Carroll Robichaux, chairman of the Lafayette Airport Commission, says Roberts can either retire or face termination. "If Mr. Roberts doesn't retire or resign, it'll probably be the first thing on the [June 7] agenda," says Robichaux, who wants to see the aviation director replaced after more than 14 years on the job. "There are four [additional commissioners who support his termination] for sure," he adds.
Count Brenda Burley, who has served on the commission for more than a decade, among them. "I want him out, but I've wanted him out for years," she says. Burley is one of Roberts' strongest critics and says she has had professional differences with him since her first years on the commission, though she declined to discuss any specifics on the record. However, she says Roberts' demeanor and the way he treats staff and others who do business with the airport are among the reasons he should be replaced. "I would give that a good third of the [basis]," she says.
Robichaux also acknowledges Roberts' rude personality as grounds for his pending departure. "That's one of the things [Commissioner Don] Higginbotham and I talked to him about Monday [May 21]. The way he asserts himself. He's got the military attitude," Robichaux says, referencing Roberts' military service. "I can deal with him, but it's the way he handles himself in the public eye."
Shortly after Roberts refused to disclose his salary, The Daily Advertiser and a group of concerned residents began investigating spending practices of the airport staff and commission, which led to a state legislative auditor's review and resulted in policy changes such as banning post-meeting meals at the airport's expense and reimbursement of some travel costs. "I went to one meal the night I went on the board and one luncheon last year," says Robichaux, who has served for three years. While he maintains that the questionable spending is a "minute" motivation for replacing Roberts, the commission chairman declined to discuss any specifics due to potential litigation.
The Lafayette Airport Commission is made up of seven members, and Robichaux votes only in the case of a tie.
Roberts does have at least one adamant supporter in immediate past chair Jim Nunn. "Greg is imminently qualified for his job based on his past performance," says Nunn, noting recent increases in passenger boardings, air freight business and airport rental income.
In typical fashion, Roberts was abrupt in responding to a request for an interview about his job security. "I really don't have any comment at this time," he said.
Regarding the salary issue, Roberts eventually released the figures ' his is $92,000 ' after the airport's attorney, Glenn Edwards, could find no justification for his absurd Homeland Security pretext. By then, however, concerned residents had already begun an investigation that, at least in part, may ultimately cost him his job.
MAY 24 Blogger Robert Mann posts this entry about the Baton Rouge Chamber's recent report on Louisiana's higher education system. It's critical to economic development, and yet our system is facing a "funding crisis" with no way to resolve it, the report says. The Chamber says control of tuition and fees must be returned to the higher ed governing boards.
MAY 24 Here's a NBC33 story about Tyrann Mathieu. He has signed with the Arizona Cardinals, inking a $3 million, four-year deal. He gets a signing bonus of $265K, but gets another, larger bonus if he doesn't get cut from the team for doing drugs. The deal reportedly includes mandatory tests and meetings for the player.
MAY 24 Jarvis DeBerry posts here about the redonkulus rhetoric that would have us believe NOLA is a safe city with a murder problem. Maybe the city's crime stats don't compare with its murder stats because you can't manipulate a murder, he says: a dead body's a dead body. It just doesn't make sense, he says, and his readers agree: a poll asks if they believe the city is safe, and more than 90 percent say no.
MAY 24 Jindal administration officials announced Thursday that the privatization of public health care is going to cost a lot more than they budgeted for, the Advocate reports here. "I'm so surprised," said no one. Anywhere. The cost they're projecting now is more than $1 billion - a lot more than the $626 million budgeted for it. And, it's more than it cost the state to operate those hospitals. So why are we doing this again?
MAY 24 Blogger CB Forgotston ridicules the recent PR campaign by the state GOP in the wake of a legislative auditor's request to both major parties. The GOP (apparently unaware that the Dems got the same request) started yammering about being targeted because it had "killed" a tax increase. CB finds that laughable, but it's also pretty funny that the GOP was comparing this episode to the IRS scandal (Because the President has so much to do with our state auditor. Right?).
MAY 24 Politico details some recent fund-raising efforts by Sen. David Vitter, which have raised the question of his future political plans. This time, it is a $5,000 per head "bayou weekend" that includes "Cajun cooking" and an all-caps "alligator hunt," the story reports. Funds raised go to a super PAC that can spend money to support Vitter in federal or state races, the story points out.
MAY 24 The pink building on Royal in the quarter was sold at a sheriff's sale Thursday, this Picayune story reports. An injunction that would have halted the sale wasn't enforced because the family failed to post a $150,000 bond, the story reports. So the owner of the mortgages on the building bought it, for nearly $7 million. Now the feuding family will have to negotiate with that company to get a lease on the building that has housed their business for close to 60 years.
MAY 23 This post in Louisiana Voice tells us about a bill by a Winnsboro lege that would require all public high school students to take at least one Course Choice online class in order to graduate. (What?) Blogger Tom Aswell says it's a monument to "waste and corruption," especially in light of the problems he's exposed with the program in recent weeks. Idaho had a similar program, but voters removed it by a 2-1 margin, Aswell says.
Most Read
in case you missed it
Subscribe to this comment's feed