July 2020 - District #94 State Representative Candidate

Augie’s burned in the 1980s. in 1998 Hurricane Georges destroyed Bruning’s and Fitzgerald’s restaurants. New codes require 17′ high structures for West End Lakeshore Park. State Acts from 1906 and 1910 restrict the use to a “Public Park or Amusement Park.” Rather than politicians and appointed commissioners continue to seek ways to develop the park, it is time to return the park to recreational use and protect the wildlife habitat.

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

I then reached out to Fox8Live to fix the New Orleans Sewage & Water Board leak of 500,000 gallons per day.

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.

Link to PEW Institute Report

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.