Everybody hearts Jay

Batt's "war-chest" is impressive. Take a look at all these fine, upstanding pillars-of-the-community just aching to put him back on the council.

Batt's donor list is peppered with familiar names.

Among those who have given him the maximum $5,000 contribution are car dealer Ronnie Lamarque and his wife, Natasha; Fred Heebe, one of the owners of River Birch landfill, which receives at least $7 million per year in payments from City Hall to dispose of garbage; and City Planning Commission member Lynes "Poco'' Sloss.

Batt received $3,000 in donations from developer Joseph Canizaro and venture capitalist David Voelker and his family and $2,500 donations from engineering consultant Walter Baudier, lawyer Calvin C. Fayard Jr., manufacturing executive Jay Lapeyre and former Councilman Bryan Wagner.

The $2,000 donors to Batt include lawyers Henry Braden, who raised money for Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu and failed mayoral candidate Ed Murray, and Herschel Abbott; and shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger.

Batt's $1,000 contributors include lawyers William Broadhurst and William Aaron, Vieux Carre Commission Chairman Ralph Lupin, businessman Greg Rusovich, restaurateur Ralph Brennan and Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jiff Hingle.

People keep asking what happened to Ray Nagin's "shadow government" and I keep telling them it's doing just fine.

Still I wonder why it is that, despite the fact of this well-known perpetual campaign against him, so many people still seem to really love Jay Batt. I mean, we already know he's a great dancer



And that he likes cocktails with little umbrellas in them



That's all very endearing. But still something tells me there's gotta be something else. This morning we learned that Batt says it might be about keeping ACORN BOLD from doing... something... to the council's Utility Committee.

This week, Batt slammed (Karen Carter)Peterson with a campaign mailer alleging that her endorsement of Guidry is part of a "back room" deal to reacquire a consulting contract she lost in 2000 with the council's Utility Committee. The flier also attempts to make a connection between Guidry and the leaders of BOLD, Peterson's political organization.

BOLD, which has taken no position in the District A race, supported Batt when he won the seat 2002. Finance reports from that campaign show that Batt made a $15,000 payment to BOLD to cover his share of the costs for printing and mailing the organization's ballot.

Efforting to "connect the dots'' regarding the alleged deal with Peterson, the Batt flier cites a comment by Guidry at a campaign appearance where she expressed an interest in serving as chairman of the Utility Committee. It then says Peterson's endorsement came on the heels of Guidry's statement.

"There are no coincidences in politics," the flier says.

Indeed. It would be an unfortunate coincidence if someone managed to "back room" themselves into something like utility oversight who just happens to not know how to do Jay's dance correctly. Thank goodness there are no coincidences in politics.