Council agendas are Greek to me

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Have you ever gone to a council meeting – not just in Orleans Parish, but anywhere – and scratched your head at the legal mumbo jumbo on the agenda?

As a reporter who has covered multiple councils across the state, I must admit these agendas still confuse me sometimes. So, I can only imagine how confusing they must be to ordinary citizens who want to know what agenda items might impact their neighborhoods.

How can we know what our local leaders are voting on if we can’t understand the agendas?

Take this item from the May 17 New Orleans City Council agenda:

LAKEVIEW INTERIM ZONING DISTRICT APPEAL OF GEORGE DIBENEDETTO – Requesting to appeal the Lakeview Interim Zoning District (IZD) Ordinance No. 21,975 M.C.S. for property located at 5533 Woodlawn Place.

What the heck is the Lakeview Interim Zoning District? I didn’t learn about that in high school civics. And why is George so intent on appealing it? If I lived next door to George and couldn’t get in touch with him or someone with the city to explain this to me, I think I would have to miss work May 17 to make sure George is not asking for something that will harm my property.

Let’s look at this one, from the same agenda:

OFF-STREET PARKING APPEAL OF ELDER RAYMOND HUNTER, PASTOR, EAGLE’S WINGS MINISTRIES C.O.G.I.C. – Requesting waivers for minimum lot area, lot width and side yard set back and a waiver for off-street parking for property located at 1330 Delery Street.

How much off-street parking is the pastor asking the Council to waive? One space? Ten spaces? I’m sure Eagle’s Wings is a fine group of people. But if I lived in the neighborhood, I’d like the agenda to tell me a little more about the parking impact. Why should I have to take time out of my busy day to go to the Council meeting solely to learn how many parking waivers are being requested? If it’s only three or so, I might not care. But if we’re talking about a dozen more cars parking in the neighborhood, well, heck yeah, I might have a problem with it.

I realize there’s only so much detail that can be put into these agendas. And I’m sure that whoever has the exciting job of typing them is underpaid (Isn’t everyone who works for the city?).

But, there must be a way to keep these agenda items short and understandable. Maybe illustrations?

Seriously, this is a problem, and I’m not alone.

In December, Metairie residents near Adams Middle School said a Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board notice did not mention the construction of a 110-foot cell phone tower at the school or the name of the school.

The notice simply said the hearing was for a proposed special permitted use at 5525 Henican Place.

What’s Nagin going to say, or not say, tonight?

By Deon Roberts, Online Editor

Mayor C. Ray Nagin is scheduled to give a “State of the City” address 6:30 p.m. today at the “National D-Day Museum,” according to a city press release.

Apparently, someone forgot to tell the mayor’s Office of Communications that the D-Day Museum was renamed the National World War II Museum back in 2003.

But let’s move on. There are more important matters to discuss than the shortcomings of a city press release.

Of more significance is the mayor’s message tonight.

In case you didn’t realize it, this is the mayor’s first State of the City address since Hurricane Katrina hit more than 21 months ago.

Why in the world the mayor has waited this long to give a State of the City address, I do not know.

The mayor will give his address two days before the start of the 2007 hurricane season, which I’m sure is no coincidence.

What will the mayor tell us?

Well, according to the press release: “Our goal for this year’s state of the city address is to convey a message of recovery, renewal, and revitalization, as well as to outline the challenges that lie ahead.”

The mayor will definitely spend some time pointing out progress.

“New Orleans is experiencing a significant rebirth,” the press release said. “Studies demonstrate that our population is increasing and Moody’s upgraded the city’s bond rating earlier this month. Challenges to our recovery remain, but Mayor Nagin has committed that he will continue to go to state and federal government as well as to the private market to accelerate our recovery.”

While it seems the lame duck mayor will give a balanced view of the recovery – a warts-and-all discussion, if you will – I’m more interested in his plan to lift us out of this mess Katrina left behind. Businesses are struggling, hundreds of thousands of homes have yet to be rebuilt and there are a handful of office buildings sitting empty downtown.

We the people don’t need the mayor to “outline the challenges that lie ahead.” We already know them, because we’re living and breathing them constantly.

We need to know what he plans to do to remove challenges.

So, rather than a “State of the City” address, how’s about a “Plan for the City” address?

Audio blog: Insurance lowering the price of N.O. homes

Press play below to listen.

Busy Louisiana legislators find time for Miss America

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

You’ve got to love the trivial matters the Louisiana Legislature devotes attention to.On Wednesday, the Legislature found itself seriously contemplating a bill to make Miss Louisiana, from the Miss America Organization, the state’s official host.

Apparently, this was not an easy decision. In fact, the Legislature worried about the implications of ticking off the Miss USA pageant organization.

“Are we getting in the middle by doing this?” state Rep. Richmond, D-New Orleans, asked, according to the Associated Press. “I wouldn’t want to pick sides.”

It’s nice to know that with so many important post-hurricane issues to address – skyrocketing insurance and hurricane protection, to name just a few – our lawmakers are busy talking about beauty pageants.

Another pothole in The Road Home

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

Can anything else go wrong with The Road Home program?

This morning we in New Orleans learned that the feds don’t like the idea that The Road Home is using federal funds to pay for uninsured wind damages.

Wait a minute. Didn’t the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sign off on The Road Home program a long time ago? Why is this only now becoming an issue?

Live mascots are outdated

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

LSU wants another pet tiger to replace Mike V, who died Friday.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA, has voiced its opinion on LSU’s tiger ownership.

PETA (surprise) thinks LSU should let tigers run free.

I generally get queasy when I hear PETA’s name. Most of the debates PETA involves itself in are silly and a waste of time, in my opinion.

But I agree that LSU should stop owning tigers.

I’m sure Mike was well taken care of. And I know that, in the wild, Bengal tigers are subject to poaching and that their numbers are dangerously low.

So, there are worse things for tigers than being in a cage on the campus of LSU.

Still, why does LSU need a live tiger? Why do any sports teams need live mascots, for that matter?

To me, something about it seems slightly barbaric, yet I trust that these animals are taken care of. Mike probably ate better than I do. He had a waterfall, too, for crying out loud. I wish I had a waterfall.

So, what’s my problem with it? I’m not sure.

Maybe I wouldn’t be bothered by it if all sports teams owned a live version of their mascot. Maybe the practice bothers me because some teams do it but others don’t. Southern University in Baton Rouge has a live jaguar, so I’m told. But Loyola University New Orleans, whose mascot is a wolf, does not own a wolf, unless they are keeping it well hidden in a den under St. Charles avenue.

I know from “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” that the Miami Dolphins had a dolphin, but they no longer do, I am told. University of Colorado has a buffalo. But I don’t think the Detroit Lions have a live lion. Do they?

So, let’s make it even. The Lions should own a lion. The Houston Texans could put a Texan in a cage. And Tampa Bay Buccaneers could borrow Johnny Depp when he’s not filming the next installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Dreading hurricane season

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

Since Hurricane Katrina, nothing surprises me.

But I was floored today by the results of CityBusiness’ latest online opinion poll.

The poll asked voters: “What statement best describes the impending hurricane season for you?”

Voters were given five options to choose from:

- “Not worrying about events beyond my control.”

- “Calmly monitoring conditions every day.”

- “Dreading it.”

- “Moving.”

- “Even tropical storms scare me now.”

When the poll first went up last week, I assumed the most popular choice would be “Even tropical storms scare me now.” After all, Katrina’s destruction was almost apocalyptic. People died. Homes were destroyed. The region still isn’t rebuilt more than 20 months later. And we still don’t have Category 5 protection.

So, I was shocked when most voters – 39.47 percent, in fact – chose “Not worrying about events beyond my control.”

How can people be so carefree? My West Bank home was barely damaged and had no flooding, yet I’m dreading hurricane season.

The only way I could not worry about hurricane season is if I were fabulously wealthy.

So, yes, I am dreading hurricane season.

I’m dreading it because I’ll probably evacuate for minor storms. And evacuations, which are basically unplanned vacations, are expensive.

I’m dreading it because I can’t afford my homeowners insurance to go any higher. If we get hit again, the insurance costs would make this area uninhabitable.

I’m dreading it because I can’t stand the thought of losing my home, with its memories, to mold and floodwater and rot.

I know the poll is unscientific, and maybe I shouldn’t put too much stock in it.

Maybe I, too, should take a laid-back attitude and not worry about things I can’t control. Maybe that would be better for my blood pressure.

But let’s be real. Most of us in the middle class, and those with lower incomes, can’t afford any more hurricanes, and “Dreading it” might not even be a strong enough statement.

Treat gun crime like cancer

By Stephen Maloney, Staff Writer

Federal agents seized a Jefferson Highway gun shop yesterday, permanently closing the doors on what has apparently been a clearinghouse for criminals in the New Orleans area looking to arm themselves since 1996.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, between March 1, 2001, and this past March 1, a total of 2,300 guns from Elliot’s Gun Shop were involved in street crimes in New Orleans.

Of those 2,300, 125 were used to commit murder and 500 were used in drug related crimes.

So, why did it take 15 months to close the shop?

Shouldn’t ATF have stepped in after, say, the first murder connected to this gun shop?

Wouldn’t that have possibly prevented the other 124 murders committed by criminals carrying guns they allegedly purchased at this gun shop?

How much of a case did the ATF have to build?

In 2004, the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation issued a report called “Selling Crime” that listed the top 120 U.S. gun shops with the most guns traced to crime.

Elliot’s Gun Shop, then known as Elliot’s Small Arms LLC, was No. 10 with 890 guns linked to crimes from 1996 to 2000.

It came in the top 10 in the nation three years ago and the ATF is just now shutting the gun shop down?

Crime, especially gun crime, should be treated like a cancer. Police and the federal officials should scan for it often, catch it early and eliminate its existence before it spreads to uninfected parts of this struggling city and drags the entire population down into a violent and bullet ridden darkness.

Even with five guns linked to Elliot’s on one end and a murder or drug deal on the other, shouldn’t that have been enough for officials to step in do something before more people were robbed or shot to death in the street?

It’s become a highly overused cliché, but we need to be more proactive in our approach to crime.

What would our murder rate be today if Elliot’s had been shut down years ago?

Be careful when messing with building codes

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

There are some things you just shouldn’t mess with, and stronger statewide building codes are one of them.

Some members of the Legislature are considering relaxing rules passed after the 2005 hurricanes that call for new buildings to be built to tougher hurricane standards, according to the Associated Press.

The insurance industry favors stricter codes, which give insurers confidence that homes will have a better chance of withstanding storms. This, in theory, is supposed to lower insurance rates.

The House Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved bills that would change enforcement of the codes, according to the AP.

Apparently, the Legislature is reacting to people in the building industry who complain the new codes are cumbersome and inspections are costly. There’s no doubt it costs more to build homes and buildings stronger and that inspections for such buildings can be pricey.

But tampering with the codes is a slippery slope, and the Legislature should be careful not to relax them too much. Doing so could cause already-high insurance rates to go even higher.

Insurance commission: Leave it or keep it?

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

I’m not sure what to think about proposals to abolish the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission.

Is now the right time to do it?

Some Louisiana lawmakers, namely state Rep. Karen Carter, D-New Orleans, and Gov. Blanco think the time is right. They are trying to do away with the commission during the current legislative session.

Those who want the commission gone say getting rid of it would mean less government intrusion into the insurance industry and, as a result, improve the insurance market for customers in Louisiana. Supporters also say Louisiana, by being the only state with such a commission, is behind the rest of the nation.

The commission has the power to approve insurance rate increases of 10 percent or more. If the increase is less than 10 percent, insurance companies don’t need the commission’s approval.

On the one hand, I see the benefit of allowing the free market to foster competition, which, in a normal world, would lower insurance rates.

But we are not in a normal world.

Whether we have a rating commission or not, I doubt that there is any insurance company that would write cheap policies in south Louisiana at this time. They see our state as too much at risk, and their rates would reflect those fears.

If we get rid of the rating commission, how high will rates go? Will insurance premiums increase so much that people will no longer be able to afford property here? For some people, it’s already becoming too expensive to live here, thanks to post-Katrina insurance increases.

If we keep the rating commission, we can at least be comforted with knowing that rate increases can be capped at 10 percent.

But we also have to consider the negative impact the rating commission could have on the insurance market.

By capping rate increases at 10 percent, will we chase insurance companies out of Louisiana and discourage other insurers from doing business in our state? By capping rate increases, will we encourage insurance companies to continue dropping policyholders in south Louisiana?

We certainly can’t afford to lose insurance companies or to have companies stop writing and renewing policies. If insurance companies don’t write policies in this state, homeowners will be forced to buy from the state’s insurer of last resort, which is offering some people rates nearly three times what they were paying.

So, the question of doing away with the rating commission or keeping it seems like a Catch-22.

The bottom line is lawmakers need to do their homework before voting on this issue, which, in my opinion, is one of the most important topics for this legislative session.

If I were in the Legislature, I believe my palms would be sweating when it came time to vote on this one.

After steel mill loss, what to do now?

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

For economic development officials in Gov. Blanco’s administration, and indeed for Blanco herself, the news that Louisiana lost a steel plant to Alabama had to sting.

ThyssenKrupp AG announced today that it will build the multibillion-dollar facility near Mobile. That means Louisiana will not get the 2,700 jobs the plant is supposed to employ when operational in 2010.

While it is never good news to learn that your state lost a competition for a major economic development project, I don’t think the announcement should ruin anybody’s weekend here in Louisiana.

I thought the state was offering too much to lure the plant, anyway, when we have so many other needs in this state.

The state set aside $400 million for the plant. Divided by 2,700 jobs, that means the state was willing to offer about $148,148 per job. Seems kind of high to me.

As the state now looks for ways to spend the $400 million, let me suggest that we spend it on what will truly improve our chances of attracting business: education.

Businesses want an educated workforce, something we don’t have in this state as evidenced by deplorable Graduation Exit Exam scores released yesterday.

Louisiana can throw all the money in the world at businesses in hopes they will set up shop here. But big businesses don’t need money to build facilities. That’s what bank loans are for.

What they need is a reliable, educated workforce.

If we can accomplish that, businesses will be banging down our doors.

Survey should make City Hall pay attention

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

If Mayor C. Ray Nagin and everyone else at City Hall thought they were doing a good job, they might want to guess again.

The University of New Orleans today released results of a survey that shows a majority of residents say dissatisfaction with city government and the much-maligned Road Home program is the biggest problem facing the city.

A total of 34 percent of residents interviewed in March and April said dissatisfaction with city government and The Road Home is a bigger problem than crime.

In October, only 18 percent chose that category as the biggest problem.

Road Home dissatisfaction made up just 4 of the 34 percent in the latest findings.

So, in a way, the survey is an approval rating of City Hall.

According to the survey, respondents offer the following comments about city government: “no leadership,” “lack of leadership,” “politicans never follow through on plans” and “politicians more talk than action.”

Not exactly a review to be proud of, is it? I don’t think the mayor or council will be hanging the survey on their refrigerators.

But is city government so unliked that people want to leave?

No, according to the survey.

In March, 12 percent of Orleans Parish residents said they were “very likely” to leave the parish in the next two years, a decrease from 17 percent in October. That’s good news, from a population retention standpoint.

However, the question to ask is: how much longer will residents dissatisfied with government stick around?

That’s a question the mayor and City Council need to do some serious reflection on.

Teachers should earn raises

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

Louisiana’s teachers don’t need more raises.

There. I’ve said it. Be mad all you want.

It seems every other year teachers in Louisiana are screaming for more raises. This year, Gov. Blanco is on their side, pushing for higher teacher pay as she finishes out her lame duck session.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Raises for teachers should be based on merit. It’s the only way teacher performance will ever improve.

I speak from experience. I was a teacher for two years.

Sure, teachers aren’t rich. For example, in the 2005-06 school year, the Jefferson Parish Public School System paid a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no teaching experience $33,255.

That’s not a lot of money, but it’s a heck of a lot more than many police and firefighters earn in their first year. ($33,255 is also way more than most journalists make starting out, by the way).

Teachers seem to forget that when they retire they continue to get paid the highest salary they earned until they die. At least that’s how I was told it works in Jefferson Parish. For example, let’s say a teacher becomes principal and earns, hypothetically speaking, $60,000. Two years later, the person decides to become a teacher again and takes a pay cut. When the person retires, their pension will pay the $60,000 a year, the highest salary the person earned.

Let’s not forget the insane amount of days off teachers get every year. While most of us get two or three weeks of vacation a year, teachers get almost that much for the holiday season alone.

Oh, teachers also get something called sabbatical. That means they get a whole year off with pay.

I’m also tired of the argument that higher pay will attract better talent. A few years ago, when I was taking master’s degree classes for education, we learned the average burnout rate for teachers was five years. Teaching is a hard job, and no amount of pay will eliminate the stress.

Let’s raise teacher pay, but let’s also base it on test scores, student attendance and other measurable factors.

FEMA should know better

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

What comes to mind when you hear the word FEMA?

I think of 11,000 unused manufactured homes sitting on old runways and fields in Arkansas at a time when people on the Gulf Coast desperately needed housing.

I think of a scathing report by the Government Accountability Report, which said FEMA made tens of millions of dollars in potentially improper and fraudulent payments associated with hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

I think of reports that claim FEMA awarded $3.6 billion in Katrina contracts to companies with poor credit histories and bad paperwork.

After such a stellar spending reputation, it appears FEMA is finally trying to crack down on waste by scrutinizing how much communities paid contractors to remove debris after the hurricanes.

According to the Associated Press today, FEMA is questioning whether communities paid too much to contractors. (Yes, you read that correctly. FEMA is accusing someone else of paying too much for something. I’m not making this stuff up.)

Now, communities hoping to get reimbursement from FEMA are finding themselves under the microscope of the agency’s audit team.

Like a backslider who found religion, FEMA has become a fiscal fundamentalist, if you will. Randy Walker, a FEMA official in Mississippi, said “the correct way” for communities to award debris-removal contracts was to obtain competitive bids, according to the AP.

Communities can’t “throw out the bid laws” when an emergency strikes, the AP quotes Walker as saying.

But FEMA, which is supposed to be the nation’s key agency for emergency disasters, should know better.

FEMA should know that communities had few choices when it came to finding contractors in the immediate aftermath of the storms.

I’m all for competitive bidding when times are normal. But it’s wrong for FEMA to deny or delay reimbursements to communities for debris removal simply because a community did not allow various contractors to bid on the jobs. How could you have competitive bidding when you were lucky to find even one contractor to do the work?

FEMA should audit community debris-removal spending.

But, rather than deny reimbursement to a community because it didn’t allow bidding, FEMA should focus on rooting out brother-in-law deals. If a parish awarded a debris-removal contract to a councilman’s relative, or if a city granted a contract to a friend of a top official, FEMA has every right to question and even deny reimbursement.

Enough rain for one day

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

As usual, many roads in the metro area became canals today due to too much rain in a short amount of time.

I didn’t think I’d make it back to work after lunch.

Leaving a sushi restaurant in Fat City, Severn Avenue looked like it should have been renamed Severn River. The water had to be 2, maybe 3, feet deep.

I was in a low-riding Mazda. But a boat would have been more appropriate.

Driving down Severn, trucks were throwing waves as high as their windshields.

Perhaps the most disturbing site of the afternoon, though, was to be found at the intersection of Severn and Veterans Boulevard. There, a drain was sucking down so much water, it created a frightening looking whirlpool. While waiting for the light to turn green, I stared into the mouth of the gushing, swirling ring of water. A pregnant woman was crossing the street. I worried she might get sucked into the eddy.

I made it back to the office safe and dry. I hope the pregnant woman stayed clear of those whirlpools.

Fortunately, it looks like it has stopped raining. I don’t think we need any more today.

Laissez le bad grammar rouler

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development has kicked off a public relations campaign designed to encourage business growth.

Good thing it’s not promoting French language education.

French visitors and those who know a thing or two about French might gasp when they see the billboards lining state roadways. For a state that prides itself on its French heritage, the French on the billboards is grammatically incorrect.

I’m talking specifically about the “Laissez le profits rouler” ad.

In French, a plural word is preceded by “les.” If the word is singular, it is preceded by “le.” Therefore, the ad should read, “Laissez les profits rouler.”

There’s no doubt about it: The sign is wrong.

The other ads also have questionable French, but there is room for debate in those cases.

Let’s examine the following ad, class: “Laissez le economy rouler.”

In French, a word that begins with a vowel is preceded by l’. So, it seems the ad is gramatically incorrect, right?

To be sure, I asked University of New Orleans French instructor Valerie Weeks about this. She thinks the sign is wrong. It should read “Laissez l’economy rouler,” she said. But, she said, since the word economy is of foreign origin, it is debatable whether it can be preceded by l’ or le.

Class dismissed.

All you had to do was the math

Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

In the past 24 hours or so, this state has been abuzz with concerns that The Road Home program will run out of federal funds before helping every homeowner in need.

Rep. Bobby Jindal raised a red flag this week.

Jindal noted that program approved more than 68,000 applications representing $5.1 billion, but 59,000 applications are pending. If the average grant remains at $75,000 or increases, the Road Home will run out of money, Jindal said, the Associated Press reported.

In a letter to Gov. Blanco and lawmakers, Rep. Bobby Jindal said, “If these numbers are even close to accurate, then the Road Home Program will not have the revenues to provide grants to all duly qualified applicants.”

But this should not be news.

In fact, the writing was on the wall months ago.

CityBusiness editor Terry O’Connor raised concerns about funding in a January 29 column.

O’Connor wrote: “Of greatest looming concern is The Road Home has calculated $2.45 billion in payouts out of $7.5 billion it has to spend. Looked at in terms of percentages, The Road Home has spent one-third of its program budget calculating benefits for one-fifth of the participants. That doesn’t add up well.”

Now that our elected officials have done their math homework, let’s stop talking about the shortfall and do something to prevent it.

What to do with all that moolah?

By Deon Roberts, Social Media Editor

The Louisiana Legislature convened yesterday for a regular session that’s likely to be anything but regular.

With $1.2 billion of surplus in 2007, and $827 million unspent from 2006, legislators are faced with deciding whether to spend the money growing government or give tax cuts. Further, which is the best move for a state trying to recover from unprecedented hurricane damage?

Gov. Blanco says spending will move the state forward. She has proposed a record $29 billion spending plan that includes pay raises for teachers. Blanco says teacher pay raises are needed to make Louisiana “players in this knowledge economy.” She is calling for at least $2,400 each for all public school teachers, a move that will put Louisiana in line with the Southern regional average, she says.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers balk at increasing government spending. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, for example, says Louisiana is living in a false economy. Sure, the state has a surplus now, thanks to a flurry of post-hurricane spending, Scalise says. But at some point hurricane-related spending will slow down, he says. Therefore, the state should be careful not to commit itself to more recurring expenses than the state will be able to handle down the road, he says.

What do you think? Is it better to give tax cuts at this time in our state’s history or use the surplus on measures such as pay raises?