Monday, October 15, 2007

Diane Bajoie has a large family

"Senate Passes Toughened Ethics Bill for Hurricane Contracts"

Louisiana - New Orleans Times-Picayune; Associated Press - Published on: 11/22/2005

Issued: November 23, 2005

Louisiana state officials would have to inform the state ethics board about money that they, their spouses, siblings, or children make from federal disaster-related contracts, under a bill that appears close to passage in the Legislature. Originally, the bill would have forced elected and appointed state officials to report money they and their spouses make from the contracts. However, Sen. Jay Dardenne added an amendment forcing disclosure of contracts going to other immediate family members.

Several senators complained to Dardenne that it could be impossible for a legislator, for example, to keep track of all their close relatives and find out if they have received federal contracts. "I'm going to have to start calling everybody and ask what they're doing and I have a large family," said Sen. Diana Bajoie. "I think this really reaches a little far."

Scroll down to Louisiana. Spouses and children are a no-brainer, so I assume the objection involved siblings. Under normal circumstances, it might have been a reasonable objection, but this was November 2005; the entire country was watching and much was at stake. In fairness to Bajoie, the bill did pass unanimously.

Comments:
Say BSJ David, dont you think you should bring this post from 2007 back to the forefront considering some of the recent discussions about Bajoie?
 
You should also look back to 1995 when Bajoie's name was heard mentioned several times on FBI tapes in an investigation of Fred Goodson and others in the casino/gambling lobby tied to Edwin Edwards:

http://www.tulane.edu/~rivgate/appendix/assorted_articles/CAS44.htm

At one point Bajoie was mentioned as having gotten very upset over being skipped over in the infamous handing out of $1,000 checks to state legislators who made the gambling law and the statewide permitting of casinos a reality.

Bajoie was also involved in the Tulane scholarship scandal - she was the last holdout who refused to turn over information about the recipients to whom she had given the scholarships and denied up and down that any public officials' relatives had received them from her. Not true, in the end it was shown she had given at least two of the lucrative scholarships to children of a state judge (Byrnes) and a St John Parish school board official.
 
About some of the names mentioned here:

http://uptownmessenger.com/2012/07/citybusiness-magazine-independent-blogger-continue-questioning-councilwomans-legislative-earmarks/

Carlita White and Sheila Samuels ARE SISTERS. They did indeed live at that Magnolia address at one point. Bajoie (perhaps Butch Bajoie or another Bajoie brother) owns property across the street as well.

Next door to them (or at least owning property next door) is another one of the members of NEW ORLEANS URBAN TOURISM HOSPITALITY TRAINING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, INC. - Sharon DeLong.

Sharon DeLong was appointed to the Medical Center of LA (MCLA/Charity) Board by Edwin Edwards.

Orlando Bajoie (or Orlande Bajoie or Orlander Bajoie oror Butch Bajoie) is or was on the the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, the official local arm of The Democratic Party.

At one point TWELTH WARD SAVE OUR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, INC. received federal funds (money) from Sen. Mary Landrieu.

One person involved in 12th Ward, Pamela Somerville, or Pamela Laners Somerville, is the SISTER of Mary Laners (or Mary Ellen Laners) who is now deceased but was a CONSULTANT TO SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (as well as Diane Bajoie and others). Mary Laners was also appointed to the Audubon Commission, the Parole Board, and the Morial Convention Center Board by Marc Morial and Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

The accountant named in the CityBusiness piece, Frank Webb, was also involved in the casinos/gambling scandal. Webb was originally appointed - by Edwin Edwards (apparently at the request of Sherman Copelin) - to the casinos board that would ultimately decide who would receive the extremely valuable New Orleans casino contract/license. This was done but apparently Webb (and perhaps three others never made it) because of financial irregularities including at least a bankruptcy. He and the other three were eventually replaced, and among the replacements was Sallie Page (or Sally Page).

Diane Bajoie, Renee Gill-Pratt, Carolyn Green-Ford, and Marc Morial, among others, were present for the announcement of the funding and refurbishment of 2020 Jackson. Not only may Bajoie have funded the Jefferson non-profit and perhaps also funded one or both of 12th Ward & NO Urban Tourism nonprofits, she may have also funded the refurbishment of the building at 2020 Jackson they are housed in.

Nicole Bajoie-Ford: is she related to Carolyn Green-Ford? Worth asking. She may have also worked in Nagin's Recovery office at some point (or maybe that was another Bajoie relative, hard to keep track).

At least one other of these players was also a member of the Democratic Party Executive Committee.

I would suggest you or others track down the correctness of all this, do not treat it as gospel truth but you will see much it is true after all, though maybe the details could be better.

The people should know about these things when Mitch Landrieu says things like, “You are a person of great experience, of great expertise, and most importantly, a person of unquestioned integrity,” Landrieu said. “I have known you my entire life, and I trust you implicitly.” Same goes when Bajoie says things like, "I have never been accused of any wrongdoing, and my integrity has never been questioned." The people should know this is not the case.
 
One other thing about Mary Laners - she was the manager of the Flint Goodrich apartments for at least 15 years. That was the major apartment complex connected to the project on Louisiana Ave (Magnolia Project, also known as CJ Peete).

That was a voting location for years as was 2020 Jackson Ave.

Diane Bajoie and Frank Webb were Sherman Copelin worker bees through and through.
 
Nicole Bajoie-Ford may not have been the one who worked in Nagin's Recovery office, it may have been a daughter of either Mary Laners or Pamela Laners.

Linda B. Batiste in Twelfth Ward SOCO:

http://www.legis.state.la.us/NGO/NgoDoc.aspx?NgoId=1080&search=

CityBusiness who contacted the SUNO Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Woodie White probably should have contacted Southern University (Baton Rouge) instead, because the Director of Finance there is Linda Batiste also. She has also been an instructor at Baton Rouge Community College. At Southern Batiste is also involved in "small business" and "tourism" related activities.
 
Ok, let's keep going, since this blog was originally devoted to exploring the problems with our mayor. Different mayor but as always, questions, questions, questions.

Bajoie wa appointed by Mitch Landrieu. About his dad who was also mayor, from wikipedia:

"His tourism-related projects included the Moon Walk, a riverfront promenade facing the French Quarter, the Louisiana Superdome, as well as renovations of the French Market and Jackson Square. Critics alleged that patronage from these development projects disproportionately aided his campaign contributors, most notably his political allies who controlled Superdome Services, Inc."

Does anyone know or remember Superdome Services, Inc. (aka SSI)?

Let's start with this - it was a Sherman Copelin organization. In other words is it possible the Landrieu (Mitch and Mary) association with Sherman Copelin goes back many years nad continues today?
 
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