BusinessReport.com

I have heard it said, “You can’t see the picture when you’re in the picture.” Or, more commonly, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” However you say it, we all can be guilty of taking things for granted and failing to appreciate the assets we have and the progress that is being made in our community.

I was reminded of that last week when talking to a friend who had guests in from Tampa, Fla. My friend was telling me how he and his girlfriend had taken their friends to a nice downtown restaurant and enjoyed great food and excellent service. Afterward, he said they strolled through the streets as he pointed out the refurbished Capitol House and the Shaw Center for the Arts. He took them to the rooftop sculpture garden to take in a view of the river. His guests were awestruck and very impressed at what they were seeing and hearing.

At that moment, my friend told me, he was struck with an intense feeling of pride and thought to himself, “Wow, this is my hometown.”

It suddenly hit him, as it does others who have moved away and come back, how much change has taken place in our downtown—which reflects changes taking place in our community. We are moving forward. Maybe not at the pace you or I would prefer, but it’s happening—and the evidence is all around on the horizon. We should all take time to stop and look around, reflect back on the way it was 10 years ago—and be proud of what has been accomplished.

Now, let’s keep moving forward. There’s still work to be done.

Downtown is unique

Think about it: In 2000, it was said by one that to attempt rejuvenation of downtown was like “putting lipstick on a dead woman.” That was lack of vision. Look at that “downtown lady” now. (There are many folks who deserve our thanks.) We are seeing our own extreme makeover—and it’s not done yet.

You will soon be hearing about new and exciting projects downtown, as well as the sounds of construction. Office. Residential. Restaurants. Government. Entertainment. And even more parking.

Downtown is a unique place. It’s a gathering place, as was witnessed recently with thousands attending Live After Five week after week. An entertainment district should be part of the future of downtown. And the rules we adopt for downtown don’t have to be applied to Tigerland. Get real. And let’s get moving on getting the district done in 2007.

Summer elections: Vote “no”

It’s a matter of principle, cost and participation. On July 21, in the heat of summer vacation, there will be an election with only limited items on the ballot, including two tax renewals for the EBR school system, a tax item for Zachary schools and tax items for fire districts 5 and 6.

Despite the merits of these issues, I recommend voting NO on all of them because it is wrong that they are wasting tax dollars to pay for a special election instead of waiting until Oct. 20—when the state would pay and more voters could participate.

The EBR school board had planned to team up with BREC in the spring but decided to push it back. Why? They also decided not to wait until Oct. 20, when there would be a large turnout for statewide elections. Why? I see this as manipulation of the system to ensure low turnout—the same reason I opposed the Pinnacle issue being on the July 21 ballot.

I don’t know the reason why the Zachary school board or the fire districts made the same decision, but I think it is wrong, too. In fact, we should change the law and remove the summer dates from the calendar as an option. It is sad when school boards proclaim they want more parental involvement in schools and more public support for education—but then exclude election days.

Lack of ethics in Legislature

You are where you are because you want to be there. If you want to be somewhere else, you’ll change. —Mark Victor Hansen

When I read this, I thought about our Legislature and governor and the issue of ethics reform they dealt with this session. Here they had the chance to prove the skeptics wrong, in the state and out, and to make this reform a part of their legacy—and they let it slip away.

When Gov. Kathleen Blanco came into office, this was going to be a top priority. Now, in the fourth quarter, she sat on the bench, leaving it up to the clowns on the floor to get the ball in the hoop. In the end, they wouldn’t even take the shot. Instead, they held the ball and let the clock run out. Shame on them; they embarrassed our state once again.

The failure by the Legislature to pass the “glass pockets” ethics bill requiring financial disclosure is disgusting. (They can finally agree to end cockfighting, but can’t pass an ethics bill?)

But honestly, why did we ever believe this group of self-serving politicians would pass a tough ethics bill letting you and I know where they get their money? We might then discover why they often vote the way the do.

Some lobbyists and legislators told me when this started that the disclosure bill would never pass—and there were those who worked to kill it. (And beware, you can’t always tell who was really “for” or “against” by how they voted.)

Very puzzling was the strong opposition (and behind-the-scenes effort) from Republican Rep. Hunter Greene. I called to ask him to consider supporting the bill and to tell him that folks I spoke with wanted the Legislature to raise the bar and send a message. He told me he was undecided. But that didn’t jibe with his lobbying of representatives against the bill and his constant questions on the bill in committee and on the floor.

I will be curious to see if he draws a challenger this fall who will honestly support stronger ethics in government and join the new governor in getting it passed. I have already heard of those looking to fund an opponent. Hunter may be the hunted.

What goes around …

It seems that Leonard Kleinpeter, who handles Gov. Blanco’s appointments to boards and commissions, was quite upset when Sen. Cleo Fields and others failed to confirm two of the governor’s four appointments to the Southern board. The Political Fax Weekly reported that an angry Kleinpeter claimed after confronting Fields, “It’s disgusting. It was a behind-the-scenes, behind-the-back, backroom deal.” Really?

Then maybe Mr. Kleinpeter could explain the governor’s recent appointment of District Attorney Tony Falterman to the LSU Board of Supervisors. Just how was that one done?

BRAC gets in the fray

For the first time in a long time, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber mixed it up at the Legislature and succeeded.

The big wins for our future came with increased funding for the Pennington Biomedical Research Center—a jewel in Louisiana’s crown and world-class competitor—as well as for LSU, Southern University and BRCC.

All in all, the chamber proved that if you want to make a difference, you have to get in the arena and fight.

That’s a lesson for all of you reading this who have been spectators for too long.