AG opines that power to approve subdivision may be taken away from Planning Commission

O’Neil Parenton’s attempt to game the system nothwithstanding, Louisiana’s Attorney General opined that Ascension’s Planning Commission could be stripped of its power to approve subdivision preliminary plats by amendment of the Home Rule Charter. The AG opined nine months after receiving Ascension’s request that posed two questions: Can Ascension Parish Council through a Charter Amendment […]

Major/Minor Drainage myth debunked

In a June 13 letter to Sorrento’s Town Attorney, East Ascension Drainage Board’s counsel debunked the myth that only Major Drainage work can be done inside two municipalities.  EAD lawyer, Cody Martin wrote Matthew Percy, his Sorrento counterpart: The East Ascension Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1 (the District) is in receipt of your June […]

Tough talking Committee slams politics in parish personnel matters

SSA Consultants is about to be back on the job in Ascension after taking the better part of two years on an Efficiency/Effectiveness Study partly ignored by President Kenny Matassa and his bloated administration.  On Tuesday the Council’s Personnel Committee welcomed back Dr. Christel Slaughter and her team, recommending another $76,600 to create 200 job descriptions for […]

Charter Revision Committee hoax a disservice to members, council, and citizens

25 years ago Ascension voters, by a wide margin (64% to 36%), opted for Home Rule adopting the Charter which has been amended once to revise the Employee Appeals Process.  Those of us who pay attention to such trivialities concur that it could do with further tweaking, others believe drastic changes are in order.  While A […]

No monarchy for Ascension Parish; No nominating committee for parish manager

It was a terrible idea while it lasted, a “figurehead” president of Ascension Parish with ceremonial duties likened to the British monarchy by The Advocate’s op-ed page.  Fortunately, A Better Ascension’s (ABA) ploy to dupe qualified electors into believing they would retain the vote for Ascension’s chief executive was dispensed with in one day (excluding the weekend). ABA now proposing […]

Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part II (selecting a Parish Manager)

With A Better Ascension scheduled to take center stage at Monday’s Home Rule Charter Revision Committee meeting we continue to take a bite out of the ABA elephant.  Its method of appointing, or anointing, a parish manager in lieu of an elected parish president will be difficult to digest for a few members of the governing authority […]

Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part I

NOTE:  Analyzing/comparing all changes to Ascension’s Home Rule Charter proposed by A Better Ascension (ABA) requires multiple meetings of the Home Rule Charter Revision Committee.  Likewise, examining those changes cannot be accomplished in a single piece.  We endeavor to compare the current charter with ABA’s beginning with this offering. For comparison’s sake ABA’s proposal will appear in […]

President Kenny Matassa bribes Gonzales Council candidate

NOTE: Due to nature of recording, we were unable to download individual clips in format adaptable for use in some mobile devices.  At bottom of page we’ve provided four YouTube links where an hour or so of audio can be accessed. Wayne Lawson is not for sale…no matter what Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa and […]

President “Go-to-guy” plays hardball

It is sort of sad when any 60-something year old man begins dyeing his hair and wearing lifts in his shoes like Parish President Kenny Matassa started doing this year? The initial, instinctual human reaction is sympathy, and the urge to root for a guy so obviously burdened by feelings of inadequacy, heightened by his […]

5-3 Council vote tasks Parish President to negotiate with only sewer respondent

Five Councilmen voted to “move forward with the Public/Private partnership concept” in Ascension’s 40-year quest for comprehensive east bank sewer at a Special Meeting Tuesday in Gonzales.  They were opposed by three council members who objected to increased monthly user fees and the fact that a single plan was submitted in response to the parish’s […]