Lafourche council asks for change in levee board structure

The Lafourche Parish Council requested the state Legislature to consider abolishing levee board appointments and instead allow the public to choose the members who will serve its district.

Daniel Lorraine, who proposed the resolution, which passed 7-2 with Jerry Jones and Phillip Gouaux opposed, said people serving on levee boards need to be held accountable considering the inherent authority to inflate taxes and allocate taxpayer funds.

“They can put millages, can raise millages, lower millages, get sales tax and take people’s property,” Lorraine said. “Don’t you think they should be elected?

“If they think they are doing such a great job, let’s see if they can get elected.”

Windell Curole, general manager of the South Lafourche Levee District, said that in the absence of scandal or misuse of taxpayer funds, he does not want to change a successful system that has thus far produced “extremely good businessmen” who are willing and, possibly more importantly, able to make tough decisions that benefit the community at the expense of a few residents without the fear of losing their job.

“All the laws that we work under were done by elected officials, but in their wisdom, they realized that when you make extremely hard decisions for long-term results, having a turnover on the whim of some political likes or dislikes is not always beneficial,” Curole said.

The governor, on nominations from local elected officials and nomination committees, makes appointments to Louisiana’s levee boards. Lorraine said he is concerned that levee board members are only beholden to one person, whoever recommends their appointment, and believes their position should be judged and prescribed by the public.

State Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair, D-Larose, said he is willing to discuss the issue with his fellow legislators and colleagues on the Natural Resources committee, but he is not optimistic it will be well-received by the state as an entirety. “I don’t think it would ever fly state-wide,” he said.

“I feel that if you make an appointment to a board, and if you are conscious about your district, you see the performance of the board,” said Gisclair, who is responsible for three SLLD nominations. “You have the liberty to remove a member and make another appointment [with just cause].”

Some worry that if the positions were to be decided via an election, name recognition and campaign financing would control the fate, and it would become a partisan position with sharply contrasting agendas geared at provoking voters and incumbents opting to delay projects rather than take a short-term hit in the delicate balance of public opinion.

“A lot of good businessmen don’t always make it as the best politicians,” Curole said. “As a politician, your best weapon is perception. That’s a good tool. But on things like flood protection or levees, perception is not important. What’s important is the actuality of what it does. It’s a more pragmatic approach than maybe an elected official would have.”

Instead of board members striving to please the appointer, would they mold their agenda to please the heaviest wallets?

“Everyone’s different, but I think it opens the door for some potential [malfeasance],” Gisclair said.

Lorraine said the public is smart enough to see through the political haze that would shroud the position. “It’s not really a popularity contest,” Lorraine said. “When the people want to get you out, they find a way to get you out.”

Currently levee board commissioners are required to adhere to Tier 2.1 regulations in disclosing information to the Louisiana Ethics Administration Program. If it were to become an elected position, their amount of necessary disclosure would be regulated by Tier 2.

The differences include reporting income and property value based on tiered categories, investment holdings, debts in excess of $10,000 and any transaction in excess of $5,000 that includes immovable property, personally owned tax credits, certificates, stocks, bonds or commodity futures.

Lorraine made comparisons to the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, the only port commission in the state that is compiled through elections. He said the commission’s success proves that the public can wade through the politics and put the right people in charge.

“Because that has been a success, I wouldn’t want to turn it into an appointed board,” Curole said. “You let sleeping dogs lie. If something’s working, you leave it alone. If you run into problems, then you should change it.”