Tag: Jefferson Parish School Board

RINOS run amuk these days in Jefferson Parish (Updated)

It’s no secret that I am an independent voter blogging in the reddest of this Union’s Red States, a phenomenon we have in common a hop, skip and jump away over the state line in St. TammanyHall, St Bernard and Jefferson Parishes.  Its election season and  there are some conservatives that are upset with some of the political leaders and consultants pushing RINO candidates.  The power brokers must think the Jefferson Parish Republican voters are particularly dimwitted and they can honestly point to luminaries like John Alario as proof.

It is also no secret that large parts of the libertarian viewpoint on display here resonates with the local TEA Parties both in Jefferson and Hancock Parishes.  Yesterday I spoke with concerned Citizens with TEA Party leanings who are also highly placed in Jefferson Parish governmental circles. They are concerned that no less than three people who are running for office in November have switched parties to Republican in the weeks before election qualifying in August.

Since Jefferson Parish largely votes Republican, I can’t imagine that the powers/machines directing these party switchers would be bold enough to try this without benefit of incumbancy but we’ve covered enough JP elections to know these affairs are bare knuckled, wild and wacky (though #MSSEN compares very favorably that way). The candidates certain believe that the political machines that are supporting some of them can carry them to victory despite the RINO label. With the Republican party endorsement meetings set for tonight the dirt and muck is flying as the conservative JP wing of the Slabbed Nation has been checking Registrar of Voters records along with other public record websites digging dirt since qualifying closed.  Here is a sampler.

In the race for the Public Service Commission, a candidate named Forest Bradley Wright is running against two other Republicans. Wright is puzzling. I read a post by fellow blogger Scott McKay during the week of qualifying outlining the fact that Wright, who lives in another Public Service District in New Orleans previously ran for the Louisiana PSC a few years ago as a Democrat. The guy must be a devotee of St. Jude (The patron of lost causes) as this is the second time he’s run for this commission and ostensibly the second time he won’t be able to even cast a vote for himself. Continue reading “RINOS run amuk these days in Jefferson Parish (Updated)”

Is Jefferson Parish School Board Member Michael R. Delesdernier a complete asshole? Lee Zurik reports you decide.

Well folks I thought Mississippi voters were the most accomplished at shooting themselves in the foot but I think I’ve changed my mind and Jefferson Parish School Board member Michael R. Delesdernier is the reason.

Like the City of Kenner, Jefferson Parish Schools are a cesspool of corruption separate from the big show in Parish Government. That said, the school district, one of the lowest rated in the entire state has also proven itself something of a proving ground for assorted miscreants such as Chris “Mini-me” Roberts, Elton Lagasse, Julie Quinn etc etc etc that aspire to take their double-dealing to the larger stage at the Yenni Building and beyond. Against that backdrop it should come as no surprise the current school board includes a thug in Pat Tovrea and a certified asshole in Delesdernier.

I mention this because there was school board election in Jefferson Parish last year and a slate of “business people” were put forward as the solution to all that ails the poorly performing school district.  In Delesdernier case he unseated long time incumbent Judy Colgan and it appears the people in JPS District 8 have been suffering the results ever since.  I say this not to praise Colgan, as the system deteriorated further during her tenure in office.  This is the predictable end result when the folks running the system are actively looking for places to loot it out same as the old Orleans Parish School Board.  If it is possible though, the voters elected a bigger bunch of crooked idiots that the ones already on board as a well-informed reader in Jefferson related to me after that last election. It is against that backdrop that I present last night’s Lee Zurik’s investigation into a shadow vote taken by the school board via email that resulted in a relatively minor policy matter becoming a major scandal.

“You know what an anarchist is… right? I think you are an anarchist too.” Continue reading “Is Jefferson Parish School Board Member Michael R. Delesdernier a complete asshole? Lee Zurik reports you decide.”

Da Root suit guy is still at it. A Jefferson Parish School Board Corruption Update

Folks I’m actually developing some sources here in response to some inquiries. For now this Op-Ed is a decent starting point.

Capella political hack Pat Tovrea needs to learn a bit of restraint. An occasional Jefferson Parish Failing Schools Update.

Why are Jefferson Parish Schools some of the worst in the state of Louisiana?

See Pat Tovrea run for School Board.
See JPSB member Pat Tovrea harass central office employees.
See JPSB member Pat Tovrea stalk central office employees.
See JPSB member Pat Tovrea bully central office employees.
See Employee file for a restraining order.

Maybe spending too much time with his nose up Tommy Capella’s hiney makes Pat an angry guy. Or maybe the thirst for loot makes Pat act like Tom Wilkinson during in his thirst for loot. Whatever the case this Pat Tovrea is a product of the machine. And the voters of Jefferson Parish are getting exactly the kind schools they deserve. The amazing thing is I bet there are some dedicated educators in the system that still give 100% trying to make a difference. It must really suck for those folks. Continue reading “Capella political hack Pat Tovrea needs to learn a bit of restraint. An occasional Jefferson Parish Failing Schools Update.”

Change some of the names and you got Jefferson Parish…..

You know folks maybe I was being a bit hard on Mike Fawer for bringing the Renee Gill Pratt portion of the Dollar Bill Jefferson saga to trial.  Make no mistake, Fawer abrasive style will insure Gill Pratt gets the book thrown at her but the testimony this past week gives the public another good peek into the way business is conducted in the NOLA metro area thus the title of this post.

For our many readers that are not in this area who are hooked on our Jefferson Parish coverage we’ll start with a must read in the Times Picayune story Gill Pratt racketeering trial offers glimpse into inner workings of a political machine. The unbridled greed is breathtaking and provides probably the best reason for banning earmarks since it appears most of it is looted out by cronies of corrupt politicians who are incapable of making an honest living.

Next up is T-P columnist Stephanie Grace who wrote a column on the testimony of two DaimlerChrysler execs in Gill Pratt’s trial last week. This is also a must read as Grace describes the impact of these prosecution witnesses on the Judge and jury: Continue reading “Change some of the names and you got Jefferson Parish…..”

From the pig pen: Chris Roberts brays about “taking responsibility” on Channel 4.

Two dogs fighting over the same piece of meat… ~ the Jefferson Parish Wino

OK folks here is Chris Roberts speaking authoritatively on the topic of public officials taking responsibility.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgBFafWh78I]

I feel as though I know Roberts and not just because I’ve counted more than one Yat as a friend through the years. Continue reading “From the pig pen: Chris Roberts brays about “taking responsibility” on Channel 4.”

Without doubt one of the bigger sacks of shit we’ve run across: A Gretna Mentality Update.

“That’s crap,” Morgan said.

Spewing crap is something this Mark Morgan guy evidently knows something about. The problem, of course, with being a lying sack of shit is no one believes anything such a person says as there is no basis for trust or, as we say on Slabbed, Morgan is so full of shit a turd comes out of his mouth everytime he opens it.

I’m beginning to catch on to this Gretna way of doing things.

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Of opinions and wet kisses: Everyone has one and everyone gets ’em. The Times Picayune calls for an expanded looksie at the River Birch landfill. A Jefferson Parish Corruption Scandal Update.

Over the past couple of days I’ve saved links to several stories pieces from the Times Picayune, two from the opinion page and one from the news department. Our readers will recall last week we had a bit of fun with T-P columnist Stephanie Grace, who evidently has never met a politician, crooked or otherwise she failed to like so I guess it was natural I was tickled when T-P columnist/editor Drew Broach entered the fray from the perspective of the school board races in a column that is well worth featuring here on Slabbed.  Here is a snippet:

Don’t tell me that Jefferson Parish is fed up with its School Board. Not when four of every five voters skipped the election. If anything, turnout would suggest that Jefferson Parish doesn’t much care about the governance of public education.

But, yes, the few who did vote Oct. 2 demonstrated they are indeed fed up and aren’t going to take it anymore. “That” being a school system ranked one of the worst in Louisiana.

Yep, and I bet just like the schools in Orleans Parish back in the day, the system in Jefferson Parish is being systematically looted by the folks charged with running it. Once back in the day when I audited public school systems, I compared the per pupil expenditures of a district I was auditing in Mississippi to the one in Cleveland Ohio. There were no similarities as the racially mixed district I was auditing scored around the national average in standardized test scores while the Cleveland Ohio system was in the bottom quartile despite spending over $12,000 more per pupil. Like Orleans Parish, meaningful change will not come to the Jefferson system IMHO until someone from the outside such as the state takes it over and cleans house. Continue reading “Of opinions and wet kisses: Everyone has one and everyone gets ’em. The Times Picayune calls for an expanded looksie at the River Birch landfill. A Jefferson Parish Corruption Scandal Update.”

I think we’re getting close to welcoming the Jefferson Parish School Board to Slabbed

We haven’t forgot about you guys no siree. I’d say more but my source would then have to kill me. I will say what I’ve been told has nothing to do with this though my bestest beetches at Phelps Dunbar once again show up like a bad penny in parish government. This time it is wild hair Harry instead of Nan and Dave. Did Harry actually do anything when he was USA in NOLA besides draw a paycheck? I didn’t think so.

Pop some popcorn folks ’cause this is getting good.

Oh yeah, here is a great link for you Jefferson Parish folks to chew on that has absolutely nothing to do with this post though I could write a book on the subject. Then again someone already has. Those were the days…….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZet5OEokg

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