District 3 City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin, who plans to seek re-election but has yet to pay his ethics fine of $1,900, is partnering with local businesses for an Aug. 6 “equipping our kids to learn, back to school rally.”
"According to our records, Mr. Shelvin owes $1,900 plus court costs," writes Ethics Administrator Kathleen Allen in response to an Independent inquiry into the status of Shelvin's ethics obligation. "He did not timely file his 2009 supplemental report. He asked for a payment plan; however, he only made one payment of $100 and is currently not in compliance with the plan."
The ethics fine is but one component of the Brandon Shelvin ethical/financial/legal fiasco. But at least he’ll have to pay that debt before qualifying for re-election, thanks to a new law. The first-term councilman has yet to publicly address the remainder of his shady dealings. So far, he has no opposition, though two opponents he faced in 2007, Shawn Wilson and Amos Batiste, are reportedly eyeing the race.
According to the flyer for the school supplies’ event, its mission is to provide the necessary tools kids need to receive a good education, including book sacks, uniforms, pencils, pens, socks, paper, crayons, glue and computers.
The sponsors of the event include Greg and Julia Gachassin (oh, the ethical coincidence), Mello Joy Coffee, Angel Manor, Atmos Energy, Sam’s Fashions, Ricky Gary’s AC, Urban Trends, Country Cuisine, KJCB Radio, Cox Communications, Sid’s One Stop, Harold’s Barber Shop and Glenn Armentor Law Corp. Those in need of supplies can fill out applications at Sid’s One Stop, KJCB Radio, Harold’s Barbership, Mouton’s Grocery, Country Cuisine, Truman’s Grocery Store, Archie’s Beauty and Barber Salon, The Hair Depot, Sam’s Fashions and Urban Trends.
The rally supports a worthwhile cause in our community, as we readily acknowledge there are families needing help and kids who deserve the tools essential to a great start for the new school year. But surely having Shelvin tied to this effort should have given these sponsors pause.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t offer students advice on ethics and honesty or how to run for office in a district you don’t even reside in. Read more on Shelvin’s troubles here, here, here and here.
MAY 24 Blogger Robert Mann posts this entry about the Baton Rouge Chamber's recent report on Louisiana's higher education system. It's critical to economic development, and yet our system is facing a "funding crisis" with no way to resolve it, the report says. The Chamber says control of tuition and fees must be returned to the higher ed governing boards.
MAY 24 Here's a NBC33 story about Tyrann Mathieu. He has signed with the Arizona Cardinals, inking a $3 million, four-year deal. He gets a signing bonus of $265K, but gets another, larger bonus if he doesn't get cut from the team for doing drugs. The deal reportedly includes mandatory tests and meetings for the player.
MAY 24 Jarvis DeBerry posts here about the redonkulus rhetoric that would have us believe NOLA is a safe city with a murder problem. Maybe the city's crime stats don't compare with its murder stats because you can't manipulate a murder, he says: a dead body's a dead body. It just doesn't make sense, he says, and his readers agree: a poll asks if they believe the city is safe, and more than 90 percent say no.
MAY 24 Jindal administration officials announced Thursday that the privatization of public health care is going to cost a lot more than they budgeted for, the Advocate reports here. "I'm so surprised," said no one. Anywhere. The cost they're projecting now is more than $1 billion - a lot more than the $626 million budgeted for it. And, it's more than it cost the state to operate those hospitals. So why are we doing this again?
MAY 24 Blogger CB Forgotston ridicules the recent PR campaign by the state GOP in the wake of a legislative auditor's request to both major parties. The GOP (apparently unaware that the Dems got the same request) started yammering about being targeted because it had "killed" a tax increase. CB finds that laughable, but it's also pretty funny that the GOP was comparing this episode to the IRS scandal (Because the President has so much to do with our state auditor. Right?).
MAY 24 Politico details some recent fund-raising efforts by Sen. David Vitter, which have raised the question of his future political plans. This time, it is a $5,000 per head "bayou weekend" that includes "Cajun cooking" and an all-caps "alligator hunt," the story reports. Funds raised go to a super PAC that can spend money to support Vitter in federal or state races, the story points out.
MAY 24 The pink building on Royal in the quarter was sold at a sheriff's sale Thursday, this Picayune story reports. An injunction that would have halted the sale wasn't enforced because the family failed to post a $150,000 bond, the story reports. So the owner of the mortgages on the building bought it, for nearly $7 million. Now the feuding family will have to negotiate with that company to get a lease on the building that has housed their business for close to 60 years.
MAY 23 This post in Louisiana Voice tells us about a bill by a Winnsboro lege that would require all public high school students to take at least one Course Choice online class in order to graduate. (What?) Blogger Tom Aswell says it's a monument to "waste and corruption," especially in light of the problems he's exposed with the program in recent weeks. Idaho had a similar program, but voters removed it by a 2-1 margin, Aswell says.
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