affluent senior wouldn't want to live on the upper floors of that retail/service environment and overlook Chateau Country Club or even Lake Pontchartrain from their balconies?
This type of "Town Center" approach would also benefit residents in Chateau, Cannes Brulee and other adjacent subdivisions.
Yes, I realize that the Esplanade and Pavilion are both owned by private companies and the City can only exert so much influence on them. But, if Mayor Zahn were aggressive and laid out a plan where the City would help the property owners succeed, it could be a massive win for all involved.
But, it would take a truly aggressive Mayor with vision looking beyond the next election cycle and the next budget.
Kenner and Mayor Zahn need to take the lead, not be led around by out-of-state investors. If the Esplanade, the Pavilion, Laketown, Rivertown and other areas are competing with each other for the same businesses and opportunities, Kenner will continue to stagnate.
Williams Blvd. also needs attention from Kenner Government. There are too many dilapidated shopping centers with outdated signs and questionable businesses. Too much of Kenner prime commercial space on Williams is allowed by current zoning laws to be occupied by non-retail businesses like Banks and Offices. The City needs to re-purpose Williams Blvd. as exclusively Retail.
A TIF for Williams Blvd. could be used to provide low or no-interest financing to businesses and property owners to replace the hodge-podge of signs, facades, and landscaping on Williams and dramatically improve the aesthetics of the only road that runs from Rivertown to Laketown all without a tax increase or incurring new government debt. Kenner has enough debt already due to the misguided ideas of former Mayor Mike Yenni.
Instead of adding public art and bike paths, Yenni's failed 2030 Plan should have been to focus on what should be Kenner's strengths. But, there's no campaign contributions or contracts involved in getting businesses to phase out their tired signs and invest in their property.
Sadly, Yenni frittered away Millions on projects with ZERO economic development value to the City. Yenni's 2030 Plan created NO new jobs, NO new businesses, NO influx of families (young or otherwise) and hamstrung Kenner's finances for Mayors, and generations, to come.
All four areas (Laketown, Rivertown, the West Esplanade/Chateau corridor, Williams Blvd.) should each have their own TIFs and financial incentives to encourage economic development, re-purposing, updated signage, marketing and more.
Sure, having TIFs and diverting some sales tax revenue from City coffers would hurt the City budget in the short term, but, in the long term it would be a massive boom to the City in terms of new businesses, jobs, property values, as well as increased property and sales tax revenue.
Admittedly, TIFs aren't a panacea and there has been widespread abuse of TIFs. But, by adopting best practices and governance, TIFs can and do provide significant benefits to a city.
If the City added a small sales tax to apartment rentals, even if it were only for the short-term, the City could generate more than enough revenue to offset any loss of sales tax revenue from the TIFs.
Along with the TIFs and financial incentives, the City and the Mayor need to get aggressive in recruiting national, regional and local businesses to Kenner. Having a part-time Economic Development Director isn't enough. The Mayor himself needs to spend much more time beating the bushes and recruiting business to Kenner. Kenner's other elected officials, including State Legislators and our JP District and At-Large Council members also need to get more heavily invested time wise in helping improve Kenner's economy. Clearly, what the Esplanade and the Pavilion are doing as far as marketing their properties and Kenner isn't working. The Mayor. and others, need to jump in with both feet.
Putting a church on prime commercial property next to the Esplanade and considering moving City Hall to the Esplanade or Pavilion, send the wrong message to potential businesses and won't help Kenner thrive, grow or even compete in the future.
If the City added 400-500 new housing units (either apartments or condos) at the Esplanade site, another 300 affluent Senior living housing units at the Pavilion and high-end condos at Laketown, that could add 2,000-3,000+ new Kenner residents. If you coupled that with offices at any or all of these locations, what kind of economic development and increased taxes would that be for the City of Kenner?
Now, is the time for Mayor Zahn to think long-term about Kenner and Kenner's future and his decisions shouldn't be based upon "convenience".
New Orleans would also make a huge financial mistake if it were to move their City Hall.
Unlike Kenner however, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is considering moving City Hall to the old Municipal Auditorium, a vacant building owned by the city, or the closed Charity Hospital.
In New Orleans though, the costs of moving city hall are far greater than moving Kenner's.
At a time when New Orleans budget is already strained and the Mayor is warning of more budget surprises on top of the current $39 Million shortfall, New Orleans simply can't afford to move.
Yes, it would be great to redevelop Charity Hospital and rebuild the Municipal Auditorium, and perhaps one day the city can, but that time isn't now.
The City of New Orleans has far too many infrastructure needs to incur the additional costs of not only renovating either the Municipal Auditorium or the old Charity Hospital AND the costs of moving offices, furniture and equipment to either location at this time.
Now is the time for both New Orleans Mayor Cantrell and Kenner Mayor Zahn to be bold and aggressive, especially when it comes to attracting new businesses to both cities. Moving City Hall, is not a bold move for either.
For different financial reasons, now is not the time for either the City of Kenner or the City of New Orleans to consider moving their City Halls.
On my radio program Monday on WGSO 990 AM, Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn discussed at least three possibilities for moving Kenner City Hall from it's Central Kenner location on Williams Blvd. to the West Esplanade-Chateau corridor: the Esplanade Mall, the nearly-vacant Pavilion Shopping Center, and the land directly across Chateau Blvd. from the Pavilion that formerly housed the OMV and retail businesses and restaurants pre-Katrina.
Currently, the bulk of Kenner business is at the three building City Hall Complex but the City of Kenner does house employees at about 10 other locations across Kenner.
On the face of it, consolidating City offices appears to be a good idea. Having one location to conduct ALL city business is convenient. Paying lower insurance premiums would also be a plus as would the economic impact of several hundred city employees on the restaurants near the proposed West Esplanade sites.
But, when you dig deeper, the financial ramifications of a move far outweigh the "convenience" of a consolidated Kenner City Government.
If you put City Hall at the Esplanade or Pavilion, admittedly some businesses will benefit. But, taking a huge section of retail space out of commerce and turning it into non-sales tax generating space, won't help Kenner's declining retail base.
As the Mayor often mentions, more folks are spending their money online, whether it's due to convenience or lower prices. But, online shopping, while growing at a huge rate, represents less than 10% of total sales.
Are malls in decline? Of course. But good property owners have been successful in re-purposing even old, tired malls like the Esplanade.
Perhaps the Mayor is correct and the Esplanade is beyond repair. I don't buy that and one only needs to look at Elmwood, Lakeside Shopping Center or any of the multiple shopping centers that are booming in Baton Rouge and other areas to see that the entire world isn't shopping online.
Nor is the bulk of Kenner.
In addition to taking a huge amount of retail out of commerce, the City would also turn from an "owner" into a "renter". The huge cost of paying rent at either the Esplanade or the Pavilion would completely offset any insurance savings due to consolidation. And, what would happen to the current buildings that houses Kenner operations? Do we really need even more commercial blight?
No, the answer to turning around Kenner's retail base, improving our sales tax and property tax bases isn't moving City Hall to what should be retail or mixed use space.
The answer to fixing the Esplanade, the Pavilion and Kenner, is complicated though and politicians like simple fixes.
At this time, with Kenner Mayor Zahn firmly in place for the next four years, he should be bold and double-down on economic development. Just as the Esplanade is on it's 3rd owner in two years, the Pavilion needs new ownership and the land across from the Pavilion on Chateau needs to be developed - NOW.
The City of Kenner has 4 primary economic development growth areas and each has its own set of challenges: Laketown, Rivertown, the West Esplanade Corridor (The Esplanade, The Pavilion and Chateau) and Williams Blvd.
Each needs help in order to reach their potential but, ALL can grow and prosper independently.
Laketown and Rivertown should be Entertainment/Retail hubs. Both can be home to specialty retail and focus on different audiences. Laketown, with the Treasure Chest Casino and the Pontchartrain Center along with a potential partnership with Atlantis Gaming (or another investor), can be geared towards tourists and draw folks from Metairie, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes while Rivertown can be marketed to Harahan/River Ridge residents and St. Charles (Hahnville, Destrehan, Luling, St. Rose, Norco).
Laketown is on its way and well past the pie-in-the-sky, or rather, Ferris Wheel-in-the-Sky, that former Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni had drawn up years ago. I always questioned the inclusion of a Ferris Wheel at Laketown. Now, we know why Yenni wanted one.
Rivertown too is improving but, as Kenner District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll said, "It's taking baby steps." New restaurants and retail are opening in Rivertown but the area needs much more and a much larger commitment from Mayor Zahn and Kenner officials to jumpstart it's progress.
Rivertown can't afford more years of "baby steps" after a decade of dismantling and neglect by Yenni and his predecessor Ed Muniz.
The Esplanade, with it's new owner, should be re-positioned as Retail/Residential, with the addition of apartments and/or condos, even offices, and a reduction (but not elimination) of retail space. The Esplanade could be the "family-friendly" shopping/entertainment venue that Kenner (and all of East Jefferson) craves. Adding 200-400 upscale residential units, and the 800-1000+ residents, would far outweigh the potential economic impact of 400 City of Kenner employees. Adding more "family-friendly" activities and a safer shopping environment would pull Kenner, Metairie and other residents away from Lakeside, Elmwood and other areas and give them a reason to spend their money in Kenner.
There is no other property like the Esplanade in Kenner and no available land to build a retail or mixed use property at the scale that could be done at the Esplanade. But, it would take a major investment and major effort from City Government and taxpayers to get there.
The Pavilion could be a mecca for upscale retailers, whether it's antique shops or specialty retailers, or a "Town Center" development. It could also be a mixed-use property with apartments and/or condos, offices, even Senior living. Imagine Seniors living in a truly self-contained area with a grocery, drug store, retail, a health clinic or urgent care, restaurants, a hair and nail salon, and more. What affluent senior wouldn't want to live on the upper floors of that retail/service environment and overlook Chateau Country Club or even Lake Pontchartrain from their balconies?
This type of "Town Center" approach would also benefit residents in Chateau, Cannes Brulee and other adjacent subdivisions.
Yes, I realize that the Esplanade and Pavilion are both owned by private companies and the City can only exert so much influence on them. But, if Mayor Zahn were aggressive and laid out a plan where the City would help the property owners succeed, it could be a massive win for all involved.
But, it would take a truly aggressive Mayor with vision looking beyond the next election cycle and the next budget.
Kenner and Mayor Zahn need to take the lead, not be led around by out-of-state investors. If the Esplanade, the Pavilion, Laketown, Rivertown and other areas are competing with each other for the same businesses and opportunities, Kenner will continue to stagnate.
Williams Blvd. also needs attention from Kenner Government. There are too many dilapidated shopping centers with outdated signs and questionable businesses. Too much of Kenner prime commercial space on Williams is allowed by current zoning laws to be occupied by non-retail businesses like Banks and Offices. The City needs to re-purpose Williams Blvd. as exclusively Retail.
A TIF for Williams Blvd. could be used to provide low or no-interest financing to businesses and property owners to replace the hodge-podge of signs, facades, and landscaping on Williams and dramatically improve the aesthetics of the only road that runs from Rivertown to Laketown all without a tax increase or incurring new government debt. Kenner has enough debt already due to the misguided ideas of former Mayor Mike Yenni.
Instead of adding public art and bike paths, Yenni's failed 2030 Plan should have been to focus on what should be Kenner's strengths. But, there's no campaign contributions or contracts involved in getting businesses to phase out their tired signs and invest in their property.
Sadly, Yenni frittered away Millions on projects with ZERO economic development value to the City. Yenni's 2030 Plan created NO new jobs, NO new businesses, NO influx of families (young or otherwise) and hamstrung Kenner's finances for Mayors, and generations, to come.
All four areas (Laketown, Rivertown, the West Esplanade/Chateau corridor, Williams Blvd.) should each have their own TIFs and financial incentives to encourage economic development, re-purposing, updated signage, marketing and more.
Sure, having TIFs and diverting some sales tax revenue from City coffers would hurt the City budget in the short term, but, in the long term it would be a massive boom to the City in terms of new businesses, jobs, property values, as well as increased property and sales tax revenue.
Admittedly, TIFs aren't a panacea and there has been widespread abuse of TIFs. But, by adopting best practices and governance, TIFs can and do provide significant benefits to a city.
If the City added a small sales tax to apartment rentals, even if it were only for the short-term, the City could generate more than enough revenue to offset any loss of sales tax revenue from the TIFs.
Along with the TIFs and financial incentives, the City and the Mayor need to get aggressive in recruiting national, regional and local businesses to Kenner. Having a part-time Economic Development Director isn't enough. The Mayor himself needs to spend much more time beating the bushes and recruiting business to Kenner. Kenner's other elected officials, including State Legislators and our JP District and At-Large Council members also need to get more heavily invested time wise in helping improve Kenner's economy. Clearly, what the Esplanade and the Pavilion are doing as far as marketing their properties and Kenner isn't working. The Mayor. and others, need to jump in with both feet.
Putting a church on prime commercial property next to the Esplanade and considering moving City Hall to the Esplanade or Pavilion, send the wrong message to potential businesses and won't help Kenner thrive, grow or even compete in the future.
If the City added 400-500 new housing units (either apartments or condos) at the Esplanade site, another 300 affluent Senior living housing units at the Pavilion and high-end condos at Laketown, that could add 2,000-3,000+ new Kenner residents. If you coupled that with offices at any or all of these locations, what kind of economic development and increased taxes would that be for the City of Kenner?
Now, is the time for Mayor Zahn to think long-term about Kenner and Kenner's future and his decisions shouldn't be based upon "convenience".
New Orleans would also make a huge financial mistake if it were to move their City Hall.
Unlike Kenner however, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is considering moving City Hall to the old Municipal Auditorium, a vacant building owned by the city, or the closed Charity Hospital.
In New Orleans though, the costs of moving city hall are far greater than moving Kenner's.
At a time when New Orleans budget is already strained and the Mayor is warning of more budget surprises on top of the current $39 Million shortfall, New Orleans simply can't afford to move.
Yes, it would be great to redevelop Charity Hospital and rebuild the Municipal Auditorium, and perhaps one day the city can, but that time isn't now.
The City of New Orleans has far too many infrastructure needs to incur the additional costs of not only renovating either the Municipal Auditorium or the old Charity Hospital AND the costs of moving offices, furniture and equipment to either location at this time.
Now is the time for both New Orleans Mayor Cantrell and Kenner Mayor Zahn to be bold and aggressive, especially when it comes to attracting new businesses to both cities. Moving City Hall, is not a bold move for either.
For different financial reasons, now is not the time for either the City of Kenner or the City of New Orleans to consider moving their City Halls.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Protests Grow Louder In Kenner Nike Ban
A crowd estimated between 100-200 attended a "peaceful protest" of Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn's ban on Nike products at Kenner Booster Clubs.
Monday afternoon, Mayor Zahn issued a statement in an attempt to "clarify" the Nike controversy. Instead, the Mayor just made the waters even murkier.
"Private, for-profit companies have every right to advertise how they wish, even if it means using advertising to promote corporate political beliefs. Individuals also have every right to support or oppose any company or brand for any reason. Those freedoms should never be lost.
I applaud Nike's message of inclusion and encouragement for everyone to be their best and dream big. But I also recognize that Nike, in its zeal to sell shoes, chose to promote and sell a political message.
In Kenner, like every city, our citizens and our taxpayers cover a wide spectrum of political philosophies and agendas. We must respect all of those agendas and philosophies. So, when a company uses its advertising as its own political megaphone, government should be fair to all of its people and not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to help that company push its own political agenda.
My decision is only to protect taxpayer dollars from being used in a political campaign. Some have asked if people will be allowed to wear Nike apparel on city playgrounds. The answer to that is...of course.
My internal memo draws the line on letting companies profit from taxpayers by espousing political beliefs. My decision disallowing Nike from profiting from our taxpayers while they are using their powerful voice as a political tool is my message. This government will not let taxpayer dollars be used to promote a company's or individual's political position, platform or principle. That's my position as a matter of fairness to all."
Reaction to Zahn's statements have been swift and largely negative.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has been friendly towards Zahn, issued a statement:
"As I have emphasized repeatedly since taking office, I believe in the values the people of New Orleans stand for - being inclusive, being accepting and supportive of all our people, committing to social justice, and being intentional about how we make decisions.
The mandate handed down by Kenner's Mayor is out of step with those values, and not reflective of the way our city does business.
Although the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is located in Kenner, it is owned and governed by the City of New Orleans. Let me assure you that our airport will continue to uphold our city's values."
as long
Nothing like rubbing salt in the wound by bringing up the fact that Armstrong Airport has long used, and abused, the City of Kenner and the people of Kenner.
And, how many murders has New Orleans had this year?
Jefferson Parish Councilman Mark Spears, who while residing on the West Bank, represents a portion of Kenner and has long been an ally of Zahn and was a sponsor of Kennner's recent Freedom Fest, attended the protest.
"It's a shame that we're here for this," Spears said. "These policies are illegal."
No City of Kenner elected officials attended the protest but several New Orleans Saints players did.
Kenner District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll, who ran against Zahn for Mayor during the last election cycle, has been the only vocal critic on the Kenner City Council of Zahn's Nike ban.
Mayor Zahn, like everyone, is entitled to their own personal feelings regarding Nike and their glorification of Colin Kaepernick, a man that truly is not worth glorifying in my opinion. But, he is the Mayor and shouldn't allow his personal opinions to get in the way of governing.
As the Mayor himself pointed out, the City of Kenner is diverse and, on a polarizing, racially-charged issue like Nike and Kaepernick, opinions are diverse as well.
And volatile.
Kenner faces many problems including Mayor Cantrell's Airport and the decline of Kenner Recreation, both of which Mayor Zahn inherited.
But, if the Mayor would have said, "My personal feeling is that Nike should be banned from Kenner Recreation and Booster Clubs. Unfortunately, I let my personal feelings about Nike and Colin Kaepernick interfere with governing the City of Kenner. That won't happen again," this issue would have been over.
Unfortunately, Mayor Zahn's new statement just made things worse - for him and Kenner.
While the Mayor makes a point regarding funding Nike's political motives, because he represents the Government and not a Private Business, his message is invalid.
Politics is ruled by companies using political campaign contributions to exact, or extort, tax payer dollars.
As a Jefferson Parish Councilman, Mayor Zahn gave out Millions in No-Bid Contracts to companies that contributed hundreds of thousands to his campaigns. Yes, engineering contracts are allowed to be "No-Bid", but they shouldn't be. All contracts from certified bidders, should be bid.
So, while the Mayor bemoans Nike using it's money to further it's political message, doesn't the same hold true for campaign contributors? They use their money to further their political influence.
When it was announced that Mayor Zahn would be issuing a second statement regarding the Nike-Kaepernick controversy, many expected a Mea Culpa so that Kenner could heal and move forward.
Sadly, we didn't get that and Kenner is even more polarized than yesterday.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring for Kenner.
Now, about Armstrong International Airport...
Monday afternoon, Mayor Zahn issued a statement in an attempt to "clarify" the Nike controversy. Instead, the Mayor just made the waters even murkier.
"Private, for-profit companies have every right to advertise how they wish, even if it means using advertising to promote corporate political beliefs. Individuals also have every right to support or oppose any company or brand for any reason. Those freedoms should never be lost.
I applaud Nike's message of inclusion and encouragement for everyone to be their best and dream big. But I also recognize that Nike, in its zeal to sell shoes, chose to promote and sell a political message.
In Kenner, like every city, our citizens and our taxpayers cover a wide spectrum of political philosophies and agendas. We must respect all of those agendas and philosophies. So, when a company uses its advertising as its own political megaphone, government should be fair to all of its people and not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to help that company push its own political agenda.
My decision is only to protect taxpayer dollars from being used in a political campaign. Some have asked if people will be allowed to wear Nike apparel on city playgrounds. The answer to that is...of course.
My internal memo draws the line on letting companies profit from taxpayers by espousing political beliefs. My decision disallowing Nike from profiting from our taxpayers while they are using their powerful voice as a political tool is my message. This government will not let taxpayer dollars be used to promote a company's or individual's political position, platform or principle. That's my position as a matter of fairness to all."
Reaction to Zahn's statements have been swift and largely negative.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has been friendly towards Zahn, issued a statement:
"As I have emphasized repeatedly since taking office, I believe in the values the people of New Orleans stand for - being inclusive, being accepting and supportive of all our people, committing to social justice, and being intentional about how we make decisions.
The mandate handed down by Kenner's Mayor is out of step with those values, and not reflective of the way our city does business.
Although the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is located in Kenner, it is owned and governed by the City of New Orleans. Let me assure you that our airport will continue to uphold our city's values."
as long
Nothing like rubbing salt in the wound by bringing up the fact that Armstrong Airport has long used, and abused, the City of Kenner and the people of Kenner.
And, how many murders has New Orleans had this year?
Jefferson Parish Councilman Mark Spears, who while residing on the West Bank, represents a portion of Kenner and has long been an ally of Zahn and was a sponsor of Kennner's recent Freedom Fest, attended the protest.
"It's a shame that we're here for this," Spears said. "These policies are illegal."
No City of Kenner elected officials attended the protest but several New Orleans Saints players did.
Kenner District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll, who ran against Zahn for Mayor during the last election cycle, has been the only vocal critic on the Kenner City Council of Zahn's Nike ban.
Mayor Zahn, like everyone, is entitled to their own personal feelings regarding Nike and their glorification of Colin Kaepernick, a man that truly is not worth glorifying in my opinion. But, he is the Mayor and shouldn't allow his personal opinions to get in the way of governing.
As the Mayor himself pointed out, the City of Kenner is diverse and, on a polarizing, racially-charged issue like Nike and Kaepernick, opinions are diverse as well.
And volatile.
Kenner faces many problems including Mayor Cantrell's Airport and the decline of Kenner Recreation, both of which Mayor Zahn inherited.
But, if the Mayor would have said, "My personal feeling is that Nike should be banned from Kenner Recreation and Booster Clubs. Unfortunately, I let my personal feelings about Nike and Colin Kaepernick interfere with governing the City of Kenner. That won't happen again," this issue would have been over.
Unfortunately, Mayor Zahn's new statement just made things worse - for him and Kenner.
While the Mayor makes a point regarding funding Nike's political motives, because he represents the Government and not a Private Business, his message is invalid.
Politics is ruled by companies using political campaign contributions to exact, or extort, tax payer dollars.
As a Jefferson Parish Councilman, Mayor Zahn gave out Millions in No-Bid Contracts to companies that contributed hundreds of thousands to his campaigns. Yes, engineering contracts are allowed to be "No-Bid", but they shouldn't be. All contracts from certified bidders, should be bid.
So, while the Mayor bemoans Nike using it's money to further it's political message, doesn't the same hold true for campaign contributors? They use their money to further their political influence.
When it was announced that Mayor Zahn would be issuing a second statement regarding the Nike-Kaepernick controversy, many expected a Mea Culpa so that Kenner could heal and move forward.
Sadly, we didn't get that and Kenner is even more polarized than yesterday.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring for Kenner.
Now, about Armstrong International Airport...
Monday, September 10, 2018
Kenner Mayor Zahn Dives Headfirst Into Nike/Kaepernick Controversy
What does the City of Kenner have to do with Nike and the brand's controversial ad campaign featuring out-of-work, vastly overpaid ex-NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick?
Before the other day, not much.
But, that has all changed.
After Nike glorified Kaepernick, who was best known for two things: being a mediocre NFL Quarterback with a losing career record and leading a protest of the National Anthem to draw attention to himself, I mean, social injustice (or was it police brutality against blacks), Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn fired off a Memo to Kenner's Director of Parks & Recreation stating:
"Effective immediately all purchases made by any booster club operating at any Kenner Recreation Facility, for wearing apparel, shoes, athletic equipment, and/or any athletic product must be approved by the Director of Parks & Recreation, or his designee. Under no circumstances will any Nike product or any product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery at any City of Kenner Recreation Facility."
When I first read the memo, I didn't think much about it.
For starters, the City of Kenner provides booster clubs, 11 across the city, with a whopping total of $4,000 each in tax dollars so, the booster clubs aren't going to be, and shouldn't be, buying any athletic equipment anyway. All equipment should be purchased by the City of Kenner already for safety, insurance and consistency purposes anyway.
Second, the primary purposes of the booster clubs are to assist parents that can't afford to get their children into athletic programs, raise funds for extra activities (travel to tournaments, etc.) and assist in upkeep of facilities.
Aside from possibly purchasing a pair of cleats or athletic shoes for a child, a booster club shouldn't be purchasing Nike products anyway especially since Nike typically aren't the most inexpensive brand out there.
Like I said, I didn't think much about the Memo.
Then, the Memo hit social media.
Soon, everybody and their brother had an opinion about the Mayor's Memo and much of it was negative.
From former Kenner resident Donna Brazile (who, thankfully, is a FORMER Kenner resident) to radical racist Shaun King (not the ex-Tulane and NFL Quarterback), everyone it seemed were piling on Kenner.
It was interesting to me that, a blatant racist like Shaun King, who has promoted the Black Lives Matter movement, was calling the Mayor of Kenner a racist and calling our city racist.
Look, I've known Ben Zahn for over 12 years. During that time, I've called him a great many things (and he's called me some things as well), but "racist" has never been one of them (for either of us).
Does racism exist? Of course and, sadly, racism exists in Kenner. But the City of Kenner taken as a whole is not racist. We can't be. Kenner's population is about 50% White, 25% Black and 24% Hispanic. We are not a typical, White-centric suburb.
Are there racists in Kenner? Yes to that too. But, I don't count Ben Zahn in that number.
If you've listened to my radio show, you know that I've been disgusted that race has been brought into the Nike/Kaepernick discussion, whether it was from Nike itself (which, clearly knew and was overjoyed at the free publicity it received from the controversy), from many in the White community who truly believe that Kaepernick was disrespectful to our flag and our national anthem, or from those in the minority community fired up by racists like Shaun King who believe that it is good for our country to be divided because the can use racial division or President Trump or any of a thousand other excuses to polarize us and prop themselves up as "leaders".
Newsflash to Shaun King and Colin Kaepernick: James Meredith was a leader. Rosa Parks was a leader. 6-year-old Ruby Bridges was a leader.
Unlike Kaepernick, who earned $39 Million in salary from the NFL plus millions more in endorsements (including money he earned from Nike for the past two years as his unemployment compensation - wouldn't you like to earn over $1 Million for being unemployed?), Meredith, Parks, Bridges and countless others, of every gender, ethnicity and race, "sacrificed everything" for what they believed in.
But, I've wasted enough time talking about hypocrites like Shaun King and Colin Kaepernick - let's get back to Kenner.
District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll was critical of the Mayor's Memo. In a Facebook post, Councilman Carroll said:
"Last night a disturbing memorandum was circulated that the City of Kenner Mayor E. Ben Zahn wrote to the Kenner Recreation Director directing him, regarding Booster Club Purchases, banning Nike products, usage or delivery of all Kenner Recreation Facilities. I was no made aware of this decision beforehand and it is direct contradiction of what I stand for and what the City of Kenner should stand for.
I am 100% AGAINST this decision. I will meet with the Mayor and other council members in an effort to rescind this directive. I will keep the citizens of Kenner and the Greater New Orleans area informed as we move forward."
Should Mayor Zahn have entered this fray? Probably not. The City of Kenner has far bigger problems than fanning the flames of racially-charged bigots looking for a fight, or an excuse.
Is Ben Zahn entitled to have an opinion about Nike and Kaepernick? Of course, he's an American just like you or I.
But, he's also the Mayor of Kenner and as such his opinion, whether personal or not, reflects upon the city.
Besides, what does Kenner gain from this? How does the Zahn Memo help attract businesses or families to Kenner?
Clearly, Kenner has already lost and Zahn has lost too.The only thing left is damage control.
And, for what? $44,000 given to booster clubs?
Hardly seems like a fair exchange to me.
Before the other day, not much.
But, that has all changed.
After Nike glorified Kaepernick, who was best known for two things: being a mediocre NFL Quarterback with a losing career record and leading a protest of the National Anthem to draw attention to himself, I mean, social injustice (or was it police brutality against blacks), Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn fired off a Memo to Kenner's Director of Parks & Recreation stating:
"Effective immediately all purchases made by any booster club operating at any Kenner Recreation Facility, for wearing apparel, shoes, athletic equipment, and/or any athletic product must be approved by the Director of Parks & Recreation, or his designee. Under no circumstances will any Nike product or any product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery at any City of Kenner Recreation Facility."
When I first read the memo, I didn't think much about it.
For starters, the City of Kenner provides booster clubs, 11 across the city, with a whopping total of $4,000 each in tax dollars so, the booster clubs aren't going to be, and shouldn't be, buying any athletic equipment anyway. All equipment should be purchased by the City of Kenner already for safety, insurance and consistency purposes anyway.
Second, the primary purposes of the booster clubs are to assist parents that can't afford to get their children into athletic programs, raise funds for extra activities (travel to tournaments, etc.) and assist in upkeep of facilities.
Aside from possibly purchasing a pair of cleats or athletic shoes for a child, a booster club shouldn't be purchasing Nike products anyway especially since Nike typically aren't the most inexpensive brand out there.
Like I said, I didn't think much about the Memo.
Then, the Memo hit social media.
Soon, everybody and their brother had an opinion about the Mayor's Memo and much of it was negative.
From former Kenner resident Donna Brazile (who, thankfully, is a FORMER Kenner resident) to radical racist Shaun King (not the ex-Tulane and NFL Quarterback), everyone it seemed were piling on Kenner.
It was interesting to me that, a blatant racist like Shaun King, who has promoted the Black Lives Matter movement, was calling the Mayor of Kenner a racist and calling our city racist.
Look, I've known Ben Zahn for over 12 years. During that time, I've called him a great many things (and he's called me some things as well), but "racist" has never been one of them (for either of us).
Does racism exist? Of course and, sadly, racism exists in Kenner. But the City of Kenner taken as a whole is not racist. We can't be. Kenner's population is about 50% White, 25% Black and 24% Hispanic. We are not a typical, White-centric suburb.
Are there racists in Kenner? Yes to that too. But, I don't count Ben Zahn in that number.
If you've listened to my radio show, you know that I've been disgusted that race has been brought into the Nike/Kaepernick discussion, whether it was from Nike itself (which, clearly knew and was overjoyed at the free publicity it received from the controversy), from many in the White community who truly believe that Kaepernick was disrespectful to our flag and our national anthem, or from those in the minority community fired up by racists like Shaun King who believe that it is good for our country to be divided because the can use racial division or President Trump or any of a thousand other excuses to polarize us and prop themselves up as "leaders".
Newsflash to Shaun King and Colin Kaepernick: James Meredith was a leader. Rosa Parks was a leader. 6-year-old Ruby Bridges was a leader.
Unlike Kaepernick, who earned $39 Million in salary from the NFL plus millions more in endorsements (including money he earned from Nike for the past two years as his unemployment compensation - wouldn't you like to earn over $1 Million for being unemployed?), Meredith, Parks, Bridges and countless others, of every gender, ethnicity and race, "sacrificed everything" for what they believed in.
But, I've wasted enough time talking about hypocrites like Shaun King and Colin Kaepernick - let's get back to Kenner.
District 1 Councilman Gregory Carroll was critical of the Mayor's Memo. In a Facebook post, Councilman Carroll said:
"Last night a disturbing memorandum was circulated that the City of Kenner Mayor E. Ben Zahn wrote to the Kenner Recreation Director directing him, regarding Booster Club Purchases, banning Nike products, usage or delivery of all Kenner Recreation Facilities. I was no made aware of this decision beforehand and it is direct contradiction of what I stand for and what the City of Kenner should stand for.
I am 100% AGAINST this decision. I will meet with the Mayor and other council members in an effort to rescind this directive. I will keep the citizens of Kenner and the Greater New Orleans area informed as we move forward."
Should Mayor Zahn have entered this fray? Probably not. The City of Kenner has far bigger problems than fanning the flames of racially-charged bigots looking for a fight, or an excuse.
Is Ben Zahn entitled to have an opinion about Nike and Kaepernick? Of course, he's an American just like you or I.
But, he's also the Mayor of Kenner and as such his opinion, whether personal or not, reflects upon the city.
Besides, what does Kenner gain from this? How does the Zahn Memo help attract businesses or families to Kenner?
Clearly, Kenner has already lost and Zahn has lost too.The only thing left is damage control.
And, for what? $44,000 given to booster clubs?
Hardly seems like a fair exchange to me.
Monday, August 20, 2018
In JP Stench Scandal, All Fingers Point To Yenni and Conley
Like his Sexting Scandal, in the JP Stench Scandal, JP's Sexual Predator-In-Chief Mike Yenni just seems to get himself in deeper and deeper (no pun intended) with every word from his mouth, every Council meeting and Press Conference.
Several weeks back, Yenni called a Press Conference to address the persistent complaints in recent months from residents of Harahan and River Ridge regarding the stench that seemed to be coming across the river from the JP-owned landfill in Waggaman.
At the Press Conference, Yenni, always trying to act like he's in control and doing his job, pointed fingers at everyone from the JP Engineer charged with monitoring the landfill to former Parish President John Young and a "phantom" letter written in 2012 allowing the landfill operator, IESI to cut corners at the landfill, to IESI itself and their alleged incompetence.
Well, weeks have passed and John Young unequivocally denied any relaxation of the landfill rules under his Administration, we have yet to see the "phantom" letter that Yenni used to blame Young, and we have now learned that before Yenni's Press Conference, IESI, the landfill operator, sent a letter to Yenni stating that they would repair and maintain the parish-owned gas trapping equipment at NO COST TO TAXPAYERS.
Now, a report from an Engineering Consultant (paid for with our tax dollars) has zeroed in on the real reason why the odor has only begun in the past 6-9 months and the blame points directly at Yenni and his CAO Keith Conley.
Last year, without public debate or the approval of the Jefferson Parish Council, Conley (acting on Yenni's behalf) asked the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) for permission to start accepting liquid industrial waste at the landfill.
During a Special Council Meeting Friday, when asked about the acceptance of liquid industrial waste, Yenni sat silent but Conley claimed to not know anything about the change.
Until, an audience member disclosed the letter written and signed by Conley to the LDEQ seeking the permission to accept the liquid industrial waste.
And, you know as well as I do that Conley wouldn't even consider writing that letter without Yenni's approval.
Who are you going to blame now, Mikey?
Conley, for those who don't know or who haven't heard about him, is a former JPSO Deputy who resigned after his implication in the coverup of a JPSO altercation with a Mardi Gras parade goer on Veterans Blvd. While Conley wasn't accused to the physical altercation, he was implicated in the coverup and the victim filed a Civil law suit seeking (and receiving) monetary damages from Conley.
After leaving the JPSO, Conley became an Attorney, having his own practice until filing for bankruptcy. He then went to work in the law firm of Yenni's BFF Michael Brandner. the personal injury attorney. Conley, who contributed to Yenni's 2010 Kenner Mayoral campaign, despite his bankruptcy filing, also served as Kenner's City Attorney during Yenni's first term as Kenner Mayor.
For Yenni's 2nd term as Kenner Mayor, Conley was elected Councilman-At-Large so he could help push through Yenni's agenda.
When Yenni became Parish President, Conley quit as Councilman-At-Large and followed Yenni to the Parish, becoming Yenni's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) despite having ZERO experience in a role that vast.
Of course, having ZERO relevant experience hasn't stopped Yenni from loading up the Parish payroll with other high paying execs, each earning over $100k in salary plus more in benefits, including:
- Former Kenner Police Chief Steve Caraway, one of Yenni's Chief Administrative Assistants despite the fact that the Parish President has ZERO input into the JPSO and Caraway has spent his career in law enforcement.
- Former JP Public School Superintendent Dianne Roussel, another of Yenni's Chief Administrative Officers with oversight over departments including Human Resources and the Animal Shelter. REALLY? We need a Chief Administrative Officer overseeing the Animal Shelter? Roussel, for those of you following along at home, was at least partially responsible for running JP's Public School System into the ground, taking on mountains of debt, and a continued decline of test scores. Years after Roussel's retirement after an 8-year stint where, according to her anyway, she "left the school system better than I found it", the JP Public School System is still struggling to recover.
- Deputy Chief Operating Officer (under Conley) Natalie Newton, who also came over from Kenner where she was first an uncertified City Auditor (a position created for her by Yenni) and later Kenner's Deputy CAO. Newton's background before meeting Mike Yenni: she was a secretary for a Texas company.
- Valerie Waguespack Brolin, currently the head of the JP Housing Authority. Her background: before joining the Parish, she was the IT Director for Kenner (another position created by Yenni), despite not knowing any computer programming. Before she became the IT Director, she was a secretary for former Mayor Ed Muniz and before that she was a legal secretary.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a secretary, but running a city and a parish, or even a department of government, requires certain skills, background and experience.
Similarly, there's nothing wrong with working your way up or growing into a job if you have a passion for it.
But, for $100k + annually in tax payer dollars as a salary, plus benefits, these shouldn't be On-The-Job Training positions. In my opinion, unless your position requires extensive education and experience, like an Engineer, no one in Parish or City government should earn anything close to $100k per year, yet alone more than that, including the Parish President or the Mayor of a City the size of Kenner (or smaller).
Similarly, there's nothing wrong with working your way up or growing into a job if you have a passion for it.
But, for $100k + annually in tax payer dollars as a salary, plus benefits, these shouldn't be On-The-Job Training positions. In my opinion, unless your position requires extensive education and experience, like an Engineer, no one in Parish or City government should earn anything close to $100k per year, yet alone more than that, including the Parish President or the Mayor of a City the size of Kenner (or smaller).
My point in this is to show repeated instances of Yenni's vanity in surrounding himself with people who aren't even on his low level intellectually. Yenni is a narcissist that needs to think he is the smartest guy in the room and loathes anyone that has the experience or expertise to challenge him.
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to Yenni and Conley, there is no doubt that Yenni defenders will rally around him to attempt to deflect blame.
JP District 3 Councilman Mark Spears and District 4 Councilman Dominick Impastato, have already begun trying to cast aspersions everywhere - everywhere that is, that is away from Yenni.
There are calls to close the JP-owned landfill and use one of the River Birch landfills on the West
Bank. Kenner, due to Yenni's intervention, already uses a River Birch landfill for disposal of its waste instead of the Parish-owned landfill, which may have provided a less expensive option to River Birch.
Bank. Kenner, due to Yenni's intervention, already uses a River Birch landfill for disposal of its waste instead of the Parish-owned landfill, which may have provided a less expensive option to River Birch.
And, I don't need to rehash all of the past River Birch political scandals.
River Birch has contributed Tens of Thousands to the political campaigns of many elected officials including Yenni, Spears and current Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn.
But, the answer isn't to close the Parish-owned landfill. The answer is to stop the practice of accepting liquid industrial waste, which the Yenni Administration did stop last month, but only after hundreds of folks got sick.
And, since the acceptance of the liquid industrial waste was initiated by the Yenni Administration, and authorized by Keith Conley, why haven't he and Yenni resigned?
Yenni and Conly are responsible for the unsafe practices at the Parish-owned landfill - not John Young, not IESI, not a poorly maintained gas trapping system and certainly not an Engineer that was just doing his job and following Conley's (and Yenni's) orders..
YENNI and CONLEY MUST RESIGN. PERIOD.
Closing the Parish-owned landfill won't fix the stench in Jefferson Parish when it's actually coming from the Parish President's Office.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Apartments Out; A Church In? At Kenner's Old Hollywood Cinemas Site
The saga of the former Hollywood Cinemas site at The Esplanade Mall continues.
In 2015, the vacant, crumbling theatre site was sold to a Baton Rouge Property Developer that wanted to put a multi-story apartment complex on the site. A total of 265 high-end apartments were to be constructed.
Residents of Cannes Brulees (the subdivision adjacent to The Esplanade) howled in protest. The apartments would lessen their property value some said, Others claimed that the apartment residents would be able to see into homeowner's yards and houses.
After several public meetings, the property developer promised to put up trees, shrubbery and other items to lessen the opportunity for apartment dwellers to peep into homes and yards.
Despite the vociferous objections of the neighborhood, the Kenner City Council approved the project by a 5-2 vote. The Council did add 15 amendments to the zoning ordinance approving the change to make the project more palatable to neighbors.
Fast forward to earlier this year and the Hollywood Cinema site was still vacant and even more unkept and unsafe.
Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn requested the Council fast track demolition of the property to reduce the blight in Kenner.
The property developer said they just needed a little more time and their financing might fall through if the building were demolished. They promised to bring the property back to code compliance and keep the property in good repair.
After relatively little activity at the site, and the property developer not following through on their pledge to maintain the property prior to demolition, new District 4 Councilman George Branigan said that he would use District 4 improvement money to cover the cost of the property demolition as the expected cost would exceed the City's entire demolition budget.
While a noble gesture by Branigan, this would have been a terrible idea for District 4 residents who would be far better served by Branigan using the funds on infrastructure (sewerage, drainage, streets, etc.) then blowing a chunk of money on a demolition and then securing a lien against the property that would only be paid if the property were sold - which could have taken years, if ever. In the meantime, the needs of District 4 would have gone unmet.
The good news is that Kenner and District 4 residents won't need to worry about that option.
Now, here's what I think is the bad news.
Wednesday night at 6pm at the Muss Bertolino Gym, there will be a public meeting regarding the property developer's attempt to sell the site and get it rezoned so a church could go in it's place.
That's right - a church.
Now, I was not a fan of the apartment complex idea, but it was better than what was there - a vacant, crumbling movie theatre, and, at least, while the apartment complex wouldn't have generated sales tax revenue for the city, it would have brought in significantly more property tax revenue as the value of the developed site was substantially higher than a vacant, crumbling movie theatre.
But now, if the proposed church is built, the City won't even be receiving property taxes on the property.
No sales tax revenue. No property tax revenue. Nothing.
Mayor Zahn though calls it a WIN for the City.
"The Church and its members have an organization that will be an asset to Kenner businesses. Their congregation will use Kenner restaurants, shopping centers and gas stations when visiting Kenner," Zahn said. Independent Churches throughout this country have grown over the past years into huge groups of followers and that will only help Kenner as any company does that enters our market."
"I think it's a win for everyone."
Mayor Zahn may be correct but, you can't quantify or even attempt to project the economic impact of a church and its members.
You can HOPE that they will buy gas, eat at Kenner restaurants, perhaps even shop at what's left of Kenner's deteriorating retail base - but you can't KNOW.
You can, however, quantify and project Sales Tax Revenue and Property Tax Revenue, neither of which the City will receive if this site becomes a church.
Look, I'm not against churches. I've been a Roman Catholic my entire life. But, we already have churches in strip centers on Williams Blvd. tying up valuable Commercial Real Estate - real estate that could be generating Sales Tax Revenue for the City.
And, the City has other, valuable Commercial Real Estate that is being used by a non-profit group.
On Williams Blvd., the City sold valuable Commercial Real Estate to the non-profit group, Habitat for Humanity - again, a great group but, they pay ZERO in Property Taxes, they collect and remit ZERO in Sales Taxes (because they resell donated goods), and they even pay ZERO in Sales Taxes on the materials used in constructing their building.
And, if that weren't enough, they paid less for the property than other potential buyers.
Again, no disrespect to Habitat for Humanity, which has a noble mission, but, other than a few low-paying retail positions, what are they bringing to the City of Kenner that we need to have their retail store on Williams Blvd.? Wouldn't the City have been better served to locate this store on a less desirable piece of City property? If you're going to buy supplies from Habitat for Humanity, you will seek them out regardless of where they are located because you want to support the group.
Habitat for Humanity's Restore building didn't need to go on Williams Blvd.
And lost in the conversation is the question of what will be the perception of potential tenants and the new owners of The Esplanade if a church pops up next to them? How will they feel with a church on that site using a chunk of The Esplanade's parking lot? Is having a church there the economic message that the City wants to send to potential business owners considering The Esplanade? Does a church show that the city's retail environment is thriving?
You should know what I think by now.
The property around The Esplanade is too valuable to not be developed into something that generates significant revenue for the City, whether it's property tax revenue that the apartment complex would have generated (and sales taxes too if the City imposed a tax on rental property) or sales tax revenue if the site were a restaurant or retail.
Since we can't quantify or even project the potential revenue from the church, its impact on the other retail businesses in the area and its impact on The Esplanade itself, I think Kenner residents should be concerned by this.
At a time when Lakeside Shopping Center is bustling with new stores like the first LEGO store in Louisiana and undergoing a $10 Million renovation and the owners of Clearview Shopping Center purchased the Sears building (which will downsize to a space inside the mall), is proposing building two additional retail/multi-use buildings and undergoing an interior and exterior sprucing up, why is The Esplanade floundering so badly that Kenner officials are happy to have a church occupying what should be prime real estate?
Yes, putting a church on that site is better than what's there now just like putting an auto dealership in what should have been Phases 3 & 4 of the Kenner Market Center is better than a vacant lot.
But, why are we settling for "better than nothing"?
Why is the City of Kenner settling at all?
The first Public Meeting about the proposed Zoning change to allow a church on the site will be held Wednesday at 6pm at Muss Bertolino Gym. If you care about the future of Kenner and The Esplanade, you need to make time to attend.
In 2015, the vacant, crumbling theatre site was sold to a Baton Rouge Property Developer that wanted to put a multi-story apartment complex on the site. A total of 265 high-end apartments were to be constructed.
Residents of Cannes Brulees (the subdivision adjacent to The Esplanade) howled in protest. The apartments would lessen their property value some said, Others claimed that the apartment residents would be able to see into homeowner's yards and houses.
After several public meetings, the property developer promised to put up trees, shrubbery and other items to lessen the opportunity for apartment dwellers to peep into homes and yards.
Despite the vociferous objections of the neighborhood, the Kenner City Council approved the project by a 5-2 vote. The Council did add 15 amendments to the zoning ordinance approving the change to make the project more palatable to neighbors.
Fast forward to earlier this year and the Hollywood Cinema site was still vacant and even more unkept and unsafe.
Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn requested the Council fast track demolition of the property to reduce the blight in Kenner.
The property developer said they just needed a little more time and their financing might fall through if the building were demolished. They promised to bring the property back to code compliance and keep the property in good repair.
After relatively little activity at the site, and the property developer not following through on their pledge to maintain the property prior to demolition, new District 4 Councilman George Branigan said that he would use District 4 improvement money to cover the cost of the property demolition as the expected cost would exceed the City's entire demolition budget.
While a noble gesture by Branigan, this would have been a terrible idea for District 4 residents who would be far better served by Branigan using the funds on infrastructure (sewerage, drainage, streets, etc.) then blowing a chunk of money on a demolition and then securing a lien against the property that would only be paid if the property were sold - which could have taken years, if ever. In the meantime, the needs of District 4 would have gone unmet.
The good news is that Kenner and District 4 residents won't need to worry about that option.
Now, here's what I think is the bad news.
Wednesday night at 6pm at the Muss Bertolino Gym, there will be a public meeting regarding the property developer's attempt to sell the site and get it rezoned so a church could go in it's place.
That's right - a church.
Now, I was not a fan of the apartment complex idea, but it was better than what was there - a vacant, crumbling movie theatre, and, at least, while the apartment complex wouldn't have generated sales tax revenue for the city, it would have brought in significantly more property tax revenue as the value of the developed site was substantially higher than a vacant, crumbling movie theatre.
But now, if the proposed church is built, the City won't even be receiving property taxes on the property.
No sales tax revenue. No property tax revenue. Nothing.
Mayor Zahn though calls it a WIN for the City.
"The Church and its members have an organization that will be an asset to Kenner businesses. Their congregation will use Kenner restaurants, shopping centers and gas stations when visiting Kenner," Zahn said. Independent Churches throughout this country have grown over the past years into huge groups of followers and that will only help Kenner as any company does that enters our market."
"I think it's a win for everyone."
Mayor Zahn may be correct but, you can't quantify or even attempt to project the economic impact of a church and its members.
You can HOPE that they will buy gas, eat at Kenner restaurants, perhaps even shop at what's left of Kenner's deteriorating retail base - but you can't KNOW.
You can, however, quantify and project Sales Tax Revenue and Property Tax Revenue, neither of which the City will receive if this site becomes a church.
Look, I'm not against churches. I've been a Roman Catholic my entire life. But, we already have churches in strip centers on Williams Blvd. tying up valuable Commercial Real Estate - real estate that could be generating Sales Tax Revenue for the City.
And, the City has other, valuable Commercial Real Estate that is being used by a non-profit group.
On Williams Blvd., the City sold valuable Commercial Real Estate to the non-profit group, Habitat for Humanity - again, a great group but, they pay ZERO in Property Taxes, they collect and remit ZERO in Sales Taxes (because they resell donated goods), and they even pay ZERO in Sales Taxes on the materials used in constructing their building.
And, if that weren't enough, they paid less for the property than other potential buyers.
Again, no disrespect to Habitat for Humanity, which has a noble mission, but, other than a few low-paying retail positions, what are they bringing to the City of Kenner that we need to have their retail store on Williams Blvd.? Wouldn't the City have been better served to locate this store on a less desirable piece of City property? If you're going to buy supplies from Habitat for Humanity, you will seek them out regardless of where they are located because you want to support the group.
Habitat for Humanity's Restore building didn't need to go on Williams Blvd.
And lost in the conversation is the question of what will be the perception of potential tenants and the new owners of The Esplanade if a church pops up next to them? How will they feel with a church on that site using a chunk of The Esplanade's parking lot? Is having a church there the economic message that the City wants to send to potential business owners considering The Esplanade? Does a church show that the city's retail environment is thriving?
You should know what I think by now.
The property around The Esplanade is too valuable to not be developed into something that generates significant revenue for the City, whether it's property tax revenue that the apartment complex would have generated (and sales taxes too if the City imposed a tax on rental property) or sales tax revenue if the site were a restaurant or retail.
Since we can't quantify or even project the potential revenue from the church, its impact on the other retail businesses in the area and its impact on The Esplanade itself, I think Kenner residents should be concerned by this.
At a time when Lakeside Shopping Center is bustling with new stores like the first LEGO store in Louisiana and undergoing a $10 Million renovation and the owners of Clearview Shopping Center purchased the Sears building (which will downsize to a space inside the mall), is proposing building two additional retail/multi-use buildings and undergoing an interior and exterior sprucing up, why is The Esplanade floundering so badly that Kenner officials are happy to have a church occupying what should be prime real estate?
Yes, putting a church on that site is better than what's there now just like putting an auto dealership in what should have been Phases 3 & 4 of the Kenner Market Center is better than a vacant lot.
But, why are we settling for "better than nothing"?
Why is the City of Kenner settling at all?
The first Public Meeting about the proposed Zoning change to allow a church on the site will be held Wednesday at 6pm at Muss Bertolino Gym. If you care about the future of Kenner and The Esplanade, you need to make time to attend.
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