C’EST BON Kudos to Baton Rouge-area newspaper editor and former state Rep. Woody Jenkins for waging a righteous fight for the public’s right to know. Jenkins spent 28 years representing his Baton Rouge district in the Legislature, but his most important work for democracy is unfolding now in the suburb of Central. The Louisiana Press Association recently honored the ongoing public-records battle waged by Jenkins’ paper, Central City News, against that city’s mayor and other officials. Central is a poster child for the perils of privatization — 80 percent of its $5 million budget is paid annually to an out-of-state consulting firm to handle the city’s day-to-day operations. But when Central’s mayor was caught with his hand in a proverbial cookie jar and Central City News filed a public records request related to the scandal, the consulting firm balked, arguing it was a private entity and not subject to such trifles. Sadly, a district court judge sided with the city when Jenkins’ newspaper filed suit, and the mayor’s minions have since started a competing newspaper and are trying to orchestrate an advertising boycott of Central City News. Barring a successful appeal, what happens in Central City Hall stays in Central City Hall. Keep fighting the good fight, Woody.
PAS BON Lafayette Parish Democratic Executive Committee secretary Mike Stagg caused a stir last week when his YouTube video, “Lafayette Sucker Tax,” started making the rounds. The story — Stagg’s point in the video is that Lafayette residents are paying more than they should for trash pickup because Lafayette Consolidated Government negotiated the deal with Allied Waste rather than putting the contract up for bid — lit up the comment section at theind.com and elsewhere, prompting a defense from LCG Public Works Director Pat Logan over the weekend in The Daily Advertiser. What’s so bad about that? Nothing, except the Allied contract is about 2 years old, and not an eyebrow was raised by Lafayette’s sometimes asleep-at-the-wheel news media — The Independent Weekly included — when City-Parish President Joey Durel et al were negotiating the contract. The public bid process may have saved residents money. We’ll never know. That it took a Lafayette political activist and sometime LCG gadfly to make this an issue nearly two years later is egg on our collective face.
COUILLON The jury is still out on whether waterboarding gleans critical intel from enemy combatants. Unless you’re Gannett. In an article in Sunday’s Daily Advertiser titled, “Bin Laden death reignites CIA debate,” the case is closed: Waterboarding works. A truncated Associated Press article about 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — a Guantanamo Bay detainee — and Osama bin Laden’s courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, who proved pivotal in the hunt for bin Laden, ends on Page 5A of Sunday’s Advertiser with this: “Mohammed acknowledged knowing al-Kuwaiti after being waterboarded.” Period. Nuff said, yes? No. As Ind reader Ann Burruss pointed out to us in an email Sunday morning, Gannett editors replaced a comma in that last sentence with the story-ending period. Here’s the full paragraph, which Advertiser customers didn’t get to read: “Mohammed acknowledged knowing al-Kuwaiti after being waterboarded, but he also denied he was an al-Qaida figure or of any importance. It was a lie, much like the stories Mohammed said he made up about where bin Laden was hiding. Even after the CIA deemed him ‘compliant,’ Mohammed never gave up al-Kuwaiti’s real name or his location, or acknowledged al-Kuwaiti’s importance in the terrorist network.” Even the version of the story on The Advertiser’s website, where presumably the full text could have been published, ends the same way. Hmmm...
... written by You are a joke... , May 11, 2011 - 10:51 am
Now The Ind is taking Mike Stagg seriously? What a joke! The contract was discussed extensively, so I suspect the reason it wasn't questioned that much by the media at the time, was because they understood it was a good deal for Lafayette. Now, two years later Stagg gives out misleading information and THAT makes news? Wow! Why not do real reporting based on real journalistic research, then do a story, if there is a story. Maybe just a lazy mans way to try and sell newspapers.
... written by Compassionate One , May 11, 2011 - 11:28 am
Well I agree you guys should have been watching the garbage contract negotiations! I will refrain from commenting about your head and Durels hind side.
This was the typical "crisis". We had to hurry and renegotiate because the price of resins were going up, says Don Bertrand.
"Negotiating will only cause us to pay higher prices" was the mantra.
There was a huge turnout to protest higher prices and half the service. You were remiss.
And, I should point out that Allied Waste was a contributor to Durel's re-election campaign.
... written by Political observer , May 11, 2011 - 12:32 pm
It is election season and the democratic party is at work! The latest news "the dems calling for dee Stanley to stop working on durel's campaign" was just as disingenuous as this video. What campaign? Does durel have competition? Fyi: Glen weber, the last democratic candidate for c/p president worked full time on his campaign while he actually had the job of cao.
... written by Oh Really? , May 11, 2011 - 12:39 pm
"not an eyebrow was raised by Lafayette’s sometimes asleep-at-the-wheel news media — The Independent Weekly included — when City-Parish President Joey Durel et al were negotiating the contract"
1) There was no real "negotiation". The politicians who wanted the policial contributions gave Allied Waste what they wanted.
2) The media (except for talk show DJs on that wasteland KVOL) did not investigate the emergency meeting to sign the contract and other odd events that allowed the boondoggle to take place because the Lafayette media likes to keep its nose in the rear of the Durel Administration.
... written by Trashtalk , May 11, 2011 - 01:00 pm
Really? No coverage during the negotiations? I remember front page coverage and contentious council meetings. And in the end, the council voted 7:2 to renegotiate because Lafayette would pay less than every other comparable big city in Louisiana. Go back and check your own paper's coverage. asleep at the wheel? Are u a new reporter? I wouldn't go back to the old service, with old gross trash cans and garbage in the streets. Never!
... written by ragin_cajun , May 11, 2011 - 02:40 pm
"I wouldn't go back to the old service, with old gross trash cans and garbage in the streets. "
That's not at all how I remember trash collection in Lafayette before Allied. I remember having very nice trash cans, more than one, because I chose them myself. They were small and my kids could easily handle them, so I could just tell them to go put the cans by the street. The small size wasn't a problem because the trash truck came TWICE A WEEK! And the twice a week service actually costed less than the current once a week service.
I remember the panic about fuel prices at the time, and I never understood why that mattered. There was already a contract in place with the twice a week company, so I never did understand the rush to end that contract and go to some other contractor--DURING THE ABSOLUTE HIGHEST FUEL PRICES IN YEARS. That didn't make sense to me, I called my Councilman (Bertrand), and he talked for a long time and never really explained it.
But, that's OK. It'll all come out in the election. I can't WAIT for election day. Is anybody running against Bertrand in District 7, yet?
... written by Actually... , May 11, 2011 - 03:36 pm
Just checked, and Waste Management gave to DUREL'S first campaign and Allied gave to Weber. This might prove that Durel put the people ahead of politics. What politician would ever give a contract to his opponents supporter. Maybe Durel did look at it from a business perspective and did what was right for the people?
... written by matteroffact , May 11, 2011 - 04:59 pm
ANd they all smoked cigars together.
... written by Jason D. Faulk , May 12, 2011 - 05:24 am
Since no one else is commenting on this point, I just want to thank the Ind for reaching beyond it's local and state affairs scope to look at the disservice readers are getting from that particular edit job in The Daily Advertiser. From what I've read in the past, your intent of coverage here would be in holding a competing "LOCAL" publication accountable.
When it comes down to the fundamental act of keeping our local public well informed, it would appear that the Advertiser piece is at minimum an unintentional error of omission and/or space constraints that serves to unjustly and subtly influence local opinions or at worst is an act of catering to an audience. This type of out of context quoting should not have a place outside of the opinion pages. A reporter could choose to cover these stories from a variety of journalistic perspectives, but I don't believe one should take liberty with the truth. This omission was not even by a local reporter but off the AP wire. That says more about the editing process. I'm disappointed to see what has become of the daily. To any extent your publication is willing to keep covering national affairs especially these that affect our soldiers, our common wealth and the ethical standing of our country, I'd encourage you to continue.
As to whether this constitutes a "couillion" action, we could continue debating. Couillion: "a Well meaning but bumbling idiot" or willful actor?
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 13, 2011 - 08:56 am
Our Parish administrator is a " Couillion, meaning to say "a well meaning but bumbling idiot, for he fails to observe that Stevie Wonder, could see his far range plan to insure Allied's financial support in his final attempt for full tenure and beau coup retirement pkg. from the parish. Now that farmland sinfully low taxed, located across from Joey's house, and owned by the Shaloom's or the Bust-any's, could be developed as the proposed Couillion-World, the Lafayette Parish tax-funded condign retirement home for ex-Lafayette mayors, and councilman.
... written by ragin_cajun , May 13, 2011 - 03:39 pm
" serves to unjustly and subtly influence local opinions or at worst is an act of catering to an audience."
I'll comment on it. The jury is NOT out on EIT. It works. I saw a journalist on CNN this morning who wrote a book about KSM, called The Mastermind, who said it works. Rumsfeld said it works. Leon Paneta says it worked and led to Bin Laden.
As to the editing at the Advertiser...I think the Independent is calling out the Advertiser on this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I think theIND calling the Advertiser BIASED is just laughable given the attitudes of theIND as expressed by their reporters right here in print.
Need I search through the articles to find the comments from reporters here, or will everyone just concede that theIND is biased and proud of it?
... written by Walter Pierce , May 13, 2011 - 03:43 pm
Well, ragin, if supporters of EIT say it works, it must be true. Thanks for clearing that up.
... written by ragin_cajun , May 13, 2011 - 10:32 pm
Leon Panetta's a supporter of waterboarding, Walter? I didn't know that. Thanks for clearing that up.
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 17, 2011 - 02:17 am
Hee-Hee, everyone and anyone out there you could'nt swallow all the inhouse stirred bullshit that the Real Bush the Generic Bush and Obama administration put out over waterboarding, if you were Linda Lovelace....
... written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , May 17, 2011 - 02:23 am
Who owns ALLIED WASTE, The GreenAmbulanceMan, and the half bubble off surveyorman, and the yellow page lil frailie attorney what wears the zoot suits from JC Pe`ne`
... written by tif , May 18, 2011 - 01:22 pm
No one is going to run against Joey. All poles show Joey with a negative 45% that the other canidate would get, but all the other canidates that might run didn't pole above 5%. Even after the trash video.
... written by the deal , May 18, 2011 - 03:44 pm
heres the deal Michot for parish president, Durel for mayor of yongsville, Cortez for senate, Viator for state rep
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