To put it another way, they just don't want to

DOTD isn't interested in a temporary fix for the bridge lights.

An offer by the Young Leadership Council to pay the electric bill until the May 4 election can't be accepted in time to avoid the lights going out, State Representative Austin Badon said.

According to Badon, the DOTD told him the state cannot enter agreement with civic group offering to pay light bill. He says an offer like that would have to be made to the city of New Orleans or the Regional Planning Commission. That group would then request that the DOTD keep the lights on.

If they kept the lights on, they wouldn't have any means of frightening voters before the election.