Blast from the past

Murderous corrupt cop Len Davis is seeking to avoid the death penalty.

I am against the death penalty and I hope this man is instead forced to rot in prison for the rest of his life. I wrote about Len Davis and Warren Riley's role protecting him from a domestic violence investigation last spring. Riley is a cop's cop, they say.

I'm John Georges and I hate running for Mayor (and this prop dog)

What the hell kind of campaign ad is this? Not only does the guy look like he hates the dog he's sitting with but it also looks like he hates running for Mayor. The ad is, I guess, designed to highlight Georges' aggressive desire for the office of Mayor but this ad kind of makes it seem like he hates running for office, doesn't think he should have to actually campaign, and thinks he deserves an immediate coronation.




The Times-Pic got in touch with the media consultant behind the ad:

"We wanted to show that John was willing to poke fun at himself," she said. "We're trying to re-introduce him and show all sides of him. Then we'll get to the issues."

It doesn't look like Georges is poking fun at himself. He looks authentically uncomfortable.

I'm sure Karen Carvin Sachat has all kinds of focus group info on this but it doesn't seem to me that people are skeptical of John Georges because he's too aggressive or too committed to being mayor. I think it's more like people think John Georges is a spoiled brat on a power trip. To me, this commercial explicitly reinforces that perception and as a result, might be one of the worst commercials I've ever seen.

I'll miss Pam Dashiell

I was absolutely floored by the news that she is gone. I saw her just two weeks ago at Wally Thurman's 80th birthday party in Lower Mid-City. Though we didn't know each other particularly well, it was easy to tell that she was something of a kindrid spirit. Not many people really find that sweet spot where sarcastic outrage and unending optimism find balance. I asked her about her recent trip to the White House and went on and on (tongue in cheek) about how I had heard through the grapevine that she had been summoned by the President himself and picked up in a military helicopter at her front door at dawn.

Of course it hadn't really gone down that way.

It was, like it is too often for Ninth Ward advocates, a schlep.

She would have deserved that kind of urgency though.

She once spoke to Open Sound about a vision for St. Claude Avenue.

In my dreams, she was District E's City Councilwoman.

Big people article alert

Last Friday I wrote sumthin for the Lens about James Perry's effing campaign.

Clueless

Would Leslie Jacobs, Ed Murray, Troy Henry, John Georges or their campaigns like to dispute the accuracy of the Perry campaign's account of the following exchange at today's debate sponsored by the Afterschool Partnership?

Gina Warner, CEO of the Afterschool Partnership, asked:

“What is your position on the Youth Studies Center?”

--

Troy Henry: I am in favor of the Youth Studies Center. I am in favor of using the youth studies center in collaboration with all the revised library systems that are also being built. So we want to be smart and prudent about how we use our current resources today so where it makes sense to consolidate lets do that but where it makes sense to keep them separate and individual, let’s do that. But we need to make sure we have the Youth Studies Center.

(Nervous laughter)

John Georges: I’m for them as well. We have to be about our facilities. Libraries are certainly one group. It’s all about budgeting and available dollars and the idea is to do like the board of regents ... it’s also a budgetary issue.

(Nervous laughter)

Leslie Jacobs: I think it’s critically important for kids, our students to have a place to go outside of school. Schools have a $1.6 billion rebuilding plan, we need to look how to locate each of these youth studies centers inside our of our school buildings. I think they are important but given the budgetary crisis the more we can co locate with a library, school and other civic centers the easier it will be to staff them and the easier it will be to maintain them."

(Nervous laughter)

Edwin Murray: I too am in support of youth study centers i think it would be great if we could somehow figure out a way to put them in schools and figure out how to just keep the schools open a little longer and also use Library systems across the city. Its important also to try to work in in recreational activities some kind of way to make sure that after school Youth Study Centers to be involved as well to encourage kids in extracurricular activities

(Nervous laughter)

James Perry: I want to be clear because I think some folks misunderstood this issue. The Youth Studies Center is a jail. It is a prison. The subject of some very difficult litigation. Children have been imprisoned for long periods of time with no access to quality eduction at all. We need children to have access to education despite incarceration. If you are locked up for 24 hours a day there is no chance we can decrease the rate. It’s how we define When it comes to juveniles in this system making sure they have a real educational opportunity so that the prison they are in does not define the outcomes of the rest of their lives.

(Raucous Applause)

This is sad. You don't need to be an expert on criminal justice policy generally nor or own local criminal justice system to understand the ongoing plight of children flushed into the hellhole that is the Youth Study Center, you just need to read the news. This is a criminal facility, not a facility appropriate for the detention of accused juvenile criminals. One of the best nonprofits in the city, the Juvenile Justice Project, has a dead serious lawsuit responsible for forcing the concessions made in the treatment of young people held there. Some of those changes include things like prohibiting the denial of medical care, halting 21-hour lock downs, and keeping the place free of rats and mold.

This is not a place to "support" without explanation. If you wanted to give an unsubstantial answer answer to this because you don't really know what you're talking about, the only acceptable statement would be "SHUT IT DOWN."

Now, the account above comes from a Perry campaign press release. Other candidates should feel free to offer an explanation for their ignorance.

Soon Only Shiela Stroup Will Be Left Standing

Rumor is that this Wednesday's column by James Gill will be his last at the Times-Picayune.

It is hard to believe the T-P couldn't figure out something to at least keep one of their top political columnists through the elections next Spring.

Their capacity to cover important issues in this city is shrinking far too quickly.

Me no like.

I'M A TOTAL SELL OUT

I have a new post on the politics of affordable housing in New Orleans right.... over.... HERE!

Don't Be Surprised...

...When YOUR Tulane Green Wave Men's Basketball Team runs surprisingly close to the 20th ranked Georgetown Hoyas in their regular season debut tonight at Fogleman Arena. Tulane Basketball: We Want It More!

Rumors, Murmurs

1. Might Congressman Cao be switching parties?

There is confirmed chatter amongst local Democrats that this may be in the works. It would certainly make things interesting and might help Cao emerge out of a primary if other contenders end up beating up each other instead of the incumbent. Really, though, I'm not sure there's much of anything Cao can do in one direction or another to retain his seat. It certainly helps to vote in the interests of the district, as he did when he finally voted for healthcare reform the other day. If Cao departs from the GOP, it would certainly feed into the GOP purge narrative that Democrats are keen on playing up.


2. What is Karen Carter Peterson up to?

She's definitely running for Congress but won't announce until after the Mayor's race or even later. The Chairman of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, James Gray, has already seemingly endorsed Cedric Richmond. This is of particular interest because Gray is the father of State Senator Cheryl Gray Evans, who is Karen Carter Peterson's BFF. That could make things weird. And what does this say about Cheryl Gray Evans ambition, or lack their of, for higher office? The KCP development may contribute to the reasons why we're not seeing the local Democratic establishment follow the lead of national progressive organizations and the Obama administration in praising Congressman Cao's vote for healthcare reform.


3. Is State Sen. Ed Murray really a front-runner for Mayor?

Yes, just take a look at his fundraising totals for the quarter. For the lazy, that's nearly six hundred grand. We'll get a better sense of what's going on after the official deadline for campaign finance reports later this week.


4. Might we find someone other than Charlie Melancon to run for Senate?

A trustworthy reader wrote the old gmail account about State Senator Eric LaFleur:

E:

He'd be the best candidate of the bunch. But his wife is pregnant with their second child, and she's due either this month or next. I don't think he'll be throwing his hat in the ring. It totally sucks, but I'd love to see Charlie get cold feet, which may be the only thing to make him reconsider. I think he's the Louisiana version of Obama ... young State Senator that gets young folks totally invested in government/politics again.

Not sure there will ever be such a thing as the Louisiana version of Obama but I'd love to hear more about Senator LaFleur.

Who else we got?

I have pretty much lost all confidence in Rep. Charlie Melancon as a legislator and candidate for Senate. His electoral strategy against seems to be do everything the same as David Vitter but don't get caught sleeping with prostitutes. That is more than a cowardly political strategy, it's also one that has resulted in votes counter to the interests of average Louisianians.

So who else do we have?

Does anyone out there have the cojones to fight David Vitter instead of emulate him?

Here are the names of some Louisiana politicians, some of whom I don't know very much about. I'm just throwing darts here. I'll need you to fill in the blanks in the comment section below.

State Senator Eric Lafleur
Former Congressman Don Cazayoux
Speaker Pro Tem Karen Carter Peterson
Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden
Former Governor Kathleen Blanco
Republican Congressman Joseph Cao

I'd love for any of these characters to enter the race as a Democrat or Independent.

I want real choices.

Btw, here is the wikipedia entry on Eric LaFleur. I don't know enough about his political positions to really have an opinion on whether or not he'd be the best choice but he voted Yes on HB 780 when it was before the Senate Education Committee this last session and really seemed to 'get it.' Anyway, he sounds like a badass:

LaFleur speaks French, plays saxophone in the band Déjà Vu, and is currently training for his private pilot license.

Plus he has a son named Atticus.