Asking Your Support For LA District #94 State Representative
Experience * Vision * Results
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Charles Marsala #64
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Charles’ BIO
Link to AWE News Youtube Channel Playlist
Since 2016, Charles has produced a TV regarding Louisiana Culture, History, and Tourism titled: “Celebrating Culture” which appears on WLAE-TV. and WGNO-TV. He has received three Suncoast Regional Emmy Nominations.
In 2019, he published a self-guided tour APP for New Orleans and Louisiana: titled: “New Orleans Insider Tours.”
Charles was born in New Orleans with his family moving to Clearview and West Esplanade in 1967. He became an Eagle Scout at St. Francis Xavier and was an Explorer Scout at East Jefferson Medical Center. He has worked at Baskin Robbins on Veterans, as a student Med-Tech at Lakeside Hospital for Women, and as a Financial Advisor on Veterans.
He was Student Council President of Jesuit High School New Orleans in 1978, section leader of the drum line, the Marine JROTC Band, and involved in several other extracurricular activities.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane he worked in Long Beach, California as an offshore drilling engineer with Gearhart Industries. He transferred to Lista International in 1983 and was Northwest Regional Sales Manager till 2004.
In 2000, he completed the Stanford University Executive Program for Growing Companies. He was a partner is several Copeland Restaurant Franchises, and owned the Dunn & Bradstreet Receivable Management Services Franchises in six Western States. From 2004-2010, he built and owned an e-commerce company called Tool Boxes and More.
In 2010 he went to work as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. He passed the Series 7 and 66 tests, and later added the Real Estate Lending License and Insurance Licenses. He has written books on finance and areas of focus for mayors.
He owns an office building in Menlo Park California near Stanford University and Facebook Headquarters.
Charles Marsala was on the City Council of Atherton from 2002-2010. He was Vice-Mayor in 2005 and Mayor in 2006. In 2009, he received one of three Leadership in Action Awards from the League of California Cities. During his time in the League of Cities he moderated panels on City Finance and spoke on the importance of City Council members knowing the difference between a fee and a tax.
He spent two years on a Statewide Human Resource Committee to address Unfunded Pension Liabilities, and served in on the Governor’s bi-partisan leadership team. Marsala started in 1999 on the Atherton Art Committee as an amateur wildlife and underwater photographer. He was appointed to the town’s Park & Recreation Commission and Chaired a Finance and Taxation Committee in 2000. In 2006, he signed the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement and implemented non legislation ideas to conserve the environment.
In 2019, he was elected President of the American-Italian Federation of the Southeast. In 2016 as a Senate Candidate, he sought to bring attention to several issues he believes the US Congress needs to address.
Since 2017, he has lived in the West End Marina. In 2022, he became active in restoring West End Lakeshore Park as a park for bike path recreation and to preserve wildlife habitat.
He built a website to inform residents on the situation in West End Lakeshore Park. www.RetifPark.org
In 2019, the incumbent for District #94 passed Act 152 to develop West End Lakeshore Park into economic development. Charles believes this will add to crime in District #94 as his car was stolen in the Fall of 2002, his neighbor’s boat stolen Easter Sunday, and the recent shootings with high powered rifles on Veterans & Fleur de Leis attest. He wants to have West End Lakeshore Park remain as the orginal ACTs 92 and 209 of 1906 and 1910 called for: “A Public Park or Amusement Park.”
In 2022, he worked with local media to have the 500,000 gallon per day water leak since Katrina at West End capped, motivated Jefferson Parish to trim the Heritage Oak Trees, and the MYHMC to remove Katrina debris sitting in the park.
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Vision & Goals
Link to YouTube Channel of Marsala’s viewpoints on Issues
School Choice
No State Income Tax
Capping Property Tax increases at 1.25%
Return West End Lakeshore Park to Recreational Use
Jefferson Parish’s Veterans Blvd is an economic driver in District #94
West End Lakeshore Park
In 2022, he became active in restoring West End Lakeshore Park as a park for recreation and to preserve wildlife habitat. With his experience, in 30 days he was able to involve the local media to create attention to the 500,000 gallons per day of fresh water that was pouring into Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans S&W Board since Hurricane Katrina. Video Link.
Next he spoke at a Jefferson Parish Council Meeting, asking them to remove the debris and trim the oak trees along the lake in West End Lakeshore Park. Jefferson Parish immediately scheduled a crew and advised the New Orleans Municipal Yacht Harbor Management Corporation (MYHMC) to remove hundreds of concrete piling debris from the park.
The next step is getting the State Legislature to approve spending to repair the Lake Retention Wall or apply for a FEMA Grant before time expires. Marsala has been shut down at the state level, and needs your support to finish returning West End Lakeshore Park to Public Park use. Video Link.
Marsala’s interest goes way past solving the return of West End Lakeshore Park.
Playlists have been created for several issues including:
- Not creating more potential crime areas by adding an entertainment area in District 94
2. Capping annual Property Tax increases
3. Returning Recreation to West End Lakeshore Park
4. Addressing Opioid over prescribing to Seniors
5. Protecting Seniors Finances during Long Term Care
6. Addressing Unfunded Pension Liabilities
7. Returning offshore jobs to America when possible, especially call centers.
8. Opposing the removal of the Step-Up Basis in inheritance
9. Removing unfunded mandates on Cities and States
10. A policy to return removed monuments to original owners.
11. Reducing Harmful Algal Blooms and Dead Zones in Coast Waters
12. Maintaining the ability for Social Philanthropy by keeping taxes low.
14. Reducing the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico and Harmful Algae Blooms in the Lake
15. Increase Government Transparency and Public Records Requests
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Charles’ Results
In 2022, I opted to take matters into my own hands to resolve this 25-year lost resource. I first approached the Jefferson Parish Council in November 2022 to trim the 13-heritage oak trees on the Jefferson Parish side of the park.
Currently completing the restoration of West End Lakeshore Park is stopped at the State level. The Governor’s office will not file a FEMA or GOSHEP claim nor comment. For over a year, I have been asking DOA Jay Dardenne to address repairing the lake retention wall. There has been no response as potential FEMA funds near expiration.
In April, I went to Baton Rouge to ask the legislature for funding to repair the seawall. There was no interest.
As West End Lakeshore Park sits derelict, Jefferson Parish has raised $15 million to build a living shoreline. Federal Funds are available via the 2021 Infrastructure Act, Alliance for Open Space, and Bike Path Grants. I have met with Senator Cassidy on the $50 Million available for Lake Pontchartrian.
As State Representative, Marsala will propose the legislation to return West End Lakeshore Park to a Public Park.
I would propose legislation to cap Property Tax increases at 1.25% annually. For over 50 years, this has worked well to allow seniors to keep their homes in California.
In the last four years crime has dramatically increased in District #94. Marsala has been writing about the increase in crime. Link to articles.
Five years ago, Marsala created a Facebook Page to inform residents of crime in District #94. Link to Facebook Page.
In September 2022 his car was stolen. On Easter Sunday afternoon in 2023, his neighbor’s boat was stolen. During July 4th week of 2023, the wheels were stolen from a neighbor’s car. On the morning of August 17th, 2023 over 70 shots were fired at the intersection of Veterans and Fleur de Lis.
Despite the increase in crime and threats to Public Safety, incumbent Representative Hilferty has stayed the course with her 2019 proposal that was passed into ACT 152 to convert West End Lakeshore Park into a Bourbon Street type activity zone in the heart of District #94.
Lake Pontchartrain is an important asset and responsibility of District 94. For the last several years an estimated 300 pelicans have spent the fall on the pilings of the former restaurants in Jefferson Parish. Since 2000, the number of Pelican colonies in Louisiana has dropped from 30 to 9.
Rather than convert West End Lakeshore Park to bars, video poker, commercial, retail, hotel, and/or housing, we should retain the park and bring back some type of recreation that used to be provided in Mickey Retif Playspot. www.RetifPark.org
One suggestion is converting the unused section section of Breakwater Drive a bike path
Currently completing the restoration of West End Lakeshore Park is stopped at the State level. The Governor’s office will not file a FEMA or GOSHEP claim nor comment. For over a year, I have been asking DOA Jay Dardenne to address repairing the lake retention wall. There has been no response as potential FEMA funds near expiration.
In April, I went to Baton Rouge to ask the legislature for funding to repair the seawall. There was no interest.
As West End Lakeshore Park sits derelict, Jefferson Parish has raised $15 million to build a living shoreline. Federal Funds are available via the 2021 Infrastructure Act, Alliance for Open Space, and Bike Path Grants. I have met with Senator Cassidy on the $50 Million available for Lake Pontchartrian.
As State Representative, I will propose the legislation to return West End Lakeshore Park to a Public Park.
Louisiana’s in person voting provides for better election integrity that mail-in ballot harvesting. Even then voter rolls have inactive voters on them. People who have not voted in two years should be removed from the voter rooster and have to re-register to vote.
Research in Pew’s report underscores the need for registration systems that better maintain voter records, save money, and streamline processes.Our democratic process requires an effective system for maintaining accurate voter registration information.
Voter registration lists are used to assign precincts, send sample ballots, provide polling place information, identify and verify voters at polling places, and determine how resources, such as paper ballots and voting machines, are deployed on Election Day.
However, these systems are plagued with errors and inefficiencies that waste taxpayer dollars, undermine voter confidence, and fuel partisan disputes over the integrity of our elections.
Voter registration in the United States largely reflects its 19th-century origins and has not kept pace with advancing technology and a mobile society. States’ systems must be brought into the 21st century to be more accurate, cost-effective, and efficient.
Research commissioned by the Pew Center on the States highlights the extent of the challenge:
- Approximately 24 million—one of every eight—voter registrations in the United States are no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate.
- More than 1.8 million deceased individuals are listed as voters.
- Approximately 2.75 million people have registrations in more than one state.
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Protect Senior Savings
To many the American Dream is to retire with a mortgage-free home and $500,000.00 in savings. Hopefully the parents leave something to their heirs after health care and long term care expenses.
“President Obama’s proposal to impose capital-gains tax on many inherited assets would curtail a valuable tax benefit known as the “step up” in basis.
Here’s how the Journal explained the step-up benefit in a recent Weekend Investor cover story:
The federal code has long had a provision, known as the “step up,” that cancels the long-term capital-gains tax on assets that a taxpayer holds until death. The step-up automatically raises the owner’s cost basis for such assets—the starting point for measuring a taxable gain—to its full market value as of the date of death.
For example, say an investor bought a piece of land or stock shares many years ago for $20,000, and the value has grown to $200,000. If the investor sells the asset before his death, he will owe capital-gains tax on the $180,000 profit, at a rate as high as 23.8%—the 20% top rate on long-term gains, plus a surtax of 3.8% levied on higher-income taxpayers.”
Protecting Grandma’s home during Long Term Care or assisting living.
Senior homes should be exempt from seizure when a senior needs assisting living. We are in an era of over prescribing drugs by doctors to seniors. Over prescribing leads to symptoms of dementia, which leads to stays in long term care. Such stays should exclude the resident’s home and $500,000.00 in savings.
Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu received $35 Million in Federal Funds claiming he had matching funds in New Orleans to convert the former U S Navy Base at Poland Avenue into an Emergency Operations Center and evacuation facility for hospitality workers during a hurricane.
The facility could have also been used during the Corona Virus epidemic of 2020.
The $70 million in funds were transferred to New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, which is broke and has never accounted for them.
https://www.facebook.com/BuildingInTheSwamp/
Moving the airport terminal in Kenner from the South side to the North Side is an example of government waste. $300 million will be spent building the flyover, that will destroy the Veterans Heights neighborhood. Another $500 million is needed to connect the north side back to the southside which has the Amtrack Station, employee parking, and car rentals. Massive no bid contracts were awarded.
32-acres of wetlands were covered with concrete. A large amount by Landrieu Concrete, who owns the lime-green trucks.
Rather than use reserves and seek funding matches of 3 to 1 grants for recreational and environmental projects, the MYHMC is awarding confidential contracts totaling over $400,000.00 to Mitch Landrieu’s former Deputy Mayor to find developers for West End Lakeshore Park, which is state owned. www.RetifPark.org.
State Acts form 1906 and 1910 seem to prohibit the planned development of bars, residential, commercial, hotel, and video poker. Four studies by the Regional Planning Commission have shown the area to be “saturated” with bars and restaurants. Will Federal Money be obtained to build a Jazzland, Plaza Shopping Center, Uptown Village, or Lazy Jack project that fails and leaves blight?
