Always be privatizing

Nobody wants to privatize the Public Belt Railroad. 

Well... except for one party in particular.

Several board members, including board President Pro Tem David Schulingkamp and Kyle Wedberg, said that at this point, they are against moving toward selling the rail.

“I don’t know that anyone has presented in the initial valuation any logic on the sale that is compelling, and I don’t know that it’s even possible,” Wedberg said.

The board gave the study a 60-day timetable to be completed but with the potential of a sale being removed as one of the four outcomes being considered.

However, Ryan Berni, a longtime top aide to Mayor Mitch Landrieu, said after the meeting that the study would proceed with the four options. The city plans to foot the bill, which may cost up to $50,000.

Last time anyone checked in, the possible buyer was....

Questions about the railroad’s future have swirled for more than a year. Previously, Thomas Coleman, the former CEO of International Matex Tank Terminals, announced his interest in buying the Public Belt. Coleman is the father of Dathel Georges, who owns The Advocate along with her husband, John Georges.