ISL WEEK 7

Information from a recorded forum.

From hospitals to crime cameras to economic development, the forum hosted Monday night
(Sept. 28) by the Civic League of East Jefferson saw the five candidates running for
Jefferson Parish president addressing a wide range of issues. The candidates in the Oct. 24
election are seeking to succeed John Young, who is running for Louisiana lieutenant
governor.
The most prominent are Parish Councilman Elton Lagasse of River Ridge and Kenner Mayor
Mike Yenni. Other candidates are retired longshoreman Al Morella of Kenner, former
Lagasse aide Robin Christiana of Gretna and Vincent DeSalvo Jr. of Gretna. All are
Republicans, except for Morella who listed his party as "other."
Some interesting themes and points emerged from Monday's discussion. Here are five
takeaways from the event:

1. Lagasse's big talking point

If there was one point Lagasse hit repeatedly, it was his promise not to raise taxes. Nobody
else directly said they would raise taxes, but Lagasse was likely aiming at Yenni, who tried --
and failed -- in 2011 to pass a major tax initiative in Kenner. Lagasse made clear it will be a
major talking point for his campaign.
"No new taxes, no increase in fees and recreation department and crime abatement -- that's
my platform," he said in his closing statement.

2. Agreement on East Jefferson Hospital

Here's one area where Lagasse and Yenni agree. Both said the parish president should take
an active role in the negotiations over the future of East Jefferson General Hospital.
"It's the parish president's responsibility to make sure this gets done," Lagasse said.
Yenni took the question about the hospital as an opportunity to criticize the work of Young,
saying a deal to lease the hospital to a private operator has taken "almost 5 years too long"
to reach.
"I have seen a lack of leadership by our parish president on this hospital issue," he said. "As
a parish president you should be a leader."

3. What about education and crime?

One of the trickiest parts of being parish president might be that two quality-of-life issues of
concern to constituents, crime and education, are not under the president's authority. Yet the
candidates say they want improvements in both areas, some going so far as to name
education and crime among their top priorities.
How would they actually go about improving education and reducing crime? On crime, the
candidates said they would support continued funding for crime cameras and other
technology used by the Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies. On education,
most candidates gave a general statement about working closely with the School Board.
Yenni pointed to his efforts in Kenner to open a charter school there. DeSalvo's plans
include opening up parish government to students, inviting them to Parish Council meetings
or meeting with parish officials to get them excited about potential career opportunities.

4. Differing opinions on BP money

The use of BP settlement money is an area where candidates differ. Jefferson Parish is set
to receive about $45 million, most of which is meant to make up for economic revenue lost
after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. Candidates were asked whether any of the money
should be used in East Jefferson.
Yenni said yes, in areas where it can stimulate more sales tax revenue. Lagasse said a
committee should be formed to decide where the money should go.
Christiana wanted to put the money in the bank and "live off the interest," using the rest as
an emergency fund in case of another disaster. Only Morella mentioned the possibility of
paying for parish employee raises, which Councilman Ben Zahn pushed for.

5. Avondale shipyard's fate

To hear it from the candidates, the future of the Avondale shipyard remains fuzzy. The 268-
acre site is up for sale, but most of the candidates weren't clear on specifically what they
want to see there.

Lagasse said various companies are interested in the site, and he expects a resolution soon.
Yenni said we "need to focus on what other uses could be," tossing out the ideas of a car-
manufacturing plant or site for storage containers.

The one suggestion that would be a drastic change from the site's former use: Morella
wanted to see a training center for high-technology manufacturing jobs.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/jefferson_parish_president_ele.html