Letters, Landrieus, Spoils

The Louisiana Civil Service League writes in opposition to Mitch's attempt to politicize city employment.

(LCSL Executive Vice President Daniel Sullivan) Sullivan has challenged 13 of the 32 proposed rule changes. Many of those he identified as problematic have to do with giving managers more flexibility to execute human resource decisions without first seeking the approval of the Civil Service Commission. In several sections of his letter to Wildes, Sullivan said the various rule changes threaten to take away the commission’s authority.

Sullivan also called a proposed revision that would reduce the priority given to laid-off civil service employees when new jobs become available a “serious and blatant attempt to return to the spoils system.”

Meanwhile the Legislature is considering a bill that would allow Governor Jindal to politicize the levee board nominating process. The Lens will live blog a Senate committee hearing concerning this bill sometime today.

The bill would give the governor greater control over who is chosen to serve on the board. The proposal faces the strong opposition of Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, which led the drive in 2006 to create the Flood Protection Authority. Also opposed are John Barry, who was formerly the authority’s vice president, and the trial attorneys who have filed suit against 97 oil and gas companies on behalf of the authority.

Senator Mary Landrieu hasn't spoken directly about this bill but is now publicly opposing the SLFPA-E's lawsuit which spurred its creation.  Here is a letter to The Advocate by Richard Boyd  commenting on Senator Landrieu's position.

Landrieu has always been friendly with oil and gas industry interests in the state and they have been kind to her campaigns in the past.

But the truth is that a massive negotiated or court-ordered settlement in the lawsuit filed against 97 oil and gas companies by the Louisiana Flood Protection Agency — East could pump millions into workable projects to repair drilling environmental damage and start saving the state’s vanishing coastline.

To avoid angering those oil and gas interests, Landrieu wants more federal revenue sharing money.
But Landrieu in her same appearance in her own words amplified the problem with her approach when she said the fight in Washington for more revenue sharing for Louisiana “is what I have been leading for 20 years.” And she has scored some gains but that money comes back in palsy dribbles and drabs compared with the revenue the federal government grabs from Louisiana oil and gas production.

Landrieu's new campaign ad highlights her record as fierce friend of the oil and gas industry in Louisiana. 

BP Day (the fourth anniversary of the Macondo Gulf Of Mexico oil gusher) is Sunday.  Yesterday BP announced that they are ceasing "active clean up" operations on the Louisiana coast.  Maybe they can get Mary to hold the Mission Accomplished banner for them.