One of the most frustrating things in writing about this administration is obvious wrongdoing is reported and nothing is done.
In Bobby Jindal we have a governor who is constantly bitching about Washington in general and the Obama administration in particular while turning a blind eye to corruption, profiteering and ethical violations within his own administration.
You would think that the man who, upon taking office in 2008, said, “We have zero tolerance for corruption” would make at least a token effort to keep his house in order.
Instead, he gutted the enforcement authority of the State Ethics Board, ran off members of the board, and commenced to allow his political pals to run unchecked.
The sordid episode of State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson and the manner in which he was allowed to increase his state pension by nearly 70 percent is just the latest in a sorry laundry list of loose enforcement of ethics rules in this administration.
We have already written about some of these:
- Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) member Kira Orange Jones simultaneously serves as executive director of Teach for America (TFA), which in turn, has been issued contracts worth more than $3 million with the Department of Education (DOE) since she became a member of BESE in 2012. BESE is the governing board for DOE and as such, must approve all contracts with the department.
- The resignation of the vice chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics only weeks after the Tribune, a newspaper serving the African-American community of New Orleans published a story in its May/June 2013 issue headlined “Kira, Kira on the Wall” which explained Schneider’s own conflict of interests in ruling on an Aug. 21, 2012, conflict of interest decision about Orange Jones.
- BESE President Chas Roemer consistently votes on issues concerning charter schools even though his sister, Caroline Roemer Shirley, is executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools which much apply to BESE for approval of charters and other matters concerning charter schools, including funding.
And while we have not written about it, BESE member Walter Lee of Mansfield, who recent retired as Superintendent of DeSoto Parish Schools, is currently under investigation for allegations that he billed both the school board and BESE for travel expenses to and from BESE meetings in Baton Rouge and for lodging while in Baton Rouge.
Now, thanks to public records we belatedly obtained from the Division of Administration, we learn that another BESE member’s company has reaped more than $1.5 million from contract work his company performed on behalf of a dozen South Louisiana school boards and the Recovery School District in 2013 and 2014.
Hunt Guillot and Associates (HGA) of Ruston previously held two state contracts since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that together totaled more than $38 million. The latest, for $20 million, expired on June 30 but is expected to be renewed.
Jay Guillot, of the 5th BESE District, is an HGA partner.
The HGA contract is with the Louisiana Office of Community Development for “grant management activities for infrastructure and other projects undertaken as a result of damages incurred as a result of Hurricanes Katrina/Rita and to a lesser extent, as a result of Hurricanes Gustav/Ike,” the contract details contained on the state’s LaTrac web page which lists active and expired state contracts and contractors.
Though the funds to pay HGA are federal funds allocated through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the company’s contract is with the state and the state cuts the checks to HGA from the state’s CDBG funds.
Much of HGA’s work involved other branches of parish governments but in our search of records we found no fewer than 138 billings to school boards and the RSD totaling $1.58 million since January 2013. Of that amount, 17 separate invoices totaling $488,000 (30.9 percent of the total billed) was for the RSD.
The Department of Education has responsibility for the oversight of RSD and cannot be considered separate entities for purposes of say, a lawsuit against the RSD. At the same time, BESE is the governing authority over DOE, thereby creating a straight line of authority between BESE and the RSD as well as the dozen school boards for whom HGA also performed work.
School boards for whom HGA performed services and the amounts billed from January of 2013 through May of 2014 are as follows:
- Plaquemines: 17 billings for $342,726;
- Cameron: 16 invoices, $227,126;
- St. Tammany: 16 invoices, $142,598;
- Orleans: 17 invoices, $116,507;
- Jefferson: 17 invoices, $97,598;
- Calcasieu: 16 invoices, $64,813;
- St. Charles: 14 invoices, $56,390;
- St. Bernard: 12 invoices, $29,539;
- Terrebonne: three invoices, $9,202;
- Lafourche: four invoices, $2,968;
- Washington: five invoices, $2,222;
- Lafayette: one invoice, $50.
Incredibly, with only a month left in its contract, HGA managed to allocate just enough work to almost exhaust the contract amounts for eight of the parish school boards and the RSD.
The last billing made available to us was for work done through May 25, 2014. Following are the total amounts billed through May 25 (with a month remaining on the contract) with the total allocated under HGA’s contract for the corresponding parish in parenthesis:
- RSD: $786,988 ($817,567);
- Orleans: $237,766 ($255,519);
- Jefferson: $205,748 ($205,750);
- Plaquemines: $831,968 ($826,970);
- St. Bernard: $195,996 ($196,877)
- St. Tammany: $377,372 ($382,863);
- St. Charles: $147,763 ($148,353;
- Calcasieu: $112,295 ($116,171);
- Cameron: $629,750 ($639,031).
Section 1113 of The Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics prohibits public servants and their family members from entering into certain transaction. That section says:
- “No elected official or public employee or member of such public servant’s immediate family, or legal entity in which he has a controlling interest shall bid on or enter into any contract, subcontract, or other transaction that is under the supervision or jurisdiction of the public servant’s agency.
That’s plain enough but for those wanting further clarification: “controlling interest means any ownership in any legal entity or beneficial interest in a trust, held by or on behalf of an individual or a member of his immediate family, either individually or collectively, which exceeds 25 percent of that legal entity.”
We do not know for certain what Guillot’s percentage of ownership is but inasmuch as his name is listed as a partner on the company letterhead we would assume he would meet that criterion.
And while the HGA contract is not specifically with DOE or BESE, the $1.5 million in work done for the local school boards and the RSD seems at best to skirt the edge of a conflict of interests for Guillot.
Louisiana Voice 
Gold standard operating procedure…
Yes. The rule of the day is get what you can while you can wherever you can and let the devil take the hindmost.
Just another day in Jindal’s world.
Isn’t it time for someone to start impeachment of Jindal for malfeasance in office and committing fraud against the federal government as well as the people of Louisiana?
Looks like it would be a no-brainer…
I have always understood double standards but this pass that Jindal gets every time he ignores the separation of powers, State laws, the Constitution and the people of Louisiana is impossible to understand.
There is no doubt that as things move along on this OPPORTUNITY afforded Mr. Guilliot, Jindal will be throwing a staffer or other low hanging employee under the bus after just following orders.
Not unlike you trying your best to pad your state retirement by ramming through a legislative pay raise a few years back ehh?
The lack of maturity that Jindal continually exhibits concerns me also.
Where are these leaders integrity? Don’t they realize that people have gone to prison for less than what they have done. We see individuals following our leaders straight to hell. Jindal started this mess when he got the power and he has gotten away with it and others are trying to do the same. I’ve always heard history repeats itself just never thought it would start right here in Louisiana with a dictator by the name of Bobby.
Reblogged this on Crazy Crawfish's Blog and commented:
Unethical behavior appears to be the norm, not the exception, for BESE. I would most certainly be out of place if I got elected.
But, please DO get elected!
[…] Originally posted on Louisiana Voice: […]
connect the money dots, illogical, ignorant and goofy campaign law, Citizens United, corporate America, Jindal/Teepell, America next, He is doing a great communication jig, playing to the fearful (right wingers), ignorant (most of our Republican legislators) and the prejudiced (all of the above and the remainder of us).grand show! Jindal will walk, and until our legislators stand up to him, we are toast.
As long as Jindal rails against Washington and indirectly calls President Obama an “N” word, he will get a pass in Louisiana. That is all that matters to the small minded residents.
Well, Tom has made history!! Just trying to keep up with all the corruption he is posting this week has caused me to now be at 5:00 p.m. and I’ve YET to make it over to The Advocate’s website today (but I will). He’s doing all this WITHOUT a hired investigative journalist to assist him. Tom, if you keep it up, someone from the Jindal inner circle is going to approach you and ask how much it would cost for you to agree to shut this whole website down and go relax on a beach in Florida!! I have a feeling you’d say, “Couldn’t pay me enough money in the world to give this gig up!” Keep after them, bull dog!!!
Tom, I fail to thank you often enough for the tireless work you perform. I’m sure its fear of loss of advertising and subscriptions that keeps our friends in the traditional media from reporting on the powerful, but I still don’t give them a pass. Keep up the good work. Your friend, Butch
Dear Tom Thanks again for your tireless research on the never-ending corruption under Jindal’s administration. I started to post this info in a comment the other day & then, thought better of it, but I wanted to pass the info on to you. As a resident of east bank Plaquemines Parish (which has been sacrificed as the new flood plane post-Katrina by the 26 foot concrete wall erected to protect everyone except the 3 Demo- leaning voting precincts left on the wrong side of the wall – but that’s another story), I am currently awaiting FEMA funds to elevate & repair my house & have attended lots of meetings. FYI – In Plaquemines Parish, it turns out that HGA is also administrating both the $17 million in funds for the Hazard Mitigation Home Elevation Program (from which I am still waiting to receive a home elevation grant) & another $12 million in PHAP grants for other housing repair needs of residents. Nungesser & Co tried to abscond with these funds wholesale last fall by scheduling the resident input meeting during the home game opener of the Saints’ 2013 football season. Fortunately, over 75 residents showed up to thwart their plans. I guess the next best thing for Nungesser is to have his friend, Jay Guillot, in charge of the disbursements.
In addition, if memory serves (I will check my notes to verify this when I get home from the beach Sat), I believe that HGA might also be the contractor reported on by local media that stopped paying the sub-contractor ( who happens to be the grandson of Judge Leander Perez – another story) working on raising the pitiful parish-owned levee “protecting” the east bank – now 2 feet high in some areas as we enter peak hurricane season! When the contractor stopped paying the workers, the sub-contractor walked off the job, only to later submit & win their own bid this past spring – at a higher fee – of course. My personal theory is that the awarding of both contracts as well as the work stoppage was orchestrated by Nungesser to demoralize & discourage east bankers from returning home. All of Pinky’s plans for the east bank involve making lots of money by any means possible & getting rid of witnesses. In any case, something really stinks here.
I decided not to post this because personally, I have a realistic fear of political retribution. I have been posting a lot about Plaquemines corruption since everyone in Plaquemines govt. started getting rich with Katrina & BP, & I was also attempting to recall Rep. Ray Garofalo when my house flooded in Isaac in 2012, so I am not in good standing in the parish & husband Fred has peeved Billy too. On May 26, a contractor (still have to find out who THAT is) spraying pesticide chemicals on designated citrus orchards “accidentally” dumped 5 different poisons on my husband’s orchard that he has cultivated organically for 38 years – as well as my husband who was weeding a bed of potatoes at the time. State dept. of agriculture workers from the organic certification program (now defunct – another story) came to test for chemical presence in our orchard the first week of June, but we are still waiting for the “report” on contamination that they promised to send us.
For these reasons, I am a bit scared of making myself a bigger target by posting this personally, but I wanted to let you know. I will write again when I verify the info on the “east bank levee contract” and if I discover anything else. I sure wish we could catch the whole lot of crooks red-handed! Keep up the good work. Thanks again for all your efforts.
Peggy Schwarz 504-756-0486
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:37:00 +0000 To: pwschs@hotmail.com
Thank you Mrs. Schwartz for stepping out there like Tom and laying it all out there for America to see. The braveness shown by you and others is appreciated. Good luck ton