The power of THE PEOPLE was evidenced last night as their Parish Council postponed the momentous decision, whether or NOT to approve a controversial agreement with Bernhard Capital Partners-backed Ascension Sewer, LLC. The PEOPLE showed up in force, unhappy and unwilling to endure lectures or pontification from Ascension officials, elected or not. Anticipated to be an […]
Ascension’s first Stormwater Manager out in less than six months. How’d he last that long?
10/06/2019 by
Oh, Malcolm, we hardly knew ye! Introduced by Infrastructure Director William Daniel in April, Ascension’s first ever Stormwater Program Manager Malcolm Sayes almost made it six months. In a recent group email sent from Parish Government, the alert was included almost matter-of-factly. Dated September 30, that email closed with: Malcom Sayes is no longer with […]
Aaron Lawler supports Higher Density residential for Ascension
09/19/2019 by
Reading Councilman Aaron Lawler’s latest social media diatribe against an unnamed candidate, we are reminded of the adage (variously attributed to Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln, you can’t go wrong there): ‘Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. Lawler, to the delight of Kim Christy […]
Corey “the Bald-Faced Liar” Orgeron is at it again
09/01/2019 by
Since a certain District 4 candidate has seen fit to drag your editor into his disinformation campaign, see below, we decided to join the discourse. If we were in the habit of sugar-coating things we’d say of Corey Orgeron; “he’s got a penchant for hyperbole and a tenuous grasp of the facts.” Since we aren’t, […]
AG opines that power to approve subdivision may be taken away from Planning Commission
07/28/2019 by
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 […]
Matassa adds 140 employees, $5.3 Million to Ascension’s payroll (and counting)
07/05/2019 by
President Kenny Matassa inherited a 403-man personnel roster from his predecessor, with a total payroll of $17,437,530 according to records produced by Ascension Parish Government on February 10, 2016. Matassa had been on the job 34 days, having already gotten rid of former lead engineer Bob Horner in a personnel move to belie the monumental […]
What does it cost to hire Meyer Engineering for a splash pad in AP? $49,900, logarithmically speaking
06/21/2019 by
If we learned nothing else at Thursday’s Council meeting, it was determined how much it cost to engineer a splash pad in Ascension Parish. If you’re part of the taxpaying public… $49,900 That’s a different question than; what’s it cost to be given the no-bid contract to perform the engineering of a splash pad? Whether […]
First Anniversary: Jamestown Crossing preliminary plat approval
05/09/2019 by
One year ago today Ascension’s Planning Commission approved Jamestown Crossing (two phases), 172 lots on either side of Hwy 930. It was the last plat approval before the Parish Council enacted a stringent Traffic Impact Analysis policy that would have, in all probability, killed the project. Hwy 930, a substandard roadway, runs into one of Ascension’s busiest, Hwy […]
8 Council members put unnecessary gym before children’s safety
04/14/2019 by
If District 7 Councilman Aaron Lawler is to be believed, a risky proposition at best, eight Parish Council members put an unnecessary basketball gym before the safety of Ascension’s children. On March 21 the vote was 8-3 to amend Ascension’s 2019 budget to loan $3 million ($2,780,000 of it for gym-related expenses at Lamar Dixon […]
Sausage making and secret “sidebar discussions” equal a new gym for Travis Turner
04/01/2019 by
This is a discussion that needs to be had in sidebar. (Teri Casso) On March 21 Councilman Todd Lambert opposed a $3 million loan from the parish’s general fund to pay for certain recreation projects, chiefly a $2.5 million gym at Lamar Dixon Expo Center. Since “no one can tell me why it’s needed,” Lambert joined […]
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