The case against separate city and parish councils
Not every argument against separate councils holds water, but some are compelling and worth exploring
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News + Notes
The case for separate city and parish councils
Over the course of five town halls, we’ve talked through just about everything but the merits of creating separate city and parish councils. Here’s the case for the split.
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In retirement announcement, Huval questions move to privatize LUS
Terry Huval, director of LUS for 23 years, has hurried his retirement amid revelations that the Robideaux administration is in talks to privatize the system’s electrical division.
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How cashing in on LUS reveals the unfairness of consolidated government
While there are more questions than answers about selling LUS, one thing we know for sure is that it’s a perfect example of the unfairness baked into the structure of Lafayette’s consolidated government.
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Leaving council members in the dark jeopardizes Robideaux’s LUS play
Much of the City-Parish Council, already disillusioned that it was left in the dark during negotiations, appears unified in opposition to LUS’s electrical division changing hands.
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Robideaux administration considering sale of LUS’s electric division Mayor in ongoing discussions with private equity firm to purchase or manage the division
Talks between the Robideaux administration and Bernhard Capital Partners over the potential purchase of Lafayette Utilities System have been ongoing since at least the beginning of the year.
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A redistricting compromise is in the works to court Pat Lewis to support the council split
▸ The gist: Lewis reportedly flipped to a “no” on an amendment to create separate city and parish councils when he saw the way his district was redrawn in preliminary maps. As late as minutes before Tuesday’s council meeting, Lewis was shown a map that would give him a safely black voting district, potentially allaying concerns about […]
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The high cost of political uncertainty
Lafayette needs less uncertainty from local government not more. But that’s not the direction we’re going.
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Third guilty plea secured in Knight Oil Tools case
The gist: It’s now clear that Mark Knight is the big fish prosecutors want in the Knight Oil Tools racketeering case. As our May reporting indicated was likely to happen, court records now reveal that former Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Kinch pleaded guilty in late June to one count of public bribery and one […]
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How the politics of the council split is shaping up
The gist: After weeks of speculation and backroom conversation, the effort to create separate city and parish councils has come online.
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How the proposed city council map is shaping up
▸ The gist: LCG has published maps of the proposed independent city and parish council districts. You can find those detailed maps here and here. You can see the current consolidated council districts here.
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When consolidation creates a suburb without a city
How does Lafayette’s experiment with consolidation stack up with the successes and failures of other consolidated governments across the country?
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