===
October 12, 2009
Broussard’s Call for Good Government Regarding Parish Business with Hubbard, and not for the Baronis is Inconsistent
Re: “Jefferson to drop Hubbard contracts Parish had deals with ex-official's companies,” New Orleans Times-Picayune, by Richard Rainey, October 07, 2009
Dear Blogger:
Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard’s call to invalidate contracts with the confessed felon Bill Hubbard should be commended.
And, understandably, Jefferson Parish Chief Administrative Officer Tim Whitmer expects questions regarding vendors conducting business with Jefferson Parish involved in illegal activity in St. John Parish to be raised.
But, Broussard never acted upon a special audit suggested by the New Orleans Times-Picayune -– {“If they hope to make amends, the best thing the politicians could do is to order up special audits of all the contracts they gave to Urban Planning. Jefferson Parish alone has paid the company $1.3 million in recent years. Nick Baroni may have taken the Navy for chump change. But if he did it there, he could also have done it on local contracts. . . . . . . . ” –- Source: “Landing those contracts, the Baroni way,” by Drew Broach, New Orleans Times-Picayune, February 18, 2008}
Nearly at the same time, when Jefferson Parish politically well-connected and close friend of Aaron Broussard, Nick Baroni (former president of the Kenner council), and Keith Baroni of Urban Planning and Innovations, were committing mail fraud (billing the U. S. Navy for $120,000 for work not performed, while troops were sacrificing and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan), the Baronis were submitting invoices to Jefferson Parish in excess of $1,300,000. (The writer is in possession of copies of the invoices).
And additional “ethical” escapades of politically connected Nick Baroni, as written by the Times-Picayune -- {“And he (Nick Baroni) served briefly on the East Jefferson Levee Board, before deciding he would rather make money at his consulting firm, Urban Planning & Innovations, instead of obeying ethics laws that precluded Urban Planning from doing Levee Board work while he occupied the seat.” -– Source: “Landing those contracts, the Baroni way,” by Drew Broach, New Orleans Times-Picayune, February 18, 2008}
Moreover, In the tradition of time “honored” Jefferson Parish good ole boy politics, for the thirteen-count confessed plea-bargained felon, Nick Baroni, forty-seven politicians and friends, possessing no shame or decency, wrote letters to the judge requesting leniency. The list of bleeding hearts included: Aaron Broussard; mayor of Kenner, Ed Muniz; Kenner council persons, Michele Branigan and Ben Zahn; mayor of Jean Lafitte, Tim Kerner; Broussard aide (no surprise), Terry McCarthy; former Kenner councilman and former state judge and Kenner city attorney, James Cannella; and, putting the cherry on the sundae; Thomas Rodi, Bishop of Biloxi!
[Except for Mayor Ray Nagin] not a New Orleans elected, or unelected, official wrote a word to request leniency for confessed felon, former at-large city councilman, and heavily-favored to be elected mayor of New Orleans in 2010, Oliver Thomas -- and Thomas accepted a $19,000 bribe to secure a parking concession for a business person -–small potatoes compared to the near treasonous crimes of Nick Baroni.
Astonishingly, no record of a special audit or questions regarding the $1,300,000 plus of invoices billed to Jefferson Parish by the now multiple-count confessed felons, the Baronis -– as best that I could determine -- has ever been conducted or raised by Jefferson Parish officials.
Given the Baronis' criminal records and possible conflicts of interest, the lack of diligence by Nick Baroni’s fellow world traveler and prayer partner -- Aaron Broussard -- and Jefferson Parish officials' failure to call for an independent examination of the invoices submitted by Urban Planning and Innovations -– while calling for an examination of Bill Hubbard related companies, is not only inconsistent -- but is tantamount to malfeasance.
And one must wonder if Aaron Broussard influenced his appointee, Chief Administrative Officer Tim Whitmer, to order an expenditure of $340,000 to be inserted into the Jefferson Parish budget to improve property for a business -- Mr. Bubbles Car Wash -- owned by the sons of Nick Baroni -– {“ . . . it is immediately obvious that a parish which forces retailers such as Wal-Mart or Lowe's or any other private commercial enterprise to pay for any and all road work or infrastructure improvements has lost it's way. The Mr. Bubbles Car Wash will not even pay parish sales taxes as car washes are exempt.” -- Source: The Dead Pelican -- http://www.thedeadpelican.com/2009/FAM5.HTM}
{“From: TAWhitmer
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:40 PM
To: Antoinette Scott
Cc: CJumpiere; JGonzalez
Subject: FW: Mr. Bubbles Car Wash
Please include in the capital budget ordinance for 4/01/09 $340,000. from council district 3 funds for this project. Chief Administrative Officer” -– Source: The Dead Pelican -- http://www.thedeadpelican.com/2009/FAM5.HTM}
And even more of an outrage for the taxpayers of “imperial” Jefferson Parish to digest -– {“When more work was unexpectedly needed for the project parish employees seem to joke that the parish would be willing to spend $1M dollars to keep the project on track.
From: MDrewes
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 8:43 AM
To: RABreaux
Cc: CHotard
Subject: RE: Butler Ditch in Avondale (Adjacent to Mr. Bubbles Car Spa)
If I were you, I'd fill in $1,000,000.” -- Source: The Dead Pelican -- http://www.thedeadpelican.com/2009/FAM5.HTM}
And you just “gotta” love the knee slapping sense of humor of the folks in the Gretna Courthouse and Uncle Jed would say, after reading Drewes’ e-mail, “If that doesn’t take the fat off the ham!”
And should there be doubts of my suspicions, or no empathy for my outrage, then you would not believe that Broussard was attempting to sell the Causeway (a widely unpopular idea with the public) to the Shaw Group and raise tolls –- and one must wonder what awaited Broussard for the deal when out of office -- {“Broussard attended a third meeting with Lambert and the Shaw Group, and it was at this meeting that the representatives proposed instituting incremental toll increases, perhaps every two years, Lambert said. Though Lambert, France and Davis said they aren't interested in further discussion with the Shaw Group, Broussard said it would be premature to quash the idea.” -– Source: “Officials rebuff Causeway sale proposal,” by Andrew Boyd, New Orleans Times-Picayune, March 19, 2008}
Or that Broussard had a clue who ordered the pump operators to Washington Parish prior to Katrina, while not exactly being forthright with the citizens–- {“In contrast to his public comments defending the Hurricane Katrina evacuation of pump operators, Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard testified under oath that he had no idea who sent the emergency workers more than 100 miles from their posts and didn't bother to ask his directors about their storm preparations. Broussard said he didn't know the pump station workers left their stations until they had already headed to Washington Parish shelters on Aug. 28, 2005, according to a transcript filed recently into court records. Further distancing himself from responsibility for the decision, he said he didn't know the "Doomsday Plan" that called for the pump workers' evacuation existed until the press started questioning the decision in the weeks after the storm.” -– Source: http://blog.nola.com/kenner/2008/01/broussard_says_he_didnt_send_p.html}
Too bad that Aaron Broussard was not as well prepared to protect Jefferson Parish from the horrors of Katrina as he was able to write a three and one-half page letter requesting leniency for a multiple-count confessed felon who defrauded the U.S. Navy, and was likely able to dispense contracts to political allies, and likely able to have abnormal budget insertions for the politically connected, but let’s all thank the Almighty that the Causeway is bolted to Lake Pontchartrain.
David C. Bellinger
(404) 762-8779
E-mail: davidc53@juno.com
Atlanta, GA
Labels: Flaming Liberal
