With little more than a month to the qualifying date, I find little to be excited about with the fall election, and that is disappointing. The Parish President Rick Nowlin
exhibited unprecedented leadership when he appointed the Advisory Commission to study the structural and financial needs of the Natchitoches Parish roads. However, after receiving the report, the parish council became suspiciously quiet and
wouldn’t allow the people of Natchitoches Parish to decide if a tax was appropriate or not. Most people I’ve talked to feel that is a decision best made by the taxpayer but
the council, touting unofficial and unpublished “Polls,” decided that an election would be unnecessary. The council offered no public comment and of course no alternative plan. The ‘all-knowing’ council, in the spirit of heavy-handed politics, made their
silence on the issue seem overwhelmingly loud.
Yes, there are those citizens who continue to pay expensive automobile repairs and cuss the roads and seem determined that no tax will pass. As they are private
citizens, this is their choice. The council, however sought and were elected to positions of leadership. Yet nothing new has been forthcoming. While most would agree that the parish council has offered no plan or answers, their silence seems only to raise more questions.
Back in November of 2012 there seemed to be a loose cannon running amok with
the police jury’s checkbook. Seven (7) specific roads received some funding for repairs. Each of these roads received some sort of a “lick and a promise.” In some cases, though, the “repair” only covered a part of the road. It seemed the juror in question had a bit of a problem with the bid law, since there is a law which requires the parish to employ the bid process on anything over $150,000. Well, when anyone has a contractor, who can work without supervision or oversight, the process is
“simplified.” The “trusted” contractor was told to not go over the $150,000 threshold, and that is what was done. Total cost on the seven (7) roads $883,622.73.
So, If you’re blessed to live on Grappes Bluff, Patrick Road, Post MillRoad, Cloud Crossing, Breazeale Springs, Old Bethel Church Road or Lake Gorum Road, you will
remember that flurry of activity back then, and some will remember that the job wasn’t completed. Oh, the repairs were definitely needed, but anyone would question the timing and the spending since the police jury had exhausted its
budget. Again, the wizard came through with another underhanded deal. All that was done was to transfer a sum from the Solid Waste Fund and since that didn’t cover everything, the ‘deficiency’ could easily be passed on to the incoming Home Rule Charter.
One must ask, who benefitted from this? Certainly not the taxpayer and not the parish. The contractor? The ‘loose cannon’ juror? The questions continue to
come up and are as plentiful as potholes in Natchitoches Parish.
I like your article Dennis, but why not name names?
I think the action by the Police Jury that you have described was done in the very last meeting of its existence and that it was proposed by the leader at that time of the PJ. Also from someone who was there, I understand that person quipped something to the effect, “now let’s see how the new government can operate without any money.”
If that was said it will be on the official electronic recording of that meeting. This is someone who now wants to elected to head that new form of government which then he derided and attempted to sabotage, financially.
Another excellent post by Mr. Coleman. At least someone has hit the “issue” head on and states it like it is. Drive down any rural parish road and you will see the same thing. Years and years of being ignored to the point of trees growing in places where there should be ditches, low hanging limbs scraping your vehicle, people driving on the edges of the road (where available) because it’s smoother than the road. I was amazed to learn that the parish does indeed own a side boom tractor when someone posted a picture of it parked for the night and then complaining about it being parked there. Well, there’s 80 acres to park that thing on here and as long as it’s used on this road they are welcome to park it here. You can’t see around the corners of intersections without actually getting out in the intersection and then there are the aforementioned limbs and obstructions that this tool would remove if it were to be used down my road. Not addressing an issue doesn’t make it go away. It has been stated on another site that “he” has the answers and we should ask “him” without ever telling us who “he” is but it shouldn’t take a mental giant to figure out who “he” is. Well, I’m not sure about you but if “he” has all the answers and has been sitting on them all these years until it becomes politically expedient to do so should anger everyone who hears that statement. Why, to think that “he” has all the answers and hasn’t done anything to the roads sets my blood boiling. All you folks who continue to pay for front end work, blown tires etc. just stop and think about it. “he” (I refuse to capitalize the word he) has had all the answers for years but has allowed the roads to disintegrate into nothingness but is now willing to share “his” epiphany for all. Well, I’m listening—–