Comments for Crescent City Getaway at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 31 out of 20 comments http://www.theind.com Thu, 23 May 2013 21:13:33 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15475 Its a cultrah, "TING, tryin to teach our councilmen cultrah, its akin to teaching a " Jackass to sing instead of braying, and passin gas in public......... - Doctor Ciano Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:37:14 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15445 I cannot believe that Lafayette Parish received any benefit great enough to justify sending a councilman to anywhere out of the United States. Shame on everyone involved for approving this. - Gene Broussard Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:51:02 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15439 Ragin, There go your go again ....fabricating your own facts. You started at $1000. a meeting, now you are at $50 an hour, with absolutely no proof to back that figure up. And you don't think that councilmen research the ordinances they propose? I guess they just pop into their heads. Answering emails, most of them do. Returning phone calls, Sounds like maybe you don't get the answers you want to hear. I have no problem with their pay, because someone has to represent us, and you could not pay me enough to do their job(even if it were close to $50 an hour). It must be miserable waking up every day with all the negativity you display in your posts. You should run for office so you can try to change this government that you despise. - Say what?? Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:30:52 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15438 There you go. It may not be in a nut shell, cause Walter done used the whole fng. grove but you coolies should understand that Shelvin painted himself into the corner, no other person had any participation in helping him into that situation, and the namesake he has earned by merit and can blame no other person opn this earth but himself and I am sorry that he is a blackman, for if he were "White, he'd be in the FNG. hoosegow. - Doctor Ciano Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:37:15 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15428 speaking of, Bertrand missed this week's meeting because he was in Washington, D.C., at a meeting of the American Public Power Association, of which he's a member representing Lafayette Utilities System. I have to assume that trip was paid for by LUS and, by extension, taxpayers. The D.C. trip as well as his trip to Switzerland of which some of you here have made much ado were planned and approved in advance, same as Kenneth Boudreaux's trip last year to Denver for the National League of Cities conference. There are two issues here that are separate: councilmen taking trips on the public's dime is one and it's a legitimate issue; councilmen abusing the policy and taking advantage of it is another. We make no judgment in this article about councilmen traveling at taxpayer expense, although we recognize it is a concern for some readers. But we do fault Shelvin, who has a history of personal and, more important, professional financial mismanagement, for abusing the policy. We found no evidence that other council members have abused LCG's credit card and/or travel policies. They appear to be operating within the rules. So I guess it's fair to say we singled out Shelvin. It was unavoidable: he is the only one who abused the policy. Probing LCG's travel budget for council members is a legitimate story, it's just not this story. - Walter Pierce Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:20:31 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15427 Come on "Independent" staff. Stop being so damn biased in which councilmen you try to run through the ringer and bad-mouth and which others who's actions you ignore. - speaking of Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:00:54 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15426 Speaking of this councilmen traveling on our dime, anyone know why Don Bertrand was absent from the council meeting this week. Was Don Bertrand traveling again on our tax dollars? I'd be willing to bet Don Bertrand by far has received more taxpayer funded vacations than any other councilman. Probably more than any other 2 combined! - speaking of Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:59:32 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15424 Say What?? thanks for your campaign advice. "time researching various topics" -- you've GOT to be kidding. "answering emails" -- again, you're kidding me, right? they just don't do that. doubt they even read it. "phone calls" -- they will return calls, at least some of them will. whether that should be factored into what constitutes fair pay is dubious, because they don't generally say anything illuminating when you talk to them on the phone. And, I'll ask again....if you think these poor councilmen are overworked and underpaid, then what do you think is fair compensation for all their hard work? go ahead, tell me they need a raise. tell me that all this stuff that's in the budget is really necessary. go on and tell me that all these trips are valid...lemme guess, we NEED all this for economic development...is that it? Brandon Shelvin's the problem, but the rest of them are just a-okay? Finally, you don't like $100 an hour. Okay. They actually go to TWICE as many meetings as I estimate. That's still $50 an hour. "uhhh, $100 an hour is way off". $50 an hour, at a full time job is $100,000 per year. Split hairs about my time estimate all you want, the fact remains these guys are WELL paid for their time, they travel on the taxpayers dime to do a job in the smallest parish in the state, and they get benefits, too. - ragin_cajun Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:52:27 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15419 Ragin, Let's see, you started at $1000.00 a meeting, now it is $500 a meeting. You still have not counted any budget meetings, committee meetings, liaison meetings and only one half of the briefings. You imply that all a councilman does is attend 50 meetings a year. You do not take into consideration meeting with constituents, answering emails & phone calls or time researching various topics required to introduce or learn about ordinances. So your $100 an hour is way off. As for qualifying, if you plan to be successful, you better announce pretty soon. No one, who expects to win, waits until the dates of qualifying. - Say what?? Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:38:52 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15405 "do your research RC--- you are way off!" Really? Elaborate. How am I way off? is there not $4,000 per year budgeted for each council district for "Travel and Meeting". I read that in the budget, so I'd call that research. Wouldn't you? I calculated 25,000 per year per councilman by dividing $229,382 by 9 districts. That is off, as RCRunner points out, and I think the Chair gets paid a little more than the rest--but it's not "way off", is it? "Tourism" is line item in the budget. I'd say I did research by reading the budget and seeing that. Is that "way off"? Part time employees are getting benefits. Once again, in the budget. Am I "way off" when I say that? Or is reading the budget not considered research? Transportation -- $12,900 budgeted for that. I read that in the budget, too. Am I "way off" there? Or is reading the budget not research? I KNOW!!! You guys are trying to say that City Council is actually a full time job--is that it? You know what I find VERY interesting about all this budget reading? Some council districts have "0" under "actual" for FY 08-09 in these questionable areas. Others don't. Difference in people, I guess. Is THAT "way off", too? :) - ragin_cajun Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:43:01 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15403 Say What?? -- Filing for office is September 6-8, right? This is MARCH. So, it is entirely possible that I might run in my district, isn't it? "Ragin Cajun makes up his own facts." I present facts, I explain how I arrive at the conclustions I draw from those facts, and I freely admit when my math is off. I cited the actual pages from the budget where I get the facts I'm writing. You may not LIKE what I've said, but you can't honestly say I've made it up. So tell us...you think that the salary, benefits, and reimbursements for the Councilmen is too low. What would YOU say is fair? I'd just love to hear what YOU think IS fair compensation for whatever it is they do. - ragin_cajun Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:05:04 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15401 You go SAY WHAT - YOU GO!!!! Rajin Cajun Has absoluetly NO IDEA WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All salaries expenses and raisies are public records--- do your research RC--- you are way off! - Parish Pal Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:33:52 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15400 Dr. Ciano -- ""you are one biased MoFO" So what. EVERYTHING written here is generously laced with editorializing and opinion. There are no true "news stories" here, it's all laced with opinion, and the Independent will (and HAS) proudly stated that in writing. " yet you want the Indy to cut Brandon slack" Not true. Read carefully what I wrote, and you will see that is not what I said. What I want is for the Indy to drag THE REST OF THE GUILTY COUNCILMEN through the mud for THEIR spending, too. If they expose ALL the abuses of the Council, then it's merely petty. But if they expose ONE Councilman, and protect the others, then what is THAT? A blatant attempt to influence the make-up of the Council, that's what it is. As Council elections draw near, I predict we'll see more hit pieces like this. It's what The Independent does. This is beyond - ragin_cajun Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:28:59 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15399 Problem is....Ragin Cajun makes up his own facts. I suggest you call the council office and find out how many hours these councilmen put in a week. A person in the private sector does not get paid only when he delivers a presentation. He gets paid for all the hours that he works. If it were such a lucrative position, you'd have a lot more competition for the office. So far, I have heard of only 1 candidate that has announced that he will challenge a seated councilman. Again, I ask, why don't you run in your district? - Say what?? Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:24:30 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15397 "ragin_cajun, "you are one biased MoFO, you want impatial reporting, yet you want the Indy to cut Brandon slack........" ---- I think ragincajun is simply trying to point out the complete bias at the Independent's office. Brandon Shelvin gets taken to the woodshed in this artice, for good reason. But they just brush away Donny Bertrand's taxpayer funded trip to Europe. - yo doc Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:56:07 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15394 * ragin_cajun, "you are one biased MoFO, you want impatial reporting, yet you want the Indy to cut Brandon slack........Uh Un, you are not an impartial observer, therefore you cannot be Deputy Dog in the crime-bustin saga, of,"Who did what or who did it to who, starring A La Shuffling Shelvin. If I spent my time spoofing pseudo-facts no one would care to read my comments, but since I, in my ultimate sleuth wisdom only spoof that which is actual factual, my broad based audience sits patiently on pins and needles awaiting my latest tidbit of informational refuting of ill-conceived pseudo-facts, by the slow-learnt commentors here-in TheIndy Weekly. So ! To suggest that TheIndy is overly biased on reporting on Blackmen who do it to whoevah bends ovah, is a wayward meritless accusation by you and others who are the pawns of a platformless ill-moral, couthless thievin Brandon Shelvin, who is so eatin up with the dumbass who actually believes in reparation and believes "He, Himself should reparate all he can and the hell with his brethen, Brandon is the least prejudice person, " for he will do anyone in his path to gain reparation for his person. And you ragin_cajun don't have to go there, its a gimme. Written by White Guy, "You're a white-wash out. Color does'nt matter here, and you are so out of it, by bringing up the "colored thing. White or Black, stupid is available in either shade, "You get it, nitty. - Doctor Ciano Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:17:55 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15393 Every government entity needs to establish a set of rules that says NO gifts of any kind may be accepted by any public official. This includes no meals from special interest lobbyists and no promises of future jobs for family members with that company. There needs to be zero tolerance. Any politician who runs on this platform is half-way there towards receiving my vote. Policy decisions must be based on facts and not influenced by gifts, emotions, religion, and/or prejudices. Paul Harris Author, "Diary From the Dome, Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina" - Paul Harris Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:13:54 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15388 Say what -- I was very honest about how I arrived at the $1,000 per meeting number when BoFred asked me. But, okay. So there is a meeting a week, I'm sure they don't have one every week, so I'm going to estimate 50 meetings a year. That's $500 per meeting. I stand corrected. Let's say each meeting last 5 hours on average, which they don't. So that's $100 per hour. I think that $100 per hour, plus benefits, generous travel budget and meeting registration, "transportation", is extremely lucrative for a part time job. Don't you? The actual FACTS of what I said though, come from pages 183 - 185 of the 2011 Adopted Budget on LCG's website. I used projected numbers for FY 2011. I'm not an accountant, so I asked one to go over it with me. - ragin_cajun Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:27:22 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15384 Ragin,, where do you get your facts? There are 3+ council meetings a month. The second Tuesday is the only night that they are not scheduled, but often there is a briefing or some type of meeting scheduled instead. During budget hearings' there can be a meeting every night of the week except weekends. I suggest you run for the council and see if it is worth $25,000 a year. - Say what?? Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:09:14 +0100 http://www.theind.com/news/9-indnews/7872-crescent-city-getaway#comment-15383 Not all the council members make the $25k/yr. ragin_cajun cited. One councilman for sure, maybe two, did not accept the pay raise from a couple years ago. However, you won't read that in the IND, because they despise those two council members who decided to save the Lafayette Parish taxpayers some money. - RCajunrunner Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:58:36 +0100