Louisiana Political News Service

“Remember Otis of Mayberry, the town drunk, I think Otis is secretly running the Road Home program.” -Treasurer John Kennedy

Kennedy on Blanco Road Home Program- "Their incompetence is breathtaking"
WWL Channel 4 (CBS) (excerpt)

The Road Home program has been the object of homeowners’ ire for some time with what is perceived to be the snail’s pace of payouts of funds to applicants.

Video: Watch the Story However, since it was revealed last week that the program is probably a few billion shy of the funding it needs to meet the obligations of homeowners, it has been open season.

“Their incompetence is breathtaking,” said State Treasurer John Kennedy on the Eyewitness Morning News last week. “Remember Otis of Mayberry, the town drunk, I think Otis is secretly running the Road Home program.”

Possibly to counter feelings like those expressed by Kennedy, the Road Home has been airing a series of ads to bolster its image. However, the ads seem to have had a reverse effect, upsetting some who wonder why money is being spent on ads when there apparently isn’t enough to pay homeowners.

A spokesperson for the Road Home told Eyewitness News that the money for the ads is provided in its contract, but the perception could be a problem.

“It may be time to cut those ads,” said Walter Leger of LRA.



Lawmakers to debate proposals to reverse income tax increases
by Robert Travis Scott - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE -- After four years of heated discussion in forums ranging from committee hearings to talk radio, the debate over the controversial 4-year-old tax change known as the Stelly Plan has reached a climactic moment in the state Capitol.

Opposition to the income tax increases under Stelly has mushroomed into a major campaign in the Legislature to reverse some of its provisions. In the House alone, 27 bills have been filed to amend Stelly.

Although critics have harped about Stelly in the past, this session they're banking on the fact that the state is in a good position to afford tax cuts, because of record state tax collections sparked by a hurricane recovery economy and high oil prices.

That, matched with vocal expressions of frustration among lawmakers' constituents, has ripened the opportunity to roll back at least a portion of Stelly that placed a greater burden on middle-and upper-income taxpayers.

"I'm going to pursue it with passion because that's what people in my district want," Rep. Jane Smith, R-Bossier City, said during a House committee briefing last week on proposed legislation. "The average person on the street just believes they've been disenfranchised. It's the outcry in my area."

The House Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax bills, has called for a "Stelly Day" of hearings that begin this morning to review the various proposals. The Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee begins a similar review this afternoon. No votes on bills are expected today, but the discussion this week is likely to shape the outcome for the session.
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Labels: BLANCO, GOVERNOR, KATRINA, LOUISIANA, POLITICS