C'est Bon
Gov. Bobby Jindal’s efforts to reform the sad state of public education in Louisiana were hit with staunch opposition from school boards and teacher unions during his first term, but the governor says he’s not backing down. Jindal, in announcing his top priorities for the first year of his second term, is focused on more choices for parents on where children can attend schools and expounding on teacher evaluations to link teacher rewards to improvements in student performance. The two measures are sure to keep the opposition camp fiery, and we’re happy to hear he’s ready for the fight. We still argue that Jindal’s backing of the Louisiana Science Education Act (read an entry for creationism in school science class) is the antithesis of forward-thinking education for the state, but his early commitment to inching our national education rankings up from the last rung of the ladder earns the governor an A for effort.
Pas Bon
The courts will decide the issue of the controversial ordinance the City-Parish Council adopted to block construction of a waste facility already permitted and under way on Sunbeam Lane, and regardless of where you stand on this issue, that means taxpayers will take a hit on legal fees — and what could amount to millions in damages. Equally troubling is that this issue has the potential to discourage developers from setting up shop in Lafayette. City-Parish President Joey Durel told the council that he would not veto the ordinance, “even though my conscience tells me to do otherwise.” City residents on Sunbeam Lane began publicly opposing the facility in early October, roughly nine months after waste company IESI started the permitting process through LCG’s Planning, Zoning and Codes Department. The site is adjacent to a residential area of north Lafayette, but because the property is in a small pocket of unincorporated Lafayette Parish with no zoning regulations, PZC could not deny the permit. The company’s owners have publicly said they plan to sue if the permit is revoked, maintaining they’ve already put more than $1 million into the project.
Couillon
Within days of climbing his way up to pas bon status, Louisiana’s education governor had already dropped down to the bottom rung. The website stimulatingbroadband.com reported last week that the Jindal administration prompted the termination of an $80.6 million broadband stimulus project by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Louisiana Broadband Alliance project would have supported the major academic institutions of the state with expanded optical fiber networking capacity — and helped rural areas no private company wants to serve. In an Oct. 26 letter, a grants officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce informed the Board of Regents, which had applied for the grant, that the $80.6 million grant had been rescinded. Based on stimulatingbroadband.com’s tracking of the status of all such federal projects, Louisiana’s cancellation is the largest termination to date, by dollar value of federal funding, of any such project under the Obama Administration’s $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu blamed the Jindal administration: “Despite receiving the green light for more than $80 million in federal funds, the state fumbled the ball and was either unable or unwilling to complete the project, which could have been a tremendous boost to central and Northeast Louisiana,” she stated. Jindal’s Commission of Administration Paul Rainwater called the grant a “government-heavy approach that would compete with and undermine, rather than partner with, the private sector and locals.”
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"what could amount to millions in damages." You have no factual basis whatsoever for this statement, and I'm sure you know it. I've outlined here already how absurd Hebert's opinion was. I did my homework on the cases he cited, did you?
"City residents on Sunbeam Lane began publicly opposing the facility in early October, roughly nine months after waste company IESI started the permitting process through LCG’s Planning, Zoning and Codes Department." You also must know that Durel's office claims they didn't know about the project until the Advertiser ran a story on it. Not a single resident knew about it until ground was broken.
"they’ve already put more than $1 million into the project." ZERO investment before the permit was issued can be claimed as damages. All they did after the permit was issued was clear land and pour a slab.
Having a misguided opinion on this matter is one thing, but using blatantly false statements to mislead your readers is just wrong.
Have you thought about looking into the Bacque/Savoy/Durel land deals? You don't find it too coincidental that River Ranch may owe Durel 600k, Savoy bought the land for 400k, and a few days later bought a lot from River Ranch?
Waste Facilities attorney said they were working with zoning since 2010, yet no council member nor Durel's office knew anything about it? Waste Facilities was already shut down on this project by the DEQ for clearing land without a permit. There a a few other violations and errors in the process which will be raised if this ends up in court.
I've done business around the world and a common concern about doing business in Louisiana is corruption. People won't stay away due to a garbage permit not being issued. They will stay away if they think their property can be made worthless by a corrupt city/parish government.
You know how wrong this scam it. Have a little integrity and report the facts.