Louisiana Voice

A spokesman for the French Quarter Management District (FQMD) has denied that former Louisiana State Police (LSP) Superintendent Mike Edmonson has been hired as program administrator for French Quarter security as reported by LouisianaVoice.

Christian Pendleton, chairman of the FQMD, said Edmonson has not only not been hired, but has not even applied for the job.

“We are still conducting interviews for the position and Mr. Edmonson has not been hired, nor has he applied for the position,” Pendleton said.

He said it would probably be up to another 90 days before someone is hired. “I am very deliberate and I will take my time on this,” he said.

Edmonson was LSP superintendent when a cooperative endeavor agreement (CEA) was negotiated whereby LSP would provide patrol duties in the French Quarter. Thirty-two troopers from Troop N were assigned permanently to the French Quarter after residents there passed a quarter-cent sales tax increase in 2015.

Several sources had indicated to LouisianaVoice that Edmonson had been chosen for the position.

We’re halfway through our Fall Fundraiser at LouisianaVoice and we need your support.

As much as I detest doing this, it’s become a necessity to paying the bills that keep stories that no one else is reporting coming to you.

I humbly ask that you take the advice of a critic of this service who, in disagreeing with one of our recent posts, instructed readers to “send the fool money” because he apparently found some of our posts amusing and wanted to see them continue.

I realize he was being sarcastic, but he is correct in his assessment that we need your help to keep up our research, paying for documents, gasoline, etc.

Our readers have always been more than generous in responding to our appeals for contributions and I want you to know they are sincerely appreciated.

Remember these two things: We are now a 501 (c)(3) non-profit as per the IRS, so your contributions are now fully tax deductible and all contributors of $100 or more will receive a free, signed copy of my latest book, Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption.

To contribute by credit card, simply click on the yellow oval button in the column to the right of his post. The button looks like this:

But you can’t do it on this button; you must use the one in the right-hand column.

If you prefer to pay by check, please send contributions to:

LouisianaVoice

P.O. Box 922

Denham Springs, Louisiana 70727

And as always, thanks so much.

Your contribution to the work of LouisianaVoice is now fully tax-deductible.

LouisianaVoice, is presently conducting its Fall Fundraiser and for the first time, we’re doing it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which means you may claim your contribution as a tax deduction.

That’s important to you and of course, it’s important to us. We have worked for nine years now to keep you updated on federal, state and local political events. From the ongoing battle between Donald Trump and his Democratic opponents down to a local police department in a small Southwest Louisiana town, we bring you stories no one else will.

We were the first to reveal the underhanded effort to illegally pad former State Police Superintendent Mike Edmonson’s retirement by tens of thousands of dollars.

We were the first to tell of the abuses of sheriffs in Terrebonne, DeSoto, and Iberia parishes, revelations that eventually led to the publication of my third book, Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption.

We were the first to reveal the strategy of SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) when the Welsh mayor and police chief sued a town councilman over the council member’s request for public records.

We were the first to relate an intricate plan to sell off water rights on Toledo Bend Lake to interests in Texas.

We were the only Louisiana medium to report on an attempt by a Louisiana Department of Education official to team with Bush family members in Florida to corner the rights to potable water in that state.

We were the only medium anywhere to correctly predict that former Alcohol and Tobacco Control Office Director Murphy Painter was being set up by the Jindal administration which, after unsuccessful attempts to gain criminal convictions, ended up having to pay nearly half-a-million dollars in legal fees for Painter.

We illustrated the pay to play scheme of the Jindal administration whereby major campaign contributors were rewarded with seats on powerful boards and commissions.

We wrote a dozen or so stories about the State Board of Dentistry and its abuse of practicing dentists who were targeted by rival dentists and prosecuted by a cooperative board.

We traced the influence of lobbyists and political action committees, particularly the oil and gas industry’s purchase of legislators who killed legal efforts to force the companies to pay for damage inflicted on Louisiana’s deteriorating coastline and marshes.

Those are just a few of the stories LouisianaVoice has originated at this site. We don’t charge a subscription fee (against the advice of political experts) and the only advertising we accept is for Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs because the owner created our website free of charge (his ad is free, as well).

The only financial support LouisianaVoice receives is through the generosity of our readers.

Accordingly, I humbly and gratefully ask for your continued support. To contribute by credit card, just click on the yellow oval DONATE in the column to the upper right of this post. It looks like this:

But this one won’t work; you have to go to the button to the upper right to make it work.

If you prefer, you may send checks to:

LouisianaVoice

P.O. Box 922

Denham Springs, Louisiana 70727

As an added incentive, anyone contributing $100 or more will receive a free signed copy of Louisiana’s Rogue Sheriffs: A Culture of Corruption.

And remember, your gift if tax-deductible.

As always, thanks for your support of independent journalism.

Tom Aswell