OK – I’d be remiss if I did not address the latest article about the Mayor of Mandeville, Eddie Price. A fishing trip compliments of a waste management company that was going to bid on a new contract (I’m assuming at the time that it was public knowledge that the contract was up for grabs). Was I surprised when I read this? Sadly – not even a tiny bit. If I were an investigative journalist (and I’m not – nor do I play one on TV), I can guarantee there is a lot more that could be dug up when dots are connected in the life of Eddie Price and Mandeville politics. Even though I am no longer working with the recall petition, I still support them in their efforts. So would this trip alone be something he could be in trouble for? Magic 8 Ball said yes.

Go figure – even the website for the Teachers’ Retirement System in LA clearly states the laws for all to read.

RS 42:1115

§1115. Gifts

A. No public servant shall solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any thing of economic value as a gift or gratuity from any person or from any officer, director, agent, or employee of such person, if such public servant knows or reasonably should know that such person:

(1) Has or is seeking to obtain contractual or other business or financial relationships with the public servant’s agency, or

(2) Is seeking, for compensation, to influence the passage or defeat of legislation by the public servant’s agency.

B. No public employee shall solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, anything of economic value as a gift or gratuity from any person or from any officer, director, agent, or employee of such person, if such public employee knows or reasonably should know that such person:

(1) Conducts operations or activities which are regulated by the public employee’s agency.

(2) Has substantial economic interests which may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the public employee’s official duty.

Acts 1979, No. 443, §1, eff. April 1, 1980; Acts 1983, No. 403, §1; Acts 1987, No. 730, §1.

Love this comment from the article:

Posted by onlyinla on 10/24/08 at 8:16PM
Since when do the people under investigation/indictment get to appoint an ethics committee or board to oversee themselves? I really believed the people in Mandeville were more intellegent than this.

And for the record, I spoke to Carla Buchholz, my Councilwoman and asked her a question on Wednesday. I wanted to know if there was anything in the local charter preventing any City Council members from signing the recall petition. She said she would contact David Cressy (our City Attorney) and get back to me. See the surprised look on my face that I do not have an answer? I think we know that the obvious answer is that they should be able to sign it and they would not do it – right? I certainly hope they prove me wrong.

I guess I should stop being surprised by anything in Louisiana politics – right? Hey – you can have 16 indictments, a future of court appearances and be the favored candidate.

Bobby Jindal and ethics reform….take me away!

Come and meet yours truly and the other Concerned Citizens of Mandeville outside City Hall to show your support for the recall efforts of Mayor Price. I was asked by the St. Tammany News today what I thought about the recent headlines. My answer, “I’m even more convinced we are doing the right thing.” Whether you live in Mandeville City limits or not, join us in front of City Hall at 6:30 on to: sign the petition, pick up a recall packet, sign up to go door to door, or just stand there and be a warm body. The City Council meeting starts at 7:00.

http://mandevillerecall.blogspot.com
mandevillerecall@gmail.com

But the criminal investigation isn’t Mayor Price’s only problem. Even short of criminal charges, he has shown horrendous leadership. He ought to step aside and let Mandeville choose a new mayor.

The problem is, he will not resign. He already stated he won’t and he is not getting any pressure from the City Council to do so. We will continue to be the laughing stock of the region (or at least in the top 5) and we will continue to support the “Mayor Price Legal Defense Fund” as long as he hangs around.

What can you do? Good thing you asked. If you live in the Mandeville City limits, have a business here or live outside the City limits, your support is needed to help recall him. Come join me and the rest of “The Concerned Citizens of Mandeville” as we actively seek to collect enough signatures to help get him recalled.

The recall website is here and you can contact mandevillerecall@gmail.com for more information.

“Fear not your local government, for they are your employees to hire and to fire.” ~Greta~

No Pepsi – COKE! This picture has all the makings of one of those “Priceless” commercials! Let’s start with the necessary information: from left to right: Mandville City Councilman Jerry Coogan, Mandeville Mayor Eddie Price, AJ Marciante (appointed to the annexation and growth committee on November 18, 2004), & Tony Cash of Coke. According to the owner of this picture, this picture was dated June 12, 2006, so it took place after the trip mentioned in the audit on page 20. You know, the one where Coke footed the bill for Councilman Coogan & Mr. Stiebing? The Coke contract with the city was made official in the April 27, 2006 City Council minutes on page 3 (see below). This must have been a celebration trip.

Mr. Bechac stated that the City of Mandeville has signed a contract with Coke for $5,000 per year for three years. The contract is for the exclusive right to serve Coke at City events. He asked why can’t the $5,000 generated from that contract be given to the Trailhead each year? Mr. Stiebing stated that we are trying to reduce the funding each year to the Trailhead so they can become more self-sustaining. The goal is to have them function on their own. Mrs. Walker stated that this was a separate issue that the Council could discuss another time. The question was called by Mrs. Boettner. The motion failed 1-4, with Mr. Coogan, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Boettner, and Mrs. Lenfant voting against.

Enjoy and behave!
***This post can also be found at NOLA.com.

“What’s right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity – intellect and resources – to do some thing about them” ~Henry Ford~

Complacency
1. a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.

If you usually come for my eclectic and humorous look at life and everything New Orleans, I promise to still bring you that. But right now I have a self-imposed pitchfork poking at my butt that is telling me to do the right thing and help organize a recall petition to at least clean up a little bit of the Mandeville mess. It is my right and duty as a citizen of this city to demand the most from my elected officials.

While some are running scared or waiting for the next person to do something, yours truly, though maybe naive and still wet behind the Mandeville ears, has taken on the responsibility to be sort of organizing activist/spokesperson. Mandeville politics is a slippery slope of sludge and is thick with things I never wanted to imagine. We are a city with a bad core and we are just starting to skin the apple – if you know what I mean (insert your own corny analogy here)… This thing called Mandeville politics is going to get better before it gets worse. We haven’t read the last Cindy Chang article or seen the last WWL story – you know that is true.

The other day, I explained to my audience/community on my military blog, why I’d been neglecting them lately. A brief description on the state of our city truly reinforced how ridiculous things are and that this is unacceptable.

If you would like to partake in some community activism, please e-mail me and I will point you in the right direction. Also, we still need a co-chair for the recall petition. Come one folks!

gretaperry@gmail.com

*Definition from http://dictionary.com