Senate Bill 101 - My TakeI received an email from Lloyd K. this morning regarding Senate Bill 101 asking whether or not I supported this bill.
Let me jump right to the point and say yes.
The bill is modeled off of the Port Commission for Lake Charles, which means it already has a working model that has proven effective.
Second, it prevents a small number of people from effectively seizing control of the Port and using it for their own personal gain.
Third, it attempts to insulate the nomination of Commissioners from being payback for political cronyism.
I don't see any problems with the bill on the surface.
The number of Commissioners is being incremented to seven. Now it will take four people to control the board instead of three. Not a big increase, but one person could make the difference. The positions are unpaid, so we could make it a 30 member board without having to worry about paying anyone.
A single five-year term is plenty of time for someone to make an impact on the board. Other than for ulterior motives, I can't think of any reason why someone would want to spend more time than that in a voluntary position. Where is the gratification? What's the incentive? There has to be some form of payback.
Day to day operations are being left with to the Port Director, which helps keep the cronyism out.
In essence, this bill would make the port run more like a business and less like a government entity, which it is suppose to do anyway. We taxpayers are the shareholders. We vote by proxy through our Congressional representatives who appoint the commissioners, or Board of Directors. The commissioners instruct the Port Director, or CEO, on what direction the port should move on various issues, giving general directions. The Port Director has the duty to execute those directions the best he can with only general oversight by the commissioners. The commissioners are not allowed to micromanage every little detail.
One thing this bill is doing is helping our Congressional leaders both widen and narrow the pool of candidates for these commissioner positions. It widens the pool by asking for nominations from the leading business and civic organizations within St. Bernard Parish. This helps cast a wider net into those who may be worthwhile.
At the same time, these organizations are being asked to supply no more than three names per position to our Congressional leaders which helps limit their choices and should make it easier to choose someone worthy.
With staggering terms, you will always have experienced commissioners on the board, but you will also have rookies. No one person will be there long enough to build an empire, but someone will always be there long enough to remember the actions the board took in the recent past and why they choose that action.
Again, I see no negatives against this bill but plenty of upside. It will be interesting to hear any arguments from people who may oppose the bill.
Be good to yourself,
Westley Annis
westley@da-parish.com
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posted by Westley at 5/04/2005 09:05:00 AM
Private Schools and the Parents Who Fund ThemOk, this is something that irks me to no end. It has irked me for years but it usually stays under the surface and doesn't bother anyone.
New Orleans, and in fact, the entire state of Louisiana is rather fortunate in that our educational system was founded by Catholic schools. In fact, Ursuline Academy may be the oldest school within the state of Louisiana. What this means is that the average family within the state has had within its means the ability to send their children to private schools rather than public schools.
The private schools are not cheap, even for the church supported schools, and some families do have to sacrifice to afford the tuition. But not every family sees it as a sacrifice nor do they see it as a means to provide their children with a faith-based education, which in St. Bernard Parish, should be the number one reason for sending a child to a parochial school.
What happens is these parents treat the teachers and staff of the schools like menial servants instead of like the professionals they are. These parents seem to always know what's best when they haven't been in a classroom since they last went to school themselves. They are always first to criticize the slightest little change they notice at the school.
And, heaven forbid, if the teachers actually want their precious little angels to do some real work, something that will prepare them for their future, these parents have to save them from such toil.
To make matters worse is that these parents always believe their precious devils before consulting the teachers, after all, everyone knows the teachers have it in for their little Johnny, and him alone. None of the other students are made to turn in the same work.
But what really puts the icing on the cake is when these parents feel they can dictate how the school is run, which teachers should be hired, which should be fired. Again, listening to their precious devils, these parents are going to hold secret meetings to try and force their will upon the schools they have their kids enrolled in.
Let me lay it out on the line if you are one of these parents, don't kid yourself and try to think you're not when you really are.
By sending your child to a private school you have given yourself an option which a lot of other families do not have, you can make a choice and the options are plenty. One, you can decide to pocket that $3,000 you spend every year and send your kid to a public school. In St. Bernard Parish, that is not a bad option. Two, you can pick a different private school to send your child to. The cost is not going to vary much.
Regardless of which option you choose, you still have to do one important thing that is not being done right now.
TRUST THE TEACHERS! Especially if you are paying for it.
Louisiana based school teachers do not teach for the money, Catholic school teachers even less. Catholic school teachers do it because they want to teach the children and help them grow. Give the teachers a chance to do their jobs, they know what they are doing.
You don't tell a doctor how to operate on you or a lawyer how to plead your case, why? Because they've been trained on how to do their professions. Teachers have been trained to teach, let them teach.
Parents need to reinforce the lessons that teachers give in the classrooms. If you've got a question about it, bring it up with the teacher in private. Second-guessing the teacher in front of the student leads the student to start second-guessing the teacher also and, next thing you know, the student is no longer learning because he is second-guessing everything.
If you want to have more involvement with the school, run for school board or PTA board. But, don't expect your added level of involvement to mean less work for your kid.
Be good to yourself,
Westley Annis
westley@da-parish.com
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posted by Westley at 5/04/2005 12:59:00 AM
Not one to shy away from anything even remotely controversial, Senator Walter Boasso is at it again with Senate Bill 101, which proposes to change the membership of the St. Bernard Port, Harbor, and Terminal Commission, how those commissioners are appointed, and how long they may serve.
The full text of the bill as well as a digest and history of the bill can be found on the State Senate's
web site. Below is a press release from Senator Boasso's office explaining the bill and asking everyone to contact their state representive to show support for the bill.
Quote
SENATE BILL NO. 101 By SENATOR WALTER J. BOASSO
As most of you probably know, the 2005 Regular Legislative Session began last week. A number of bills have been filed by our local legislative delegation. Senate Bill No 101, which was filed by Senator Boasso, provides a significant change by which the members of the St. Bernard Port, Harbor and Terminal (Port) are selected. Under the terms of Senator Boasso's Bill, the selection nominees for appointment to the Port would be made by agencies and organizations designated as the St. Bernard Nominating Council. This Council would have a representative from the following:
- St. Bernard Parish Chamber of Commence
- Kiwanis Club of St. Bernard- Arabi
- Rotary Club of St. Bernard Parish
- St. Bernard Business and Professional Women's Organization
- St. Bernard Parish Economic Development Commission
Selecting the Port commissioners via this process all but eliminates political appointment which has been the system in place for over 20 years. This is a major extension of empowerment of government to our honorable business and civic leaders in St. Bernard Parish. This is definitely a bill for "Good Government." I'm supporting this extremely independent process of selecting the Commissioners and ask you to join me by contacting your respective representative. Our two State Representatives are Ms. Nita Hutter and Mr. Ken Odinet.
Ms. Hutter can be contacted by phone at (504)361-6684 or email larep104@legis.state.la.us.
Mr. Odinet can be contacted by phone at (504)279-2555 or email larep103@legis.state.la.us.
Thanks for supporting this bill. Please contact your Representative TODAY.
Unquote
Be good to yourself,
Westley Annis
westley@da-parish.com
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posted by Westley at 5/04/2005 12:35:00 AM
