Louisiana Lawmakers OK Some Overhaul Measures

Louisiana lawmakers this week managed to wrestle through a handful of overhauls to a political establishment long beset by antiquated fiefdoms, brazen patronage and duplicative government agencies.

But by the time the curtain closed Friday night on a special legislative session, several other proposals -- including one that suggested New Orleans might not need two elected sheriffs, two largely parallel court systems and two elected clerks of court -- had died amid outrage and acrimony.

Louisiana has a colorful history of controversy -- including sending its elected leaders to prison -- a fact that was often met with a “what-can-you-do” shrug. That is, until hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast.

With billions of reconstruction dollars awaiting approval from Congress, several Capitol Hill lawmakers have suggested they would like to see Louisiana make some changes before they deem the state worthy of a full-fledged federal rebuilding effort.

“America is watching what’s happening in the Louisiana Legislature, and so is everyone in Washington,” U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said. “And everyone there is questioning whether we’re getting our act together and can handle this kind of money. The political back and forth doesn’t help improve the state’s image. Washington wants to see unity and progress, not bickering.”

Not long ago, calling an extra session of the Legislature to discuss levee boards, property tax assessors and government consolidation would make residents’ eyes glaze over. Today, hurricane recovery dominates public discourse, talk radio and coffee shop conversation. And, despite the whiff of progress this week, many in storm-ravaged areas were unimpressed with the Legislature’s performance.

“It was a circus,” said New Orleans native Derek Skidmore, 39, a sales clerk. “We were heading down this terrible road. The hurricane came and broke up that road. And now they’re climbing down that same broken road. I can’t get out of here fast enough.”

As the session lumbered Friday toward a 6 p.m. deadline set by state law, tempers flared. Some legislators sensed that their action -- and inaction -- would speak volumes about the ability of the state to police itself.

When some lawmakers tried to tack measures onto a plan that would establish centers where residents could learn how to apply for aid, Rep. Yvonne Dorsey (D-Baton Rouge) lost her cool. “Come on, people, wake up!” she said. “This is ... about helping our people.”

Still, some political analysts praised the Legislature’s performance, saying that the state had established that it was serious about reform and would handle federal funds responsibly.

“You’ve got to balance image and reality,” said John Maginnis, a Louisiana political commentator and author. The subjects of his book “Cross to Bear” -- former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards and former state Rep. David Duke, who had led the Ku Klux Klan -- landed in federal prison.

“I don’t think people were looking at [the special session] to reform Louisiana government from top to bottom,” Maginnis said. “I think the proof now is in how they manage the recovery ... and I don’t think they have to reinvent government to carry forward.”

Initially, it appeared the session would collapse in spectacular fashion.

Many of Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco’s allies abandoned her on key proposals. New Orleans-area lawmakers, most of them fellow Democrats, assailed the governor for attempting to consolidate the city’s often-duplicative structure of government. The lawmakers said she was kicking the city when it was down and sending a signal that New Orleans would never return to its pre-Katrina size.

The legislative inertia was a bipartisan affair.

When Republicans killed a plan to help displaced storm victims vote in coming elections, black lawmakers walked out and tried to bring the session to a halt. Blanco had to talk them into returning.

Later, a House committee killed a plan to reduce the number of New Orleans’ property tax assessors from seven to one. Among those opposing were two New Orleans Democrats, Reps. Jeff Arnold and Alex Heaton, whose father and brother, respectively, are among the tax assessors. The proposal failed by two votes.

When Arnold was asked whether he considered recusing himself, he said: “I thought about it.” He defended his decision, saying that House attorneys had assured him he would not be violating ethics rules. And, he noted, his father plans to retire from office before the changes would have taken effect.

“We voted on it because we were legally entitled to,” he said. “I still have 40,000 constituents to represent. They deserved a voice.”

Friday night, another key Blanco proposal failed. The governor had attempted to create a housing trust that would be used to distribute federal money to storm victims for home buyouts, loans and grants. Opponents -- mostly Republicans concerned about the cost of the plan -- used a procedural move to kill it; they then staved off furious efforts to revive it before the gavel fell.

“To say this has been an enormously difficult two weeks would be an understatement,” said Rep. Charmaine L. Marchand (D-Baton Rouge). “We haven’t made huge strides. We’ve been making baby-steps.”

The centerpiece of Blanco’s agenda -- consolidating the state’s flood control efforts -- was a success. The Senate unanimously agreed Friday to minor changes that had been made in legislation passed by the House.

The state’s levee boards are known to be secretive institutions, rife with patronage and given outsized power -- including the ability to assemble police forces and oversee developments that have little to do with flood protection, such as marinas.

Though the plan still needs approval from voters this fall, it is likely that the boards will be overhauled and consolidated, with new ethics rules, more involvement by professional engineers and far less power in arenas unrelated to flood protection.

“The bill sends a message that we are about professionalism,” Arnold said.

Still, Blanco’s reputation -- tarnished in the wake of Katrina -- took another hit during the session. James Gill, a columnist for the Times-Picayune of New Orleans, wrote Thursday that the quickest way to kill a bill these days in Baton Rouge was to enlist the governor’s support.

“If you want to make absolutely certain, ask her to give it the kiss of death by declaring it a high priority,” Gill wrote.

Despite the setbacks, Blanco asserted Friday night that “reform and recovery claimed a victory today.”

“We hope that Congress will have the confidence to continue investing in Louisiana,” she said.

Blanco hailed the restructuring of the levee boards.

“For the first time, there will be no politics, no patronage and no brother-in-law deals,” she said. “I never thought that I’d see this in my lifetime.... If that was our only accomplishment, I’d still call this special session a success.”