Day: October 24, 2011

“You’re close….real close but not there”: A Jefferson Parish (non)Performing Arts Center Roundup.

The Jefferson Parish nonPerforming Arts Center debacle has a little something for everyone, especially politically connected contractors and architects/engineers. That said several readers sent me links to other media coverage of this taxpayer-funded disaster that bear mentioning:

I think Rich Rainey has finally figured out councilman Elton Lagasse is a crooked sack of shit as the entire Parish council goes into hiding whenever the topic of the Performing Arts Center comes up.

Next up is the Times Picayune editorial board which blasted the Parish Council today in a scathing Op-Ed today mentioning Elton Lagasse by name and Finance Director/doormat Gwen Bollote by implication.

Joe Caldarera went on the black tie circuit recently as pictured in the Times Picayune at the Parkway Promenade.  Those society pages are the gift that keep on giving folks.

Speaking of Joe Caldarera, he went on Fox 8 last week to defend his honor.  Whitmergate got the piece and uploaded it to Youtube: Continue reading ““You’re close….real close but not there”: A Jefferson Parish (non)Performing Arts Center Roundup.”

Retraction: Name that candidate: First clue, no handicap tag, no problem.

Well folks there is a first time for everything and after almost 4 years I’m taking a post back because the premise of my missive on House District 103 candidate Ray Garofalo was factually incorrect.  The long and short of it is he contacted us asking for equal time, I replied and he then furnished proof that the tip I published back on October 18th was wrong. As an aside he could not have been nicer about the whole snafu and I appreciate that fact.

The runoff election in district 103 is considered a battleground legislative race featuring a GOP guy in Garofalo against Democrat Chad Lauga. It has every classic partisan angle in a business owner against a union guy.  Both parties want this seat. The district was tilted slighted to the GOP via redistricting according to political consultant John Couvillon (h/t Scott McKay).

This race along with the St Bernard Sheriff’s runoff election bear watching.

sop

Monday Music: Ashton’s getting some traction.

If you think about it folks this really is an elite group: James Gill, Jason over at AZ and me. I’ll add that Mr Letten has been shown lots of tough love in the comments here on his handling of the local political corruption scandals though I have a far more moderate viewpoint there.  But in AROD’s case there is no excuse folks.  And the local AUSA that did the dirty work on the appellate level for Team Letten is up for a lifetime appointment on the 5th Circuit.  Hopefully somebody in the Senate will ask for an explanation.  I think the public deserves one.

H/T Editilla on today’s musical selection.

sop

“Why Not Occupy Newsrooms?”: This one is sweet to me on several levels….

I’ve mentioned Gannett a time or two to some folks in the print media with the suggestion that the illness that has afflicted the newspaper industry is in reality cancer that is rotting it out from the inside.  Along those lines I am so gratified to see the New York Times tackle the subject head on as it relates to Gannett.  For my part I’ve witnessed the decline of the Gannett owned Jackson Clarion Ledger with some interest as they are literally cut to the bone as this snippet from my last post from an unfortunate attendee of the Gannett chop shop illustrates:

I was one of the 700. Where I worked, a city with a metro area of 400,000 people, the remaining workers were apparently told that at the current staffing levels the paper could no longer expect to be the newspaper of record. The depth of reporting will now be what one sees on a TV report. That’s what’s to be aspired to now. I despair for journalism. Gannett papers no longer exist to serve the communities where they exist. It’s a disgrace.

While Gannett is not alone the New York Times profiles the disaster that was CEO Craig Dubow and his band of filthy thieving idiots that have run the chain into the ground while they feed at the trough.  Here is a snippet from David Carr’s column:

Almost two weeks ago, USA Today put its finger on why the Occupy Wall Street protests continued to gain traction.

“The bonus system has gone beyond a means of rewarding talent and is now Wall Street’s primary business,” the newspaper editorial stated, adding: “Institutions take huge gambles because the short-term returns are a rationale for their rich payouts. But even when the consequences of their risky behavior come back to haunt them, they still pay huge bonuses.”

Well thought and well put, but for one thing: If you were looking for bonus excess despite miserable operations, the best recent example I can think of is Gannett, which owns USA Today. Continue reading ““Why Not Occupy Newsrooms?”: This one is sweet to me on several levels….”

We had an election Saturday……

I spent my day watching football both at the local stadium and on TeeVee.  That said I did peek at Channel 4’s election coverage and I was happy to see the citizens of Bucktown liberate themselves from the legislative idiocy of John Labruzzo in favor of Nick Lorusso.

Meantime the whoremonger Nunny lost to Jay Dardenne in a race that was closer than I thought it’d be.  As Mr NAAS remarked Nunny actually carried Orleans and Jefferson Parishes and that folks does not reflect well on the voters in greater NOLA as Nunny is a crooked self serving slob.

In Jefferson Parish Council races Mark Spears is in a runoff with Cedric Floyd.  Ben Zahn won outright over Skip “Wrinkled Robe” Hand and Walt Bennetti. Ricky Templett beat Michael O’Brien.  It will be interesting to see how the new faces fit onto a Parish Council at war with Parish President John Young.

Another race I followed though I did not blog on it was the St Tammany Assessor’s race.  Long time encumbent Patricia Core is in a runoff, no doubt due to the very unfavorable Lee Zurik reporting on her proclivities to live large on the taxpayer dime.  Her interview with Zurik was a disaster IMHO and frankly I’m surprised she wasn’t booted from office by the voters outright. Something tells me she’ll have a hard time increasing her level of electorial support over the next 3 weeks absent some really shit house double dealing.  I’ll be paying attention. Continue reading “We had an election Saturday……”