Thanks to court documents released on Monday, we now know that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his former Deputy Mayor Greg Meffert were treated to an expensive Hawaiian vacation by a vendor doing business with the city. Despite assurances that the trip was paid for by Greg Meffert personally, it seems that NetMethods, a company owned by city vendor Mark St. Pierre picked up the tab. Meffert made the shocking admission under oath as part of a wide ranging deposition.
Supposedly Meffert boasted that he paid for the trip, yet he is the same guy who boasted that he owned a boat that he did not own. Even Nagin admitted that Meffert was a “boastful” kind of guy, so why did the Mayor accept a luxurious vacation without checking to see who paid the bill? In my view, Nagin either knew very well who was really paying for vacation or did not want to probe too deeply, assuming that the vendor was undertaking the expense of the trip. No public servant, especially the Mayor of a large city, should accept such gifts under any circumstances.The ethics code of the State of Louisiana is very clear and mandates that public officials refrain from accepting "things of value" from entities that do business with any agency of government they supervise.
For Nagin, ignorance is no defense and it is very clear that another ethics violation has occurred. It is likely that this incident is part of a wide ranging investigation into the activities of the Nagin administration. From the e-mail scandal to questions about his family’s granite business to his dealings with Meffert, Nagin is dealing with multiple controversies simultaneously. The same vendor, Mark St. Pierre, also hosted a party for Nagin on his yacht, another potential ethics violation. Citizens of the New Orleans need a scorecard to keep up with the Mayor and his transgressions.
It is time for investigators to probe whether this vendor improperly received business from the City of New Orleans. NetMethods had a very cozy relationship with Greg Meffert, one that is unprecedented for the City of New Orleans. This same company and a sister company specialized in crime cameras, which have been installed all over the city. It is tragic that the majority of the cameras has never worked and has cost the city millions of dollars. During the weekend, another person was gunned down right below an inoperative crime camera, proving once again that the city does not place a high priority on protecting human life. If the battle against violent crime was really important to New Orleans, the crime cameras would work just as well as the red light cameras which are so effective in issuing tickets and bringing in money for New Orleans. What are more important, fines from motorists or protecting human life? Unfortunately, the answer is quite apparent and very disturbing.
Nagin
In recent interviews, Nagin has expressed anger about probing questions from the media. Yet, the media has every right to question the Mayor about his activities and his gifts. If he wanted privacy, he should not have run for Mayor of New Orleans. Nagin, who was elected to office, as a supposed reformer will now be viewed as another tarnished and corrupt politician.
Jeff Crouere is the Host of “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. He is the Political Analyst for WGNO-TV ABC26 and a Columnist for selected publications. For more information, visit his web site at RingsidePolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com
On this day in 1829 the Danzig (Gdansk) dike broke and the ensuing flood killed 1,200 people.... Oh, and Kl, pylons babe, pylons....... And good strongconcrete homes........ There's the ticket... Written by
on 4/9/2009
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RhettsWife says, "people should have stuck to the ridges"... you must be in River Ridge...<g>...RW, dahling, the Indians had it right from the beginning - They knew where the high ground was...Have you ever seen the exposed foundations and sinking sidewalks along David Drive, or Airline Park? - the frontier of suburban squat-houses in Metairie's move westward. Written by KjunLady
on 4/8/2009
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Oh but for the uninformed masses that hover around out there in cyberspace with nothing to do but babble on…… and on, and on, and on…….. Even when a solution slaps them right between the eyes they simply keep on babbling in the wind and not taking any true effective action…. Sort of like the Flying commandant Booby Jindal and the Air National Guard…. Anyways, in Torrence, or Compton California, somewhere around there, I forget because this is such old technology, they have acoustic monitors on poles around the city….. When gunfire occurs, those acoustic monitors triangulate and pinpoint the source location of the gunshot, within a few feet, and sometimes even the exact room of a house it occurred in………. The address is automatically viewed with a street map on a computer sort of like google maps……. The acoustic monitors can discern the difference between firecrackers, and automobile backfires, or loud smacking sounds like slapping two boards together…. You want to figure out how to reduce the shootings, well, couple an acoustic monitor, with folks that can look out a window and see who, or what before they flee or as they are fleeing, coupled with the cameras and a rapid response time and you may nab a greater number of the ‘shooters’………… Oh, and RW, so what the sinking/settling with construction? I have inexpensive technology that would circumvent this problem in any future constructions……. But that’s just me, coming up with solutions as a result of thinking and experimenting… Oh, and reading and getting around…… Who needs someone who always does something like that…..? Incidentally, speaking of you, and Virginia, did you know that on this day in 1865 General Robert E Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia? Toodles……………………… Written by
on 4/8/2009
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KPF, dear, old timers will always tell you that the developement of certain areas of the city were simply for the benefit of certain speculators, contractors, and real estate developers. The one who suffered from the beginning were those who bought in those areas. Ask how many people kept spending money to pump sand under their slabs. Ask people, how their dream homes became hell holes of disappearing dollars. Yes, dear, people should have stuck to the ridges. One further fact, Jeff, dear - the deposition is free and clear for distribution. Get to work on it, dear. Written by RhettsWife
on 4/7/2009
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It's not the caucasians or hispanics we hear screaming racism, everytime someone is city hall is asked to follow the law and doesn't want to. It's the black community, the cadre at City Hall, and the black ministers Written by Noladude
on 4/7/2009
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Detroit also is planning to "shrink its footprint" - but no one there is crying "racism." Also, could it not be that New Orleans should never have allowed homes to be built in many of these low-lying areas to begin with? As far as the 150,000 New Orleans citizens who are "marooned" - someone needs to tell them that the water has receded; they can come on back now. Written by kpf
on 4/7/2009
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While I find this investigation of Mayor Nagin legitimate, I wonder just how honest can the rest of us be with regards to WHY he is being investigated. Might Nagin be targeted because he refused to agree to "shrink the footprint" and allow New Orleans to be a "vanilla city"? Lest you dismiss this question out of hand, please know that the grtowing racial divide is in part because of this reality -- the demolition of four public housing developments, the refusal to reopen Charity Hospital, the privatization of the public schools -- all this accompished as 150,000 New Orleanians are marooned away from the city. Written by revenge of the the Uptowners?
on 4/7/2009
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If it wasn't so sad for the city and it's citizens, it would be fun to watch Nagin squirm and try to shift focus from his evil ways to others. He is probably happy though, that all the attention on him has moved his bimbo, the sanitation queen, out of the spotlight, but we can expect that new sleezy dealings with those garbage contracts will emerge soon. Written by Titch
on 4/7/2009
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Meffert and others may be involved in these activities but the primary issue is that the mayor, elected by the people to represent them, was the recipient of an item of value from the very people who profited from contracts with the city. If he truly represented the citizens, he would have refused and/or sought advice as to the ethical and legal status of such "gifts". Written by RhettsWife
on 4/6/2009
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Thank goodness for the media. Only they seem able to sort through the layer of protection of Nagin and his corrupt picks at city hall to find the slime and sleeze hidden below. Keep it up T-P, WWL, and others. Maybe we can finally see an end to this corrupt and arrogant administration Written by Noladude
on 4/6/2009
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Thanks to court documents released on Monday, we now know that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his former Deputy Mayor Greg Meffert were treated to an expensive Hawaiian vacation by a vendor doing business with the city. Despite assurances that the trip was paid for by Greg Meffert personally, it seems that NetMethods, a company owned by city vendor Mark St. Pierre picked up the tab. Meffert made the shocking admission under oath as part of a wide ranging deposition.
