Better Government Association

Slaughter the pigs at the trough

It's time to do something to keep people from laughing about Louisiana's reputation for good ol' boy politics. Two business groups want to make a change, but will the Legislature go along with them?

By Rolfe McCollister Jr. , Publisher
Posted: 03.13.07 - 01:22 PM

It's time for a Louisiana couchon du lait. The pigs at the trough should be put on the spit. Fire up the coals. Ethics in Louisiana is in the news, it's on the legislative agenda, and it will be a hot topic in the fall elections. And it should be.

The wink-and-nod, back-slapping, tobacco-chewing, brother-in-law deal philosophy perpetrated by the good ol' boys in the Legislature has held our state back long enough and provided constant fodder for corporate boardroom jokes across America. It's time to stop them from laughing.

This type of sleazy, "it's okay because Huey, Earl and Edwin did it and our folks are too dumb to figure out what we're doing" politics should come to an end as the majority of the Legislature is turned out due to term limits. But it won't be easy.

We are dealing with a decades-long tradition of pigs at the trough--and there are piglets waiting in line for their turn.

There are several efforts under way to address ethics reform, including a reform package by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, for this legislative session. The proposal would expand the financial disclosures for legislators, provide more whistleblower protection and make it easier for citizens to look up ethics filings. If the reforms are enacted, Chamber CEO Stephen Moret says, Louisiana could be on top of the Better Government Association's Integrity Index when it comes out later this year. This would generate good national coverage for the state and would start to counter historical assumptions about Louisiana's laissez-faire attitude toward corruption.

A new statewide group, Blueprint Louisiana, headed by a 20-member board, including Dennis Stine, Sean Reilly and Matt Stuller, will have a stronger ethics code at the top of its agenda as well. According to Stine, Louisiana's history of corruption has defined the image of the state in a negative way, particularly among executives and potential investors who could create new jobs. This group of business and civic leaders aims to spend $1 million to promote a specific agenda and run endorsement ads for candidates who support it. They also plan to lobby the new Legislature to enact the agenda and create systemic change.

To broaden their support and define the agenda, Blueprint Louisiana is planning nine regional planning sessions in April and hopes to attract 3,000 attendees.

One would hope that with a majority of the legislators term-limited and many retiring they might be willing to leave a legacy and vote for change since their "gravy train" has come to its final stop anyway. Unless of course they don't want to limit the income of their "frat brothers"--or they have plans to cross the lobby of the Capitol and run for the other chamber. Remember, we're dealing with pigs.

The Legislature has the opportunity to act now during the upcoming session (though, as you will read in the next item, it isn't likely)--or you can take action this fall at the ballot box and elect those who make ethics a top priority and are willing to get rid of the trough.

They just don't get it

"What signal does that send to children? What signal does that send to the rest of the people of the state? What signal does that send to the rest of the people in this country who are helping rebuild Louisiana? That the ethics rules that this Legislature passed apply to everybody other than themselves."

These were the recent comments of Hank Perret, chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics, as the board considered a lawsuit filed by two members of the state House of Representatives which seeks to assert their immunity from investigation and prosecution by anybody except the House itself when alleged conflicts of interest take place during a legislative process. The Times-Picayune reported that "the Ethics Board at its meeting last week said the petition, if successful, could set a precedent that would damage the state's ethics standards. The board voted unanimously to fight the petition." Good for them.

The lawsuit is by State Reps. Jeff Arnold and Alex Heaton, who opposed bills introduced to consolidate the seven assessors offices in Orleans Parish into one. Arnold's father and Heaton's brother are Orleans assessors.

House Speaker Joe Salter is supporting the lawsuit, saying the legal principles are too important to ignore. He told the Times-Picayune, "This petition is strictly about the constitutional mandate that prohibits any entity outside the Legislature from investigating and censuring members for performing these duties as legislators."

That might be fine, Joe, if 1) you had not passed laws establishing the Ethics Commission to oversee such behavior; and 2) the people had any faith the legislators would investigate or actually censure such action. This is like the fox guarding the hen house.

Fact is, if we look at history, House Clerk Butch Speer told the Times-Pic that in his 30 years he can only remember TWO times when the house had used its power to remove a member--and that was after they had been convicted of criminal corruption and bribery. BIG whoop! That was a tough decision I am sure--and it makes my point. The legislators don't and won't hold their own accountable. I am sure many are thinking, "Next time, it could be me."

I think Ethics Board member Delgado Smith said it best: "They (legislators) are the ones who should be setting the example.

Deja vu

The ink wasn't even dry on my last column as the last issue dropped in the mail, before I was having flashbacks as Judge Don Johnson was throwing out the case against Ag Commissioner Bob Odom.

Here's what I wrote: "Also on Odom's mind must be his trial beginning this week on charges of conspiracy and money laundering. A guilty verdict on these indictments of corruption in government will end his career. Lucky for him, he got to keep his favorite judge, Don Johnson. Johnson had thrown out the entire case, claiming the time to prosecute it had elapsed, only to have the Louisiana Supreme Court overrule him and send it back to trial. Watch this one closely."

I would say I was prophetic, but then again, we are dealing with Judge Don Johnson. He is an embarrassment to the bench and Baton Rouge. Let's hope the people of Louisiana still get their day in court with Bob Odom and a competent judge.