It would cost $25-30 million to replace all the pipes delivering water to Parish Utilities of Ascension customers on the parish’s west bank according to Infrastructure Director William Daniel. His sights are set a bit lower. Daniel informed the Parish Council Utilities Committee that a federal grant might be available, $10-11 million, half of which […]
ABA now proposing a $76,800 “ceremonial” Parish President (and a Parish Manager)
05/31/2018 by
As the Ascension Home Rule Charter Revision Committee convened on Wednesday A Better Ascension (ABA) had added wholly new language to its proposal, retaining the parish presidency but divesting the president’s “administrative” authority. Committee member Rodney Hernandez played postman midway through the meeting, delivering the new verbiage unseen by his colleagues (except for one?) Oddly enough, six members […]
Taking a bite out of ABA’s Elephant: Part VIII (the last)
05/30/2018 by
At long last the Ascension Home Rule Charter Revision Committee’s agenda includes the elephant, A Better Ascension’s (ABA) revamp of the 25-year old document. Pressed for time, Council Chairman Bill Dawson imposed a May 31 (Thursday) deadline if ABA’s charter is to appear on the ballot this year, will the committee be expected to vote tonight? So […]
Taking a bite out of ABA’s Elephant: Part VII (appointed manager or dictator?)
05/29/2018 by
The Home Rule Charter Revision Committee was created by Ascension Council’s February 15 resolution which set a deadline of May 31. That deadline was extended indefinitely but retained as the last opportunity to recommend amendments to the Council in time for placing any amendment on the ballot this year. The worst kept secret in local […]
Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part VI (the Council marginalized)
05/28/2018 by
NOTE: Certain of our readership has inquired about a meeting, actually two meetings, between your writer and members of A Better Ascension. Yes, I did meet with Brandon Trosclair, an ABA stalwart who happens to sit on the Charter Revision Committee alongside me. We met at his place of business Wednesday morning and again the following day […]
Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part V
05/24/2018 by
As Ascension’s Home Rule Charter Revision Committee approaches its (artificial and entirely arbitrary) deadline imposed by the Parish Council for reasons of Chairman Bill Dawson’s own, we continue to digest A Better Ascension’s Elephant. NOTE: For comparison’s sake ABA’s proposal will appear in red text. Where corresponding language to ABA’s proposal exists in Ascension’s current Home Rule Charter exists, it will […]
Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part IV (Parish Manager powers taken from the Council)
05/20/2018 by
With A Better Ascension again 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. NOTE: For comparison’s sake ABA’s proposal will appear in red text. Where corresponding language to ABA’s proposal exists in Ascension’s current Home Rule Charter exists, it will be included in italics. ABA’s […]
Taking a bite out of the ABA Elephant: Part III (hiring/firing a parish manager)
05/14/2018 by
With A Better Ascension scheduled to take center stage at tonight’s Home Rule Charter Revision Committee meeting we continue to take a bite out of the ABA elephant. NOTE: For comparison’s sake ABA’s proposal will appear in red text. Where corresponding language to ABA’s proposal exists in Ascension’s current Home Rule Charter exists, it will be included in italics. Paragraphs A […]
Dawson “lets (ABA) elephant out of the room” as Charter Revision Committee ruse exposed
04/24/2018 by
“Let’s let the elephant out of the room,” citizen/committee member Bill Dawson ended a torturous eight-and-a-half minutes of Home Rule Charter Revision obfuscation on Monday; divulging the worst kept secret in recent local political history. “The changes that we’re talking about today, almost all of them are influenced by whether there’s going to be a […]
Buzzard Roost property rezoned from Conservation to Industrial
12/22/2017 by
“My tax bill this year, for real estate in Ascension Parish, is roughly $280,000,” boasted Grady Melancon who sought to rezone 330 acres from Conservation (most restrictive) to Industrial at the final 2017 Council meeting on Thursday. “The average tax is $200 for a house on Robert Wilson Rd; just a comparison.” And a six-member Council majority played Santa […]
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