As the dates of qualifying to run for Jefferson Parish President draw near (July 7, 8 & 9), one cannot help wondering if the strained relationships between and among the super-powers have resulted in a Potsdam Conference.
As history has it relations between Truman, Churchill & Stalin had grown increasingly strained toward the end of WWII and at the Potsdam Conference (July 17-Aug 2, 1945) they divided up Germany into occupation zones & planned for the Nuremberg trials. Potsdam was the final meeting between the Big Three powers under the pretense of a wartime alliance.
Anyone else getting that feeling here in Jefferson Parish that the Parish being divided up by the powers-that-be into zones for occupation even as we brace for federal indictments and more resignations?
Remember, if you fail to remember history you are doomed to repeat it.
July 7, 8 & 9!!! If you have an extra couple of hundred bucks lying around Go Qualify! You can always get out once we are certain the Big Switcheroo isn’t going to happen again.
It is your patriotic duty to serve your country: start small & sign up to serve your Parish by qualifying on July 7 or 8 or 9 at the Gretna Government Building. Fill out the form (there is a person there all day who will notarize it for you) pay your fee and participate in government like you never have before! The more the merrier & it will give people CHOICES! And foment spirited discussions!
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The point being to make a statement that we are sick and tired of the messes the powers -that-be and incumbants have made and we expect better results for our tax dollars.
We want GREAT government not merely good and certainly not the corrupt government they produced.
By qualifying in huge numbers we send a clear message that we are not going to tolerate it.
And once you qualify you do not have to campaign. You do not have to put up one sign, or send out any literature , or attend any forums , or talk to the media.
And if you cannot qualify offer to put in $ to help someone else qualify.
The cost is $235 and the form can be printed off the Secretary of State’s website.
Two witnesses who are qualified to vote for you can witness your signature or there is usually Notary on site.
Wed July 7, Thursday July 8 and Friday July 9.
The more who sign up on Wed there more people we hope will be encouraged to do it.
Participate. Serve your Parish or City or Country. Run for office.
check out what is happening around the country: unknowns are
running and winning!
We need to out number the retirement junkies, and the Perpetual Politicians and the machines to take back our country.
Black, white, yellow, brown, pink, purple. Run for office. You have much to lose if you don’t and nothing to lose if you do!
Amen and amen.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeeeeeeeee VIVA LA JEFFERSON Unslabbed!! -How about escapee monkeys for public service? Any job openings you can think of I could fill to help my rainforst? Its sad cause all the friends that I have here in the rainforest are my elderly uncle and parrot, neither of whom can write or vote. And I know Furheur TheRiot is out looking to capture me and send me back to the Tulane Primate Center. Wish I could sign up cause I know I could help solve the problem with the chronic cost overruns of the Non-Performing Arts Building which I can clearly see every day while swinging wildly on my vines. OOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeeeee
Well, with a disclaimer warning of an ensuing diatribe, I will take a shot at this with a broader philosophical approach:
Why is Jefferson Parish *different*?
We have a small-parish/county political system, inherited from the days when it was a mere rural small farm (or ‘metairie’, in Old French) community where there was no supervision and no one much cared. It was a place where that quality or faculty allowed those with interests in Orleans, the big city, oh say the mafia, or strong-armed sheriffs or the state Democratic machine, could make inroads but be beyond the reach of the occasional waves of reform that might overcreap from the city itself.
Jefferson Parish was once called “Tchoupitoulas Parish,” before it was renamed for our great Founding Father, and as has been pointed out elsewhere the new name was hardly appropriate. I can’t help but think the old name would to this day still be more fitting than the hallowed establisher of democracy in this great land. It would call to mind scenes from Cool Hand Luke and images of Buford T. Justice more than one of the great minds of the Enlightenment.
And it is really TWO Parishes. There is no logical reason why the East Bank and West Bank of Jefferson should continue to be unified. They have nothing in common and they are divided by the Mississippi. In many ways the West Bank of JP remains Tchoupitoulas Parish, running clear down to Grand Isle, with little politically in common with their cousins on the East Bank. Regardless of what happens with Metairie and Kenner and Harahan and Old Jefferson, any attempts at positive change will be met with the old school muscle politics of the west. And the West by the way is also where the Sheriff keeps the voting machines.
And there is little or no press coverage. In years past, where has the coverage been from WWL TV and the TP? Val Bracy was the one who forced Broussard to resign, Ch. 8 and its new news approach have been a newcomer, but even so despite all their great work in JP they have returned to focusing on Orleans and (understandably) the oil spill. And yet more people live in JP and here’s betting they have more viewers/readers in JP, but the story has always been Orleans, while the likes of Drew Broach have been left to “cover” the JP beat (i.e. get free lunches and dinners with political dogs and get his daily feedings that he can later spoon out with nary a critical question or research).
And so who will be running? The same setup as what we had for the open District Court seat? That is the one race we have seen post the disgracing of the usual machine candidates. But that did not stop “The Usual,” Villio, from running. We did get two new candidates, Klotz and Steib, and whatever the controversies behind either or both neither could be seen as being “of the machine.” They appeared hand-picked by nobody. And they won, but the financing required was far less, the turnoout much lower, and the stakes far smaller. But relatively speaking even in that situation two persons with real backing and a real record behind them actually GOT in teh race in the first place.
And what can we expect this time for the president and councilmanic races? —>>>> A couple Old Regulars from different factions of the same machine (in JP and Orleans both may have opposition run sometimes but watch out, that can mean that those who run things are just covering their bases, or maybe it’s just two buzzards fighting over the same scraps) and a couple tomato cans (John McDonald, Al Leone, anybody?) who will have no chance.
For anyone talking about defeating or kicking out councilpersons:
COME UP WITH A PLAN.
Because the way I see it now you will have the same corrupt pols – Young and Cappella – running for Parish president (though maybe one runs for assessor now, presumably Cappella), with a couple of the most favored buddies running for at-large chairmen, and their new younger proxies coming in to take their open seats and meanwhile if anyone runs to challenge them – which is is assuming a LOT – they will be under underfunded, unknown, and will get no media attention. And then you have clueless West Jeff which just votes for the usual, i.e. whoever Alarion & Friends tell them to (see Broussard in 2007, what else do you need?).
LET’S FACE IT: JEFFERSON IS MORE CORRUPT than Orleans. Orleans has not just sat around and taken it the last few years, they certainly have not since Katrina, and the people have enacted real reforms. Orleans has progressed.
Jefferson residents are complacent, but they cannot even PRETEND to have a reason to feel superior anymore:
– Their homes were flooded by Broussard.
– Their Parish CAO, Parish President, and parish attorneys have resigned in disgrace after allegations of stealing.
– A crisis of national proportions, one threatening their very way of life and future, is going on and yet there is no leadership, no one at all seemingly in government, who has stood up to take the reins and challenge BP, state and federal actions from start to finish.
– The current parish president appears to have been picked solely for his past connections and ability and willingness to compromise himself and his parish solely for the sake of gaining business for himself, his family and political bossses and their bagmen. The oil spill? He knows nothing about it and says nothing about it.
– Public records requests are openly rejected now.
The JP politicians have been stealing from the wallets of Jefferson’s residents IN THE OPEN FOR YEARS NOW, and the only difference now is that the dirty laundry has finally been hung out for all to see.
So JP residents need to do something, SOME THING, anything, to make a difference this time.
The Parish just needs ONE ADVOCATE for reform on the Council, just one person – a Stacey Head or Shelley Midura or Arnie Fielkow – who will stand up for the people, who will do the right thing, who will TRY to call this corrupt, self-serving machine OUT.
Consider Orleans’s movement with the IQ Ticket in the assessors races from a couple years ago. Citizens groups forged together to create a platform, select responsible, ethical persons to carry it forward, and formed a coalition to raise money and promote their agenda. It did not win in every district but they got one through.
Citizens For 1 Greater New Orleans has since the storm been an advocate for reform, for consolidation of courts, sheriffs, clerks, and assessors, for budgeting transparency, for responsive leadership. There have been other neighborhood and citywide groups that have come to the fore and who have regularly and consistently pressured for better government. Today from what was once a Council where Jim Singleton and Oliver Thomas (!?!) were considered the most pro-reform advocates (meaning really no one at all, but isn’t John Young in that same vein???), that Council now has perhaps 4-5 such persons.
In Jefferson Parish since the storm the greatest governmental efforts I have seen have been: (1). parcelling off a levee board solely for the west bank of Jefferson Parish, going against the plan for the entire region that had been designed to eliminate the corruption that had so thwarted efforts at inspection and maintennance of the levees that failed. In JP though residents reelected the man who actually FLOODED homes. (2) The River Birch landfill deal, a scam or scheme that goes back 20 years and which has movement that apparently not even hurricanes and life-changing environmental diasters can affect. All so Butch Ward and his kin (Heebe/Sneeds (Jen., BK)/Roberts, etc.) can get their payday.
Orleans also brought forward Head, Midura and Fielkow after the Storm. But I think a platform and ticket with name recognition and fundraising capacity would be necessary.
Fundraising: that is a key, isn’t it?
If a reformer steps forward – where does the money come from? Are Young, Cappella & Co. just going to roll over? No, they are running parish wide. The West Bank is always in play, nothing has changed there. Where will the money come from to run parish-wide? For commercials and signs to get the word out? A better approach might be to run for one of the council seats, but what is available there? Lee’s district is the most reform-minded district in the Parish but of course it is completely and overwhelmingly dominated by….. Cynthia LEE-Sheng, the daughter of the hugely popular (and well-compromised himself, in many a way from Edwards to Alario to Broussard, etc.) Harry LEE. Is she really going anywhere? WILL SHE EVEN HAVE AN OPPONENT? Will ***any of them have an opponent?
START NOW.
GET STARTED.
WAKE UP: THIS IS A DEMOCRACY, SO ACT LIKE IT.
Gather together and make a difference this time.
Time to break the bad news Telemachus. Despite the great reporting, Channel 8 has let Val Bracy go. I suspect because she was hitting too close to home in her reports.
I do not think Val’s sources trust Lee Zurich, who is reportedly very close to the Wards and Fred Heebe so the only local media outlet that did hard hitting reporting on the corruption in Jefferson Parish is now out of the game.
I hope Val stays in this area because the greater NOLA area needs people like her.
sop
Telemachus – just an incredible and inspiring post. Very articulate and an excellent “call to arms.” Perhaps, you should run!
That sucks about Val Bracy. Her reporting was concise, insightful, and hard-hitting. Not like the powder puff pieces we get from Nancy Drew and Lee “Tom Benson’s waterboy” Zurick. Hope she lands a good gig where she can keep exposing all of the corruption that is out there.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeeeeeeeeee Val- Val – Val !!! Val don’t leave, you know more about JP corruption than anyone and you are very respected in JP. Please sign up for council or President and I’ll pay your fee. The Citizens for Good Government will give you air time at the forums. You won’t need any money. Unslabbed knows where to find me and the $235 bananas. Please Val don’t leave but go get the pigs who probably got to Tom Benson to cause your removal from FOX8LIVE. VIVA LA JEFFERSON. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
George what a fantastic idea! Val Bracy for Parish President!
She is honest, extremely intelligent, highly educated, and comes across very well on the TV and I suspect in person.
Agree 100% with Sock on Telemachus’ history lesson. Maybe the East Bank can take the old name back.
sop
Telemachus . . . stunning!
Just spoke with someone in the newsroom @ Fox8 regarding Val Bracy’s employment there.
I was told that Ms. Bracy “is there and on the job.” When the respondent was queried regarding Val’s continuing employment at the channel I was told that her leaving is “highly unlikely” and that this person would “be totally blindsided if that were the case.”
So Sop, not I doubt your veracity, might you elaborate on this most disturbing news?
Koallawalla all I can add is her contract is up in August and she was told it will not be renewed. On this subject I would really like to be wrong but my sources are impeccable. I did note she is still on the air her last report being the NOPD police beating de jour.
Fox 8 reads this blog (like all the NOLA media outlets) and if my reporting here is incorrect I would happily run a statement from them to the contrary. Additionally since I interviewed with Val when TheRiot sued the blogosphere I’ll add the gang knows how to get in touch with me if they wish to disavow what I have reported in the comments to this post.
sop
I personally spoke with Ms. Bracy who told me she was told her contract was not being renewed
This was last week.
Margie Seemann also spoke to Ms. Bracy and was told the same terrible news.
If Fox 8 changed course it is probably because of Miss Margie and Miss Margaret
Telemachus: my goal is to get hundreds of folks to qualify for Parish President.
The point being that you are correct that it has always been about fundraising and Media access
With many entries we can
1. at least force be a run- off
2. Send a message to the pols
3. Aggravate the heck out of the pols and
4. Maybe just maybe God will see fit to answer our prayers
you are absolutely correct about organizing for the Council Races and regular Parish President race but right now this is the best way to fire over their bow
Koallwalla: you might want to contact your Fox newsroom contact again. She probably has the real scoop now.
Telemachus, your ‘au courant’ and reflective commentary is apropos with respects to the upcoming election for Parish President of Jefferson Parish. “I’ms in agreesment” (one of the infamous Butch Ward malaprop sayings, or just possibly illiterate, who knows).
Taking in consideration all of what you have stated, I would further suggest that the 68% budget increase from $26,000.000 MILLION DOLLARS to the present $44,000,000 MILLION DOLLARS and counting as it directly relates to the Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Center is the beginning of the end for many of these “entrenched” retirement junkies. Whether it’s the aftermath of “Broussard’s Waterloo” or the “JP Council’s Rubicon” or “Lagasse’s Last Stand” or “Capella’s Collapse” or “Young’s Ying-Yang”, the taxpayers’ have realized that we have bottomed out. It is now time to confront our co-dependency problem that has allowed these arrogant political thugs to oppress us, and rise up and vote; and encourage everyone we can to vote. Reach out to others anyway and everyway. And as important, if you are so inclined, qualify to run for office. It’s a God given right in this country… now consider it your duty to serve your country !
Stieb won, and you can win also. This entitlement class of narcissists, along with the pablum public Press and their suck-up surrogates would have you believe that whoever has the most money wins. Well money buys signs and mailouts; but I’ve never stood in line to vote with a sign or a push card, but I’ve stood in line with you !
And Theriot, why don’t you pay to complete this JPPAC albatross if you think it needs to be finished…vas te faire encule et l’ane tu montes dans le !
Telemachus, that previous post is mine, all mine. GD it… I keep threatening to buy Maltilde a lap-top, maybe tomorrow. Or better yet, Pelican needs to; she’s French and I love her, but she’s his squeeze. Hey Maltilde… what time is deBrief getting in tomorrow…and what about that belt of Rebel Yell ? Qu’est-ce ? Yea I know, Pelican’s pissed about this new twist in the Porteous impeachment crap; just tell him I’m going to see someone in the morning who can give us the skinny to date.
I’ll have to remember to ask deBrief if Plattsmier is still in the impeachment hearing room in DC with his head up his ass because it’s obvious he’s not here in Louisiana charging Cline, Chopin, Mole and the rest of the ethically challenged SOB’s down here with any disciplinary action.
auvoir…
Take it easy whit, a deep breath usually helps. First of all G’s last name is not D. Let’s be honest, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.