Monday, February 20, 2006
LEVEE ALERT!
LPNS COMMENTARY:
Sources at the Capitol tell us that the new levee legislation does not actually do away with the old boards, but merely renames them park and recreation districts and leaves them with authority over all those things (airports, marinas, etc.) that aren’t directly related to the levees. If this is true a major scam has been perpetrated on the citizens of Louisiana.
The new law to be voted on this fall would only reduce the number of levee boards in that area from 5 to 3 and would set up a mechanism for the appointment of new members who have professional qualifications related to levees such as engineers. The point of the whole exercise was to try and take the political hacks and shady dealings out of the process.
If these revelations turn out to be true, it means the governor and the politicians at the Capitol have found yet another way to have their cake and eat it too at the taxpayer’s expense. It means they have created yet another layer of government.
Whether or not this turns out to be the case, the governor still and always has had the ability to fire (un-appoint) the members of the levee boards. We have pointed out on several occasions that if she were truly sincere in stopping all the insider political dealings she would do just that and appoint people with the professional credentials spelled out in the legislation now. She doesn’t need to wait for the vote this fall.
WE URGE HER TO DO JUST THAT! FIRE THE PRESENT LEVEE BOARD MEMBERS NOW AND PUT IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO POLITICAL OR MONETARY INTEREST IN THE PROCESS.
IF SHE REALLY CARED MORE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS THAN HER OWN PETTY POLITICS SHE WOULD HAVE ALREADY DONE IT!
