AGENDA

FINANCE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
2:30 P.M. Room 348

Item 23:
Authorizing the Mayor-President to enter into a cooperative endeavor
agreement and professional services contract with the Greater Baton
Rouge Economic Partnership, a non-profit affiliate of the Baton Rouge
Area Chamber, for the term of one year to act as the City-Parish’s
Economic Development Department, so as to effect a professional
business development program that will provide quality job growth and
increased economic opportunities for the City-Parish, and to appropriate
the sum of $500,000 for the funding thereof. By: Mayor-President.

On the East Baton Rouge Metro Council Finance and Executive Committee agenda for the meeting on November 19, 2008 item 23 authorizes the city to renew its contract with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

This contract is for "a professional development program that will provide quality job growth and increase economic opportunities for the City-Parish."
The City of Baton Rouge will pay the Chamber $500,000.

My question is shouldn't this already be the mission of the Chamber and why does Baton Rouge have to pay $500,000 for these services?

If the Chamber is acting as the economic arm of Baton Rouge and being funded by tax payers, why does the Chamber have a political PAC (FuturePAC) that is active in City-Parish political campaigns?

The new Metro Council elect was almost entirely supported by the Chamber's PAC, of the 12 members 10 were endorsed by FuturePAC. the only newly elected members that were not supported by the Chamber was Bonds Addison and Smokie Bourgeois.

FuturePAC donated $5000 to all of the candidates they endorsed for the primary election. For those candidates that was in a runoff they donated another 5 grand to those candidates. After the primary they also donated money to two new candidates that were not endorsed originally. In district 7 FuturePAC donated $5000 to Denise Marcelle after Isaiah Marshall did not make the runoff. In district 6 FuturePAC originally endorsed Martha Tassin and in the run-off they donated $5000 to Tassin campaign but hedging their bets they also gave Donna Collins-Lewis $3000 for the run-off.

The problem I have is that the Baton Rouge Chamber is active in getting Metro Council Members elected with FuturePAC and then it contracts with the City-Parish to the tune of $500,000. To me it just doesn't seem right.

I feel that any Council member who has received money from FuturePAC should reuse themselves from any vote that affects the Baton Rouge Chamber.

Informational links:
Who FuturePAC endorsed originally: http://www.brac.org/site.php?pageID=58&newsID=793
Who FuturePAC gave money to for the primary: http://www.ethics.state.la.us/cgi-bin/la98/forms/PAC990133/15283/202E-3
Who they gave money to for the runoff: http://www.ethics.state.la.us/cgi-bin/la98/forms/PAC990133/15906/202E-3