Cassidy, Kennedy lead on flood policy reforms

While the idea behind the National Flood Insurance Program’s Risk Rating 2.0 is sound, its implementation has left something to be desired, which some Louisiana federal elected officials want and need to improve.

In the months since the implementation of the new rules that more accurately assign risk to national flood insurance, things to date have gone as predicted. While about a fifth of Louisianans who have this – which is required if living in certain high-risk areas of if a home has a mortgage – will experience a one-time rate reduction averaging $960 (about twice the total premium for the highest level of coverage in a zone considered highly unlikely to flood), about 77 percent will see an increase as much as $20 a month in perpetuity and the other three percent will see rates higher still.

Astronomically higher, in some cases. Particularly unfortunately placed properties are in line to see rates skyrocket several times their past level over the next decade, but not immediately as with a few exceptions of up to 25 percent, increases are capped at 18 percent a year over the next decade. Still, do the math, and that means at their 18 percent maximum annually rates will triple in that time span, although a premium cap of $12,125 remains in place for now, but that can be increased, as can the rate cap after the decade (the law doesn’t have one after then).

LA legislators signaling rising conservatism

While Louisiana contests for federal and statewide offices may offer little chance for change, special legislative races and an appellate judge race could impact the Legislature significantly.

The state Senate has two positions open due to resignations. Democrat Karen Peterson vacated the 5^th District in the face of oncoming criminal charges, while Republican Rick Ward left his term-limited 17^th District post a year-plus early for an opportunity outside of government.

In terms of policy output, little will change for SD 5. It will pit two sitting representatives, Democrats Royce Duplessis and Mandie Landry, who are best described as, respectively, woke and woker. Since it’s a special election, it’s a free shot for both, but for Landry, who in her first term has promoted the farthest left legislation in the entire Legislature, it could signal her time in office is running out.

Caddo, Shreveport provide real election action

With largely, if not entirely, uncompetitive contests for statewide and federal offices clogging Louisiana ballots this fall, the most consequential electoral outcomes in the state will happen in Caddo Parish and specifically in Shreveport.

Two judicial elections – not unusually – went unopposed, featuring an incumbent and a past candidate for a similar office, as did a special election for the Caddo Parish Commission that will give interim Democrat Commissioner Steffon Jones the job. He almost defeated the now-convicted Democrat former Commissioner Lynn Cawthorne in 2019.

Unlike its counterpart across the river, School Board competition is more heated. Longtime District 1 Republican Steve Riall is stepping down and will be replaced by a Republican, either former Blanchard mayoral candidate Steve Umling or current Oil City Clerk Krisha Gayle Newsom. District 10 Republican Tony Nations is leaving office to set his sights on Shreveport City Council District E, leaving a swing district. Republican Katie McLain will try to keep it in GOP hands, while Rodney Jiles will want to increase Democrats’ majority on the Board and Jon Glover provides an independent alternative.

LA federal, state incumbents looking secure

It looks like Louisiana will be treated to a snoozer of an election for elected federal and statewide offices this fall, with all incumbents expected to prevail, for the most part quite easily.

A couple already have gained election. Fourth District Republican Rep. Mike Johnson for the first time drew no competition, nor did no party Chief Justice John Weimer the second election running for the Supreme Court. Weimer’s election, as only one of two non-Republicans on the bench, will be his last as this is the last term for which he qualifies.

Most other such candidates drew token opposition. The big question concerning the reelection attempt of Republican Sen. John Kennedy isn’t whether he will succeed, but how it will reveal the state of Louisiana’s Democrats. The only two other candidates with a chance to reach double-digit percentages of the vote, of which one surely will, are Democrats Gary Chambers and Luke Mixon.

Sleepy Bossier Board races may signal big change

As has become typical recently in Bossier Parish elections, the only real action to shake up the norm will happen for this fall’s election at its southern end – and with probable consequences for state legislative elections next year.

In Bossier City elections last year, with only two district City Council jobs contested but the northern-most providing just a last-minute candidate unable to resist Republican Councilor Vince Maggio’s assumption of the job, the only real action occurred in the southern-most District 1 where voters dumped long-time Republican incumbent Scott Irwin in favor of Republican then-School Board member Shane Cheatham, only to have Cheatham resign that triggered another competitive election to put Republican Brian Hammons in office. The pattern of somnambulant races in all but the southern reaches continued in 2022.

This year, School Board seats are the only major offices up for grabs in state and local elections for the parish and, as typical in a parish without term limits for any such office, continuity ruled qualifying. Ten incumbents will run again, with only one facing a challenge: elected last year when Cheatham had resigned the seat upon his Council election, District 11 Republican Robert Bertrand with square off again against, this time, independent Miki Royer, who ran as a Democrat last time. The change in party label likely won’t make much difference as he defeated her nearly three-to-one in the special election.

Stuck pigs squeal over upholding rule of law

Over Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards’ and his mandarins’ puerile objections, some Louisiana elected officials did strive to see that the rule of law is upheld.

Thursday, the State Bond Commission voted to deny New Orleans a non-cash line of credit worth $39 million for a water and sewerage project. This delays implementation of that for at least a month, when the SBC can reconsider, although at this point because of its lowest priority ranking any delay would have little substantive impact on eventual project completion as testimony and questions and answers during the meeting confirmed.

The deferral came as most of the SBC, and all of the Republican statewide elected officials (some through representatives) and legislators, wanted to express their displeasure at New Orleans officials – its mayor, city council, the district attorney, and sheriff – saying through their various capacities that they would not enforce Louisiana law that makes almost all abortions illegal. Earlier in the week, Republican Atty. Gen. Jeff Landry had called for the SBC not to approve several projects forwarded by the city or its related units as a means to reverse their defiance.

Perkins' first stone comes from his glass house

This won’t go well for Shreveport Democrat Mayor Adrian Perkins to win reelection if this is his opening salvo against new challenger Democrat state Sen. Greg Tarver.

Tarver formally announced his candidacy yesterday, to which Perkins responded pithily by questioning whether Tarver was running for mayor of Shreveport, because Perkins said he didn’t live in the city. This constitutes a veiled attempt to question Tarver’s commitment to the city versus his own fortunes that serves as a specter casting doubt over his overall character, playing to Tarver’s checkered past.

Residency has both legal and political dimensions. Tarver has been bedding down with his wife at a residence on 14 acres outside of any city limits, and outside of his senate district, but he doesn’t own any part of it nor is he registered to vote there. Instead, he says he pays his wife rent, claims himself domiciled at the address of his business, inside both the city and district, and is registered to vote there.

Tarver entry shakes up Shreveport mayor's race

If you’re not a fan, especially if a Democrat, of Democrat Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins and the sometimes-questionable ethical choices he has made in office, the good news is he has picked up a heavyweight challenger from his party to contest his reelection this fall. The bad news is that challenger is the sometimes-ethically questionable Democrat state Sen. Greg Tarver.

In his maiden 2018 election, in the runoff Perkins faced off with an incumbent Democrat twice his age who decades ago shot and killed her spouse in self-defense. Now running as the incumbent, it seems nothing changes, as he might well contend in a runoff against an elected Democrat twice his age who decades ago allegedly was shot by his spouse.

If Perkins gets that far. At the start of the week, Perkins looked to be in pretty good shape to make it that far and onto a second term. He faced only two major competitors, one in the form of Republican former city councilor Tom Arceneaux, but who has been out of office for over three decades and running as a conservative Republican seems unlikely to peel off enough votes from the black Democrat plurality in the electorate to win even if making the runoff.

Report makes LA water mgt reform more compelling

Maybe legislators will start paying closer attention to Republican Sen. Robert Mills’ efforts to ensure Louisianans get the appropriate bang for their buck with the state’s water resources.

Last week, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor released a report regarding regulation and valuation of surface water in the state. It concluded that the state not only virtually was giving away water owned in common for short-term uses, but also even for long-term use existing state law forcibly undervalued water. Impediments to proper pricing derived from the state having no water management plan, its failure to require cooperative endeavor agreements, and through slipshod administration of what CEAs exist by the Department of Natural Resources.

This issue is statewide but of particular importance in north Louisiana, which has an abundance of larger bodies of surface water and is a hotbed of hydraulic fracturing activity that exhibits great thirst, hence Mills’ interest. His district includes Lake Bistineau, then presence of which has sparked activity from energy exploration firms who have bypassed the CEA process and basically suck up water from there for free.

BC free spenders suddenly chintzy on bridge

The Bossier City Council graybeards have no problem in blowing hundreds of millions of dollars in needless or overly grandiose construction, but – with one of their emeritus members – put up resistance to negligible costs in sweeping away some detritus.

At issue in its initial July meeting was a memorandum of understanding among the city, Shreveport, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, the state Department of Transportation and Development, and its Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism concerning the disposition of the Jimmie Davis Bridge. With the state getting money for a project to replace the existing two-lane span with a four-lane version slightly upriver, the opening steps to kick off the long process need accomplishing.

That begins from the premise that the old bridge must stand regardless not only because it has been used a by protected species as a nesting habit but also because it qualifies under federal law as a Section 106 historic structure. So, the state essentially has proposed that it transfers the ownership of the structure from the state highway system to its parks system – and actually changed state law on the request of Republican state Sen. Barrow Peacock to make this legal – whereupon the state remains responsible for almost all maintenance.