Old-timers on press row will certainly recognize the name of Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne’s new communications director for his gubernatorial campaign. Consultant George Kennedy has hired Marsanne Golsby, press secretary to former Gov. Mike Foster. Golsby has been working in public relations in recent years; he’s been handling corporate clients in the Baton Rouge area.
Aside from being a former reporter, Golsby is legendary for her loyalty and willingness to become part of the story as a way to take a hit for the team.
In March 1999, Greenpeace activists were shadowing Foster’s every move and complaining about polluted waters along the Mississippi River. Protestors prepared and delivered a “toxic lunch” for Foster: a meal of pan-fried catfish harvested from an allegedly tainted bayou.
As they waited to see if they could give the meal to the former governor, Golsby deflated the moment by chowing down on two mouthfuls of supposedly toxic fish while staring down the protestors.
Move To Regulate Cable Providers Fails
When it was asked to give the Public Service Commission (PSC) the authority to regulate cable and video service providers, the House Commerce Committee changed the channel.
HB 534 by Rep. Joe Bouie, D-New Orleans, would have stripped the secretary of state’s office of its oversight role and passed to the PSC. But most of the lawmakers on the committee said they weren’t provided with a good enough reason to make the change. The bill was deferred by a vote of 14-3.
Brandon Frey, executive counsel to the PSC, said the commission passed a resolution earlier this month to ask for the power to adopt new standards of customer service for cable providers. Supporters say the goal was not to create new fees for the PSC, or to expand the staff, but to rather add a new layer of oversight to providers that are bundling their products with phone services, which are already regulated by the commission.
“The commission does field a high number of complaints for an area that they do not have jurisdiction over,” Frey said. “Some commissioners say they field more complaints about this than the areas they do have jurisdiction over.”
Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, argued that the market is already regulating cable and video services and consumers can turn to satellite or Internet TV if they’re displeased. “In years past cable was your only option,” he said. “But today it’s not. It’s not exactly a monopoly. Why burden the cable company with more regulation and another set of standards, that they don’t know yet what they will be, when they’re already subject to competition?”
Cheryl P. McCormick, CEO of the Louisiana Cable and Telecommunications Assoc., said in an interview, “We’re already regulated on the federal level by the FCC and there’s more competition in the video services field than there has ever been. We believe more regulation is not the answer.”
PAR: Cut Budgets
There are only two areas of state government that have standstill budgets for the next fiscal year: the legislative and judicial branches, with $108 million and $176 million proposed, respectively.
That means while most all other branches, departments and agencies are taking cuts to help address the $1.6 billion shortfall, lawmakers and judges are getting a pass, according to the Public Affairs Research Council.
In its latest commentary on the state budget, PAR recommended that the Legislature and the judiciary each take a 5 percent cut, which would save the state $13 million next fiscal year.
“Unlike just about everyone else, these government bodies have enjoyed increased budgets the past eight years,” said PAR President Robert Travis Scott.
Candidates Tout Pro-Life Creds
With the exception of Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite, who is pro-life and was unable to attend, the candidates for governor addressed abortion issues recently before a group of pastors assembled by the Louisiana Family Forum.
The big laugh line came from Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle when he was asked by LFF President Gene Mills for his stance. “When you come from a family of nine kids and you have five yourself, and those five kids came in the first eight years of marriage, there’s a whole lot of pro-life going on,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne spoke about his faith as well, but it was U.S. Sen. David Vitter who was preaching to the choir. “I’m going to take a bunch of cues from you, from Gene, from the forum,” Vitter told the pastors.
Vitter promised to have a “full, robust life agenda” as a candidate and as a governor. He said his campaign will release a plan that will address abortion issues as well as proposals related to foster parents and adoption.
Political Hall Of Fame Faces Cuts
With budget reductions slated for the Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, sympathetic supporters are scrambling for ways to find cash, and Appropriations Chair Jim Fannin is helping to lead the charge.
Overall, the museum is facing a $50,000 loss in the budget of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Fannin’s HB 125 would rework the funding scheme in the Winn Parish Tourism Fund so that the museum would get an additional $10,000 annually, bringing its local haul to $45,000. But that still leaves the political hub $40,000 in the hole.
“It’s in my district, and I don’t think any of us want to see it shut down or scaled back,” Fannin said.
Ticket prices for the annual induction ceremony have gone up, and there’s a drive underway to increase memberships.
As for Fannin, he’s not yet a member of the Political Hall of Fame. His legislation, however, should probably be considered as his official nomination paperwork.
The bill has been passed by the House and is pending action on the Senate side.
Moret’s Replacement Unknown
When Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret was peppered with questions by members of the Senate Finance Committee, he offered them a mini-preview of several business issues to be debated in what will be his final session working for the governor.
But Moret wasn’t questioned about who might replace him when he steps down next month for a new job leading the LSU Foundation as its president and CEO.
When asked via email by LaPolitics, Moret deferred to the administration. “We’re still in the process of working with Secretary Moret to identify a replacement,” said Jindal spokesperson Shannon Bates Dirmann.
It’s unknown whether there’s a national search underway or whether the position will only be filled by an interim secretary. A full appointment, if made during the ongoing session, would require hearings before the House and Senate governmental affairs committees.
Considering the position’s current $320,000 salary, lawmakers with oversight may pose interesting questions about the contrast with the $1.6 billion shortfall.
With only months remaining in Jindal’s term, and the possibility that the next governor may have an appointment in mind already, the Jindal hire may not require a huge rollout.
If the administration and Moret are looking internally, there has been no indication of it.
The top three on staff at LED under Moret are Deputy Secretary Steven Grissom, Assistant Secretary Quentin Messer and Undersecretary Anne Villa. For now, Moret is still steering the ship.
At the Capitol, when he was asked about proposed legislation to limit the movie tax credit program, Moret said lawmakers should be open to change but willing to protect an important economic engine. “The program is so big that it is now in competition with other state priorities,” he said.
More predictability for the state and industry is critical, Moret added. Bills to cap the program and add new oversight could provide a pathway to a middle ground for the Legislature.
The Enterprise Zone program, which offers taxpayer-funded incentives to businesses willing to relocate to depressed areas, is on the session agenda too. There have been complaints in the past about large retailers benefitting from the program by moving into tony neighborhoods. Moret’s office has sorted out those challenges.
Moret said lawmakers might want to think about restricting eligibility, which would make Louisiana’s program, the most generous in the region, more comparable to what other states are offering.
Settlements Could Help Budget
Sources tell LaPolitics that lawmakers could get a bit of help on the budget from Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. His office is said to be approaching a settlement on a group of cases involving underground storage tanks. Estimates for the settlements are $40 to $50 million.
“But $10 million is probably what we’re looking at in the short-term,” said the source, “as far as what could come in while they’re in session.”
Pro-Vitter PAC Also Pro-Edwards
In what amounted to an opening salvo from the Fund For Louisiana’s Future super PAC, which is supporting U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s gubernatorial run, the PAC sent an email to followers telling them “what [they] need to know about each contender.”
It slammed Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, offering only negatives in the bullets listed. And, predictably, it fully championed Vitter.
But the email also put a positive spotlight on Rep. John Bel Edwards, the lone Democrat in the race. While it noted his support of the president’s controversial health care law, it also credited Edwards, an Amite native, with opposing the governor’s cuts to higher ed, pushing through K-12 funding increases and putting “all options on the table” to address transportation issues.
It’s yet another sign that Vitter boosters are eager to face Edwards in a runoff — either that or the super PAC will be supporting two candidates in the race for governor this year.
By law, super PACs cannot coordinate their activities with the campaigns and candidates they support.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Jeremy Alford on Twitter @LaPoliticsNow.
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