You want public records you paid tax dollars to have produced ? Well the above picture pretty much sums up the attitude of the Jefferson Parish Politico Mafioso…that’s right…FUCK YOUZ… WHAT YOUZ GONNA DUES ABOUT IT !
“…It was Deja Vu …and live on Cox TV too. Our backdrop is during one of the Council meetings around the time the public records debate was heating up as a result of a sudden and dramatic shift in policy resulting from Anne Marie Vandenweghe’s reassignment. She was removed from the Public Records Department only to be replaced by Greg Giangrosso, a Wilkinson lackey. Under Vandenweghe’s direction, public documents were just that, Public Records readily available in most instances to those qualified to request the same. Giangrosso’s assignment was and is to stonewall the release of Public Information which he and his superiors, Peggy Barton and Louis Gruntz, have decided taxpayers are to have limited access to in almost all instances. The response that one receives from Giangrosso is a pasted legalese form letter citing erroneous legal precedent for not honoring the Public Records Request. Margie Seemann (CFGG) was pressing the Council to explain why documents regarding information of a similar topic which she had previously received under Vandenweghe’s tenure, was now routinely denied under some broad and vague “governmental” exception. It was at that moment when Peggy Barton opened her mouth to defend the indefensible, everyone in that Council Chamber and watching TV, could foretell the response as though it would have been uttered by her mentor Tom Wilkinson, himself. She looked down at Ms. Seemann, a facial expression of pure contempt and as sarcastic a tone as one could muster, stated that she would review “OUR” records and “SHE” would determine what would be made available to the public at some later date. And there you have it, Wilkinson in drag…without the proverbial…FUCK YOU, SUE ME!”
And more of the same tone of arrogance, as we read, “…yada, yada…blah, blah, blah of some pasted authority that gives support to her expected response in defending the indefensible. As though this pointed insult by Barton isn’t enough, she further states, “…If the documents you request are not afforded an exception in the public records law, then they will be provided to you in due course. ” Right! In essence, FUCK YOU Margie and Margaret, go away, don’t bother me…”
And you can thank the Jefferson Parish State legislative delegation and the grunt saboteur of public records, Louis Gruntz, for their combined efforts to add more and more ludicrous exceptions as to what information you, the taxpayer, may not be entitled to. Their collusion is nothing less than UNCONSCIONABLE; and it’s what has been at play here for way too many years and all with a concerted intent to water down any legitimate attempt for accountability.
WAIT SOP … HOLD THE PRESS … YET AGAIN ! … recent timeline status of AMV vs Jefferson Parish as it concerns “PUBLIC RECORDS”:
The frivolous application filed by Phelps, Dunbar to have the Louisiana Supreme Court review was denied. Surprise, surprise, surprise !
How better to describe the tone of having the “fix” facilitated by GretnaMentality’s poster boy … 24th JDC Judge Ross LaDart’s home-cooked ruling against AMV as critiqued here, I attribute some backdrop to Bunhare:
I was in the courtroom when LaDart rendered his decision. Guess I’ll never forget the subtle shit-eating grin Mike Thomas (who then was a Council aid) flashed to Eula Lopez after LaDart gave his decision. “The Riot’s” daughter was also in the courtroom.
I will follow this one with a great deal of interest…”
Unfortunately, what was not made part of Judge Wicker’s definitive and scholarly written opinion was an order that five (5) copies of this decision be made; and that Judas LaDart be made to shove one copy each up the ass of Kim Boyle, Nan Alexandra, Wanda Theriot, Greg Giangrosso and MIKE THOMAS (having his copy crumbled up in a wod in particular) …Then have LaDart remove the papers from each, and proceed to eat shit.
The reversal of LaDart’s shit house legal opinion can be found here.
BACK TO THE PAST:
Here’s a factual scenario of Gruntz’s relentless attempts, that are more like assaults one could say, to sabotage public access to public records… even when contradicting himself …thank God he retired to his own private hell hole !!! …Hitler and Don Coreleone would have been proud of this lock-step soldier. Oops …Sorry … he has opted for DROP, and is in the employ of the Parish as a liaison with the Legislature …GOD help us through his remaining three years.
Now this from The Jefferson Report:
You’ve Got Mail (for now)
June 2, 2010If the Jefferson Parish Council gets what it wants during the ongoing regular session, certain email communications sent from voters to their local government would no longer be considered public records.
By Jeremy Alford
It has been snaking through the legislative process largely unnoticed. Good government groups, which largely oppose such measures, didn’t have it on their tick sheets. The press association, for its part, has been tracking bigger fish. And the mainstream media, preoccupied by a historic oil spill and and equally unprecedented budget shortfall, has mostly failed to pick up on the ensuing debates.Nonetheless, legislation that was originally filed to block the public’s access to certain documents in the Jefferson Parish Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement appears highly likely to pass before the regular session adjourns June 21. If this happens, the bill would become state law before the end of the year.
The Jefferson Parish Council unanimously adopted a resolution in early February backing the concept and state Rep. Robert E. Billiot, D-Westwego, eventually drafted and introduced House Bill 951 for consideration. Billiot, who has a close relationship with the Council and contributed money to its membership during the most recent election cycle, has steered the legislation through the House already and the proposal is now pending action in the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
For the Council, it’s stance is in direct conflict with the crawfishing it did back in April when members reversed course and unendorsed another set of public records bills that would have stripped all access to parish documents subpoenaed by federal investigators. As the feds continued sifting through the parish’s dirty laundry, voters rebelled against the move and the Council rescinded its resolution backing the measures authored by Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Metairie. As a result, they died on the legislative vine.
However, Billiot’s HB 951 is still alive and kicking, complete with the backing of the Jefferson Parish Council. Although it has been heavily amended and rewritten by lawmakers, there are still a couple of weeks remaining in the regular session — just enough time for just about anything, meaning the proposal could change and be altered a few more times.
To be certain, Billiot’s bill has had an interesting run through the session so far. It may have escaped the attention of local observers earlier this spring because it was originally filed as a measure targeting West Baton Rouge Parish. Billiot called it a “clerical error” before the language was changed during the bill’s initial hearing before the House and Governmental Affairs Committee in late April.
Additionally, the argument that Billiot has presented to lawmakers isn’t the same line that Parish Attorney Louis Gruntz fed The Jefferson Report in February when we asked him about the new law the Council wanted:
[Gruntz said] that an exemption from the public records law is needed to protect tipsters who call in leads on businesses and individuals that might be violating local ordinances.
He said such tips are commonplace already and range from zoning disputes to blighted properties.
“We’ve had a few problems in the past that resulted in shouting matches and arguments and we just want to avoid that,” Gruntz said. “We want to protect the public and offer them anonymity, like Crime Stoppers.”
That means, if such a law were to be adopted, that a person or business being investigated by a parish code enforcement official would not be able to ascertain what – or who – prompted the inspection.
The property owners who end up being fined, however, would remain in the public record.
Gruntz has been attending the legislative hearings in recent weeks and testifying before lawmakers, but Billiot, as the bill’s author, has taken the lead. In his presentations to lawmakers, Billiot has repeatedly said a new law is needed because there have been problems with animal control. As for the residential challenges cited by Gruntz, Billiot has largely glossed over those issues.In particular, Billiot has recounted at least twice a story about a constituent’s “little kitten” and her neighbors’ refusal to get involved out of fear. Some members of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee actually laughed at Billiot’s story when he explained further in late April. “They took that kitten and threw it over the fence where there was a pit bull and it ate the poor, little kitten,” Billiot said, adding that neighbors may have dropped a dime on the responsible party if there had been an anonymous process in place.
Of course, the only thing funny about the situation is that Billiot’s legislation was filed in an attempt to alter the section of state law addressing residential and commercial building code enforcement, not animal protection. So, not surprisingly, when the full House received HB 951, a group of mindful lawmakers were able to rewrite the bill so that it would only impact the area of state law dealing with animal cruelty. And that is still the posture of the bill as of this week.
During his testimony on the bill, Gruntz zeroed in on the kind of emails that the bill would exempt from public records law. He claimed that government officials are able to keep tipsters confidential if they act through a phone call or in person, but when they send an email, their identity becomes public record. “And that’s the problem,” he told lawmakers.
For now, the House has thrown the effort a slight curveball and the exemption isn’t as broad as it was during the spring. But strange things tend to happen during the session’s closing days.
The pace will soon become hectic as dozens of bills are tossed into compromise committees and legislative leaders try to hammer out an agreement on how best to close the state’s unprecedented budget shortfalls. It’s just the kind of mass hysteria where anything can happen — and if history is any indication, it will.
To keep tabs on HB 951, visit www.legis.state.la.us
And of course one more useless exceptions to protect deadhead retirement junkies:
Regular Session, 2011
HOUSE BILL NO. 284
BY REPRESENTATIVES WILLMOTT, BILLIOT, CONNICK, HENRY, LABRUZZO,
LIGI, AND LOPINTO AND SENATORS APPEL, MARTINY, AND QUINN
Abstract: Provides a public records exemption for certain records of the Jefferson Parish
Personnel Dept.
Present law provides for availability of public records in the custody of the state or any
political subdivision. Further provides specific exceptions to this availability. Proposed law
retains present law.
Proposed law adds an exception to the Public Records Law for promotional or competitive
tests and certain records relative thereto in the custody of the Jefferson Parish Personnel
Dept.
Proposed law provides two exceptions to this proposed law:
(1) Under certain circumstances, for the production of test questions, answers, and
papers to the Jefferson Parish Personnel Board.
(2) For the actual administration of the test itself.
_____
As a result of ‘new media’ blogs like Slabbed, American Zombie, The Jefferson Report (now transformed into The Political Desk), The Ladder, the Lens and many others, it would seem that such attempts to control what information becomes public would be useless. But ignorance is bliss, and ignorant these JP Political Mafioso are, as are the majority of registered voters who either don’t vote or vote for these same thugs.
As in the most recent public records lawsuit filed by AMV, we have a loco yokel Judge, Ross LaDart, cook up a Gretna Mentality Judgement; only to have a Court of Appeals reverse his stupid ass BS in definitive and blistering terms: everyone has a right to sue for disclosure of public records, and it is the Court, in camera, who must decide whether any exceptions claimed have merit and are applicable, even if this means reviewing 25,000 thousand e-mails !!!
What can be done to reverse this trend of going backwards … a REVOLUTION … a legal revolution … file lawsuit after lawsuit on each and every response you get stamped with that pasted nonsense gobblety gook exception … sue for fines of $100 dollars a day …sue for Attorney’s fees …sue for any related damages as a result of their sham and frivolous excuses … file criminal charges against the custodian responsible to provide you with the public records requested … I’ll bet the tone over there in that JP Government Building will be more accommodating faced with HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN JUDGEMENTS based on the arrogant desire of a few who want to keep covered up that which is ours … the taxpaying public who owns these records in the first place.
Do you really think that this Administration or any other JP political entity can afford to continue to waste taxpayers’ money to pay for the likes of a Phelps, Dunbar law firm to defend each and every lawsuit … hell they’ve already paid Phelps Dunbar over $120,000 DOLLARS in AMV’s PRR case alone, only to lose … and now the Parish is on the hook for THOUSANDS MORE in fines, legal fees, damages, interest on the Judgement, etc…
SUE, SUE, SUE … and we will bankrupt this rotting Government ruled by these MFers until the public realizes what these thugs, The Jefferson Parish Mafioso, have done to our Government that we paid and pay for !!!
**********
Slabbed commenter Whitmergate is a member of Citizens for Good Government.
Slabbed welcomes all points of view on the topics we cover. Our readers can submit guest columns to Sop. While we allow anonymous comments on the blog, guest columnist must submit a verifiable name and contact information in order to be published.
Great post, Whitmergate. Allons!
Way to go Whitmergate.
I would point out to the apparently morally and ethically corrupt Louis Gruntz that should he bother to READ THE LAW relative to Public Records he would know that any phone tips or in- person tips ARE Public Record. There is an obligation on the part of the Jefferson Parish Government pursuant to State Law to retain notes of all such dealings…if ANYTHING is recorded or written down , so much as a tipster leaving a message on a message machine or signing into a Visitor's ledger,or even notes made by an employee while taking the tip: THAT is subject to Public Record statutes and MUST be produced if a Public Record Request is submitted which reasonably identifies that information as being requested.
Prior posts on this blog stated that Louis Gruntz mis-advised the Parish for years as to its obligations under Record Management Statutes, specifically under Record Retention and Public Record requirements and for that reason the entire matter of Jefferson Parish Record Management was called into issue and Anne Marie Vandenweghe was assigned to 'assist' Gruntz with bringing the Parish into compliance. Just ask the employees and elected / appointed officials about the 'seminars' they had to attend where Gruntz et al put on Power Point presentations about the 'DIRE' results from NOT following the law. A law on which Gruntz had mis-informed the Parish for years.
The Secretary of State is responsible for administering the Record Management and Public Record laws of the State of Louisiana and confirming compliance by all public and some quasi-public entities. Review of recent lawsuits filed by dissatisfied Public Record Requesters shows an increased loss record for the governmental entities and hopefully there will be a resultant increase in immediate access/release of TAXPAYER-OWNED information.
Finally, there seems to be an arrogant attitude in JP government circles that somehow the elected/appointed employees/servants of the people are IN CHARGE and are NOT TO BE CHALLENGED. How absurd : these fools work for the Citizens of Jefferson Parish, and their fiduciary and legal obligations are to the best interest of the Citizens and not to 'protect' illegal, unethical. immoral behavior of the elected/appointed employees/servants of the Citizens. I doubt any of these JP idiots believed that Broussard / Whitmer / Wilkinson / et al were acting in the best interests of ALL the Citizens of Jefferson Parish. Maybe they were acting in the best of interests of a FEW corrupt Citizens ( well in the case of the Assistant Parish Attorneys who didn't even live in JP, maybe not Citizens) with whom they enjoyed 'special' relationships, but certainly not in the best interests of the majority of the lawabiding taxpaying Citizens.
The way I see it, the refusal to give Ms. Vandenweghe access to the public records she filed a PRR for has been part and parcel of the continuing retaliation against her by certain Parish Officials. And for Phelps, Dunbar to further collude in this retaliation by defending, yet again, the indefensible, is evidence, yet again, of their failure to perform due diligence on behalf of their client, the taxpayers of Jefferson Parish.
What I would love to see, is a lawyer like Mark Morice get a boat load of JP taxpayers and bust open the floodgates of potential lawsuits that need to be filed against these JP thugs. And the time is now when you consider AMV’s lawsuits, Waste Management’s lawsuits, Concrete Busters’ lawsuit, the indictments and River Birch on the run.
‘Gate is right on, we need to see a Legal Revolution to take hold. If the Parish of Jefferson can afford to pay these thugs, their family and their campaign contract cronies with our money, the Parish can well afford to pay us too, including costs and attorneys' fees.
Gate' : Wait a minute – you don't really mean Gruntz is still in the employ of Jefferson Parish.No way, you must be talking in past tense before he retired.
Wonder when he was "The Liaison Man" to the legislature what location was he reporting into daily. Oh, I know, it probably was the East Jefferson Regional Library where Ms. Karen Parker Broussard earned her stripes. Or maybe he just stayed at home similar to Mortillaro and had his check mailed there. Or maybe like Ken "Williams Baptist Church" Trahan he reported to the Saints Hall of Fame.Or maybe….
The old king of France who lost his head used to say, and pardon my translation, "The State? That's me."
He could do anything he wanted to, because he was the law, and so above any petty, piffling written down version of it his people might think to use to get him to restrain his conduct.
Charles 1 of England had the same opinion, and he was put on trial for it during the brief years of the English Republic.
Some of England's American colonists, headquartered at Harvard, of all places, worked tirelessly in support of that Republican effort. I think of this when the fundies are getting me down. Yes, friends, when they bloviate their rage and hate, arguing for a return to a time before mini-skirts and microchips, I lie back and think of England.
How did we let it get so that ordinary elected officials, or their hired employees, feel that they can "L'etat? C'est moi!" the people who pay their salaries and whose votes put them in their positions?
Anonomouse – I believe the answer to "why..?" is that the Jefferson Parish peasants have not yet institued their own "reign of Terror". Off with their heads!
Whether whitmergate intended it or not, the imagery projected in the picture gives one a dramatic visual of the attitude that JP Public Officials have toward citizens who file a PRR. Their response is to gag you with another non-responsive irrelevant exception. Bam, that’s it. Your shot down before you get started. And without the resources to wage a legal fight, your silenced as though you were dead on arrival.
Very powerful stuff whitmergate.
There has to be some better way than a reign of terror. The suggestion to flood the system with perfectly legal and appropriate requests for records is a more appealing form of protest than lassitude and hopelessness so profound that it lasts until people smell blood in the air.
Active citizenship is vastly preferable to revolution. Who are we to care if pre-Revolutionary France bit the dust? None of us are pre-revolutionary Frenchmen. But all of us love American society, however much aspects of it may sicken us.
I was impressed and heartened by Whitmergate's suggestion of how to work within the existing laws to challenge "the divine right of fuckmooks" that seems to be in operation over there.
Because of the sovereign immunity laws in Louisiana the local government does not have to honor the judgements against it. Mississippi deep sixed sovereign immunity for the most part over a decade ago. The threat of potentially bankrupting lawsuits is what got Harrison County to finally clean up the hellhole also known as the county jail. Mayor Harris in Gretna wouldn't be treating Mark Morice so shamefully either if he knew he would be held accountable that way.
The entire way the system is set up in Louisiana is rigged thus the result.
And a hale and hearty howdy to ms-vile.
sop
Sovreign immunity is unamerican. There, I said it.
If you are for it, f- you and the horse you rode in on.
A wonkette poster, writing about Texas, recently said that "in the South, people prefer their politicians dumb and on the take."
It is getting to be hard to refute this opinion.
*Newsflash* Jesus does not love you more if you are 'standing' with a corrupt piece of shit.
No worthwhile human being voted for David Duke, so your Maw Maw did, she is scum. I have a feeling that a lot of Southern women think they will earn special extra points in Heaven if they stayed with a drunk racist POS, and plenty of Southern boys (and girls) think that they are good sons (and daughters) if they support their POS Dads (and Moms).
"Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do" is motto for the region at all levels, from familial to political.