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

Bones Addison on the Rise

It is my understanding that Bonds is contacting fellow Metro Council Members for their support for the Mayor Pro-Tem job. As usual in Baton Rouge politics he is turning it into a black white issue.

I was hopping that Baton Rouge Metro Council would get past the black white issue. I was hopping that we would see the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King dream that a person would not be judged for the color of their skin but the content of their character. Call me a dreamer.

The council is now evenly divided with 7 whites and 5 blacks, 5 women and 7 men, 6 democrats and 6 republicans. Either they can work together and get thing accomplished our they can spend the next four years fighting. It is their choice.

Free Fast Eddie

It is being reported that President Bush is considering commuting the sentence of Edwin Edwards.

What is interesting is that former Gov. David Treen, former U.S. Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston are the ones that are petitioning Bush for Edwards.

Both Treen and Johnson were defeated by Edwards for governor of Louisiana. I am surprised that David Duke isn't also a petitioner.

Politics Really does Make For Strange Bedfellows!

The Baton Rouge Fab Five!

Edwards and Donna Collins-Lewis

First it was Hilary, then it was Sarah Palin and now it is the Baton Rouge Fab Five!

To me the BIG, BIG story of this local election is the five women who won seats on the Baton Rouge Metro Council. Never in the history of Baton Rouge have there been five women serving on the Metro Council at one time.

All of these women are forward thinking and have been involved in the city for many years. Over the years these women have worked on projects together, so that they already have a close working relationship.

Tara Wicker was the neighborhoods coordinator under Mayor Bobby Simpson. She was the bright spot of the Simpson administration. While working for the Simpson administration she work with many of these women and count some of then as personal friends.

Alison Cascio is a professional city planner who had been David Boneno assistant, she is very knowledgeable of the problems in our city and will be a great asset to the Metro Council.

Ronnie Edwards is no stranger to politics. She is a long time ally of State Senator Sharon Weston Broome and the founding executive director of Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation. She has very good political instincts. She knows how to bring people together and build coalitions.

Donna Collins-Lewis has worked with Yvonne Dorsey and she is an old friend of Ronnie Edwards. Lewis worked for the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court working with Yvonne Dorsey and even Mike Walker.

C. Denise Marcelle worked with an attorney as a legal assistant and has been involved with churches in her district. She has also worked on projects with both Ronnie Edwards and Donna Collins-Lewis.

With these sharp, intelligent women on the Metro Council I am expecting great things from the Council.

All I have to say to the men on the Council you better either lead, follow, are get the hell out of the way!

My crystal ball is hazy:

My crystal ball is hazy:

I was very wrong about Kennedy! I guess a bad candidate is a bad candidate and coat tails can’t help a bad candidate.

Mayor's Tax proposal
Fails because nothing in it for Central and Zachary.

This measure failed by less than two percent of the vote. If the mayor would have put some goodies in for Central and Zachary the story could have been different.

Judge, Juvenile Court, Elec. Sect. 1A
Gerald T. "Jerry" Arbour, R Overwhelming a Republican district. The "R" behind Arbour name wins the race.

I blew that call!

Metro District 2
Handy wins. Too much support from the Mayor.

And this one! The mayor will have his hands full with Bones.

Metro District 3
Chandler Loupe wins big!

Loupe won, but it was no landslide.

Metro District 5
Edwards wins big 70%+. Put a fork in this race it is over, Edwards is just too organized.

Edwards won by 68%. Close but no cigar.

Metro District 6
Toss up. Depends on turn out. Don't count Tassin out.

Wasn’t even close. Donna Collins-Lewis won by a landslide.

Metro District 7
Sharper has the edge. Sorry about that folks.

I miss this one bad. I must salute the voters for voting a bad guy out.

Metro District 10
This is a hard one to call to good candidates both well organized. I have to go with my heart and go with Tara Wicker.

Boy this was a close race. Wicker won by 6 votes.

Metro District 11
Cascio by a landslide.

Got this one right!

Metro District 12
Benham in a close one. Status-quo is hard to beat.

Smokie won by 36 votes. This race really surprised me.

Vote: Early and Often!

I just voted and it took me about 45 minutes to vote. The election officials are doing a great job, just a lot of people who want to vote.

I call a few friends of mine and this is true at almost every voting precinct in the state.

My suggestion to you is do not wait to the last minute to vote and bring a good book to read while in line. Remember you must be in line to vote before 8:00 PM to be able to vote.

Oh, yea one other thing. Most precints have limited parking if you can walk I would suggest you to walk.

John Kennedy, can win?

The polls show Sen. Mary Landrieu leading John Kennedy by a large margin and if this was a normal election Mary would win; but this is not a normal election.

The Obama phenomenon and the Katrina effect are working to defeat Landrieu.

The first time Mary ran for the US Senate it was New Orleans and the Ninth Ward that carried her to victory over Woody Jenkins. Hurricane Katrina has displaced much of her New Orleans base vote. This will be Mary’s first election that she cannot count on a large vote from New Orleans to help her win.

This year presidential election is one of the most polarizing elections that America has ever had. Feelings are running high for and against Obama very few are neutral. The record high voter turnout demonstrates the passion the electors have in this election.

Those on the Right of the political spectrum see this election as an attack on long held values. Words such, as “Distribution of Wealth and Socialism” has become the battle cries for the Right. For those on the Right it is not only about the president’s race but it is also about the Congress it is as if Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosie are on the ballot with Barrack Obama.

I have a hard time believing that someone who is voting for John McCain can vote for the Democratic Mary Landrieu.

All of the polling is indicating that John McCain is going to win Louisiana by a large margin. I feel that his coat tails are going to carry John Kennedy.

My Predictions

This is my predictions for next Tuesday Baton Rouge elections.
I hope that my crystal ball is working.

Mayor's Tax proposal
Fails because nothing in it for Central and Zachary.

Judge, Juvenile Court, Elec. Sect. 1A
Gerald T. "Jerry" Arbour, R Overwhelming a Republican district. The "R" behind Arbour name wins the race.

Metro District 2
Handy wins. Too much support from the Mayor.

Metro District 3
Chandler Loupe wins big!

Metro District 5
Edwards wins big 70%+. Put a fork in this race it is over, Edwards is just too organized.

Metro District 6
Toss up. Depends on turn out. Don't count Tassin out.

Metro District 7
Sharper has the edge. Sorry about that folks.

Metro District 10
This is a hard one to call to good candidates both well organized. I have to go with my heart and go with Tara Wicker.

Metro District 11
Cascio by a landslide.

Metro District 12
Benham in a close one. Status-quo is hard to beat.

Ethics Board might have violated law

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/33705954.html

This is great. Governor Jindal's new ethics board in their first meeting totally disregarded Louisiana's "Open Meeting Law" and went into executive session to chat with the nominees to the ethics board.

Is this Jindal's new ethics, that matters are decided in closed meeting to the disregard of Louisiana law.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. It would appear that lawyers and ex-legislatures would know the laws of Louisiana. I hope that this is not a picture of things to come.