Sunday, May 14, 2006
Well, You Know, I'm Just Saying*
Man, it seems like, if the mayor is going to make insinuations about Landrieu taking contributions from people and business interests, esp. out of town business interests, that want something in return, he might want to be a little more circumspect about campaign finance disclosure himself:
And, well, you know man, I hate to make insinuations about either the mayor or a man of the cloth, but the mayor might want to explain how a large sewage inspection contract went to recently incorporated firm, listed among the mayor's campaign donors and formed by one of the mayor's more vocal supporters among the city's clergy:
In the mayor's defense:
I wouldn't expect the mayor to know the details of every city contract under normal circumstances, but there's no need for an audit because the mayor himself is a turnaround expert with a CPA, but I'm just saying, you know, man.
Actually, man, it seems like the mayor takes a fair amount of money from businesses (including out of state businesses) that either do business with the city, or may seek to do business with the city. Hard to tell very much from a list of individual campaign donors, but I was shocked to see CH2MHILL, that CH2MHILL, among the mayor's donors. Considering the city's abandoned car and general garbage disposal situation and the mayor's insinuations about taking donations from individuals who might want to profit from the city, it seems like the mayor gets a lot of Benjamins from companies in the disposal, scrap metal or landfill business. I'm just saying, but it is mother's day and that will need to wait.
Update or Correction: Watching the Sunday night debate, Nagin seems to have stopped saying, "I'm just saying" and "it seems like." I only heard, "I'm basically saying," once tonight. I think he falls back on those two phrases when he needs to defend past statements. The press hasn't really made him defend his statements since "Chocolate City," and Landrieu doesn't seem to want to take off the kid gloves. I have a sinking feeling that Landrieu's campaigning like the Democrat in a race against a closet Republican.
Looking to be a busy week, not sure when I'll be able to follow up. Should add quickly that Nagin's campaign contributors include an Ohio based education supply/consulting company (link removed see correction). Could be that they're impressed by Nagin's leadership, or it could be that they're that they're impressed by the talk of city takeover of the public schools. I, for one, can't say that this implies anything was promised; mayor "trust me" raised the issue of what such contributors expect.
*Not trying to plagiarize another another bloggers material, Adrastos commented on some of mayor's verbal tics or affectations in a recent post. I just wanted to add a couple, or I'm just saying, it seems like he overdoes the false ingenuousness bit with those two.
Correction: Nagin's list of campaign donors included a Conexus, LLC. At the time that I posted it this, I assumed it was the Ohio based company. It now seems far more likely that it was the recently incorporated wireless broadband company with the same name.
*Does not include any contributions from Chicago fundraiser on May 8 because Nagin did not file that report within 48 hours as required by law.
And, well, you know man, I hate to make insinuations about either the mayor or a man of the cloth, but the mayor might want to explain how a large sewage inspection contract went to recently incorporated firm, listed among the mayor's campaign donors and formed by one of the mayor's more vocal supporters among the city's clergy:
A multimillion-dollar subcontract involving the inspection of the city's damaged sewer system was awarded in October to a company organized by a politically active minister who incorporated the firm months after the work began.
In the mayor's defense:
Nagin said he had "no knowledge" of the subcontracts landed by Coleman, and said he hadn't intervened on the minister's behalf..
"The bishop (Coleman) hangs around City Hall quite a bit and was there before I became elected," Nagin said in an e-mail. "I have never lobbied on behalf of him" or his companies, he said
I wouldn't expect the mayor to know the details of every city contract under normal circumstances, but there's no need for an audit because the mayor himself is a turnaround expert with a CPA, but I'm just saying, you know, man.
Actually, man, it seems like the mayor takes a fair amount of money from businesses (including out of state businesses) that either do business with the city, or may seek to do business with the city. Hard to tell very much from a list of individual campaign donors, but I was shocked to see CH2MHILL, that CH2MHILL, among the mayor's donors. Considering the city's abandoned car and general garbage disposal situation and the mayor's insinuations about taking donations from individuals who might want to profit from the city, it seems like the mayor gets a lot of Benjamins from companies in the disposal, scrap metal or landfill business. I'm just saying, but it is mother's day and that will need to wait.
Update or Correction: Watching the Sunday night debate, Nagin seems to have stopped saying, "I'm just saying" and "it seems like." I only heard, "I'm basically saying," once tonight. I think he falls back on those two phrases when he needs to defend past statements. The press hasn't really made him defend his statements since "Chocolate City," and Landrieu doesn't seem to want to take off the kid gloves. I have a sinking feeling that Landrieu's campaigning like the Democrat in a race against a closet Republican.
Looking to be a busy week, not sure when I'll be able to follow up. Should add quickly that Nagin's campaign contributors include an Ohio based education supply/consulting company (link removed see correction). Could be that they're impressed by Nagin's leadership, or it could be that they're that they're impressed by the talk of city takeover of the public schools. I, for one, can't say that this implies anything was promised; mayor "trust me" raised the issue of what such contributors expect.
*Not trying to plagiarize another another bloggers material, Adrastos commented on some of mayor's verbal tics or affectations in a recent post. I just wanted to add a couple, or I'm just saying, it seems like he overdoes the false ingenuousness bit with those two.
Correction: Nagin's list of campaign donors included a Conexus, LLC. At the time that I posted it this, I assumed it was the Ohio based company. It now seems far more likely that it was the recently incorporated wireless broadband company with the same name.
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I just found that, to use in my follow-up, but thanks. Amazing the one hold-over from both Barthelemy and Morial that mayor "trust me" me keeps is this guy:
"yet Edwards, 47, had no experience in sewerage or water management, maintenance, or any related field prior to his initial appointment to the S&WB by Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. Moreover, he was arrested earlier this year on bad check charges in JeffersonParish." link
Money and politics and religion can lead to worse corruption than just money and politics, because of the immunity that religion confers. Unless it involves sex, religious leaders can get away with anything. In N.O. its black Democrat ministers, I wouldn't say all of them. But nationwide, look at the amount of government money going to conservative white ministers. And, yes that was partly (only partly)CYA.
"yet Edwards, 47, had no experience in sewerage or water management, maintenance, or any related field prior to his initial appointment to the S&WB by Mayor Sidney Barthelemy. Moreover, he was arrested earlier this year on bad check charges in JeffersonParish." link
Money and politics and religion can lead to worse corruption than just money and politics, because of the immunity that religion confers. Unless it involves sex, religious leaders can get away with anything. In N.O. its black Democrat ministers, I wouldn't say all of them. But nationwide, look at the amount of government money going to conservative white ministers. And, yes that was partly (only partly)CYA.
The press hasn't really made him defend his statements since "Chocolate City," and Landrieu doesn't seem to want to take off the kid gloves. I have a sinking feeling that Landrieu's campaigning like the Democrat in a race against a closet Republican. Exactly! Landrieu is running the worst campaign imaginable... choosing to ignore rather than confront the slime being thrown his way.. which allows it to stick... very Gore or Kerryesque
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