It’s been nearly 1.5 years since The Independent first reported on the financial troubles of City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin, and although he found $1,900 earlier this month to pay off an ethics fine so he can seek re-election, he’s yet to make good on the more than $90,000 he owes various creditors.
But let’s be clear on that March 2010 cover story: It was about much more than a local politician falling behind on his financial obligations. The poor decisions Brandon Shelvin made that got him into so much legal hot water back then continue to dog his tenure and raise issues about his leadership capabilities. Our investigations into Shelvin’s history in the Lafayette business world revealed deeply troubling questions about his ethics, honesty and suitability for the public office he holds — an office he may never have even been legally qualified to seek. Read “The Problem with Brandon Shelvin” here.
Shelvin still owes four plaintiffs in civil lawsuits filed against him approximately $90,000. And they all have taken action to garnish his C-P wages. Castille Financial Services was first in line and began garnishing his C-P check in July 2010. Castille sued Shelvin in November 2009 for defaulting on an $8,300 personal loan he took out in August of that year. Once Castille is paid off — the amount is now about $10,000 according to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, which handles the garnishments — Whitney Bank is next in line. It’s owed $15,027. In September 2009, Whitney National Bank filed suit to collect $9,712, a loan Shelvin took out in May of that year but soon after defaulted on.
The largest amount owed — and the most significant because it is tied to Shelvin’s shady dealings at his former used car lot, ThriftyWay Car Sales — is $57,663 to IberiaBank.
When Shelvin owned the dealership, the warranty company he used, Atlanta-based EasyCare, was never forwarded money he collected from customers for extended warranties on approximately 20 vehicles he sold between July 2008 and February 2009, according to EasyCare’s records. Depending on factors like the vehicle’s make and model, mileage at time of purchase, term, coverage and deductible selected, the cost of the service contracts ranged from $700 to $1,800.
After several months of investigating his dealings in early 2010 and minutes before the story on his financial problems hit the press, this newspaper was advised by EasyCare via e-mail that Shelvin had made good on the contracts. EasyCare received a wire transfer from Shelvin on the morning of March 2, 2010, and was paid in full. At the time, it was a mystery how someone so deep in debt managed to get his hands on what likely amounted to anywhere from $20,000 to almost $40,000. But when IberiaBank, which had financed the majority of the car loans, sued him in December 2010 for defaulting on a $41,000 loan it made to him in January of that year, it became clear where he got the money. Interest, late fees, attorneys’ fees and court costs have since pushed the debt to $57,663.
Also in line to collect, via garnishment, from Shelvin is Hancock Bank. He now owes it $13,682. In October 2009, Hancock Bank sued Shelvin in state district court for $8,319 he owes on a 2007 $10,000 preferred line of credit and the following month got a judgment against him.
Garnishment orders were sent to the sheriff's office for both IberiaBank and Hancock this month.
The Independent’s March 2010 cover story noted that the state was already garnishing Shelvin’s salary for child support. In 2002 the state increased his child support to $608 a month, plus a 5 percent administrative fee, and issued an immediate Income Assignment Order. That means each month $638 comes out of his city-parish council pay to support his daughter from a prior relationship. That’s about 30 percent of his $25,480 annual council salary. (A public records request made Monday to city-parish government for information on whether the state garnishment for child support was still active was not filled by press time Tuesday.)
It is widely known that Shelvin also earns, or at one time earned, money as a salesman for Mello Joy Coffee. But Danette Gary, a supervisor in the sheriff’s department’s civil division, says the only garnishments are against his C-P salary. No one who has won a judgment and order for garnishment has requested that any other wages be seized.
A voice mail message left on Shelvin’s cell phone was not immediately returned.
JUNE 19 Former Saint Steve Gleason, who is paralyzed by ALS, released a statement Tuesday in response to the Atlanta radio station's skit making fun of him and the disease, this Picayune post reports. What did he say? He said he'd accepted the apology of the DJs who did it, notes that at least the incident has got people talking about ALS, and asks anyone who is burning to take action about it to do so -- by helping him fight ALS.
JUNE 19 Blogger Ian McGibboney takes a look at the Gleason incident in this post. He makes a good argument about the difference between having free speech and being free from consequences for your speech (which none of us is). He also admits that many of us got upset before we listened to the skit -- but lets us know that the reality is far worse than we can imagine. It was the incredibly bad judgment, even more than the actual speech, that probably got those DJs fired, he opines.
JUNE 19 Washington Post blogger Aaron Blake writes about Sen. Guillory's switch to the GOP in this post. He writes what most political watchers in Louisiana know: Guillory was a Republican before he decided to run for the senate seat in a mostly-D St. Landry district, and has switched back now that he plans to run for Lt. Gov. in a mostly-R state. But how come Blake missed Guillory's appearance on a TLC pageant show? Now that is a video we'd like to see. (Again).
JUNE 19 Here's another Washington Post blog post about a Louisiana politician, and it's just plain scathing. Ezra Klein says Jindal's Politico post was "insulting" to the intelligence of voters, and adds that Jindal is personifying the "stupid" he's railed against, by being an "elite" who convinces GOP activists of "things that aren't true." Me-ow.
JUNE 19 Here's Gov. Jindal's post in Politico, in which he asks the GOP to get over losing to Obama (again) and stop "the bedwetting." (Uh, what?) He gives his Republican buddies what is probably a nerd's idea of a coach's motivational talk, which starts with a list of accomplishments that they can't seem to exploit and ending with an absurd description of liberals that sounds like a character treatment for a Fox "News" movie scripted by Gordon Liddy. Sure, he's preaching to the choir, but even the choir's not this gullible.
JUNE 19 Lamar Parmentel read Gov. Jindal's post on Politico, but thinks it was so dumb it probably was published in the wrong paper. This post by Lamar on the Daily Kingfish opines that possibly Jindal's post was destined for the Onion -- because the governor couldn't possibly be serious here. If you listen closely, you can hear the staff of the Kingfish giggling.
JUNE 19 Blogger Robert Mann posts from Turkey, a country he has visited several times in the past few years. Mann gives an interesting overview of the current political and societal climate of the country, which -- if you're living under a rock and don't know -- is experiencing protests and turmoil these days. Mann promises to post as much as he can during his trip, which should be fascinating reading.
JUNE 19 Blogger CB Forgotston says the legislature is keeping the vicious cycle going with its funding of new buildings for the community college/technical college system. Universities across the state need maintenance and improvement on existing buildings, and the solution is to build new buildings at other schools? By the time the bonds are paid off, those buildings will be falling down, too, CB says.
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