More Louisiana Politicians in jail
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ANOTHER SAD DAY IN LOUISIANA POLITICS
July 1, 2005...Louisiana voters should be used to this scenario by now, but it hurts every time it happens. This week, sitting Jefferson Parish District Court Judge Alan Green was convicted of one count of mail fraud, while the jury deadlocked on the remaining six counts. The judge will be sentenced on September 22nd and faces up to 20 years in jail and removal from the bench. Alan Green joins Ronnie Bodenheimer, a former Jefferson Parish District Court Judge, as sitting jurists who have been nabbed in the government’s Wrinkled Robe investigation.
During Green’s trial, the government played devastating video tape showing Green accepting two $5,000 cash payments from an executive from Bail Bonds Unlimited and displaying other unusual and unethical behavior. It was enough to convict Green, who was originally elected in 1992.
The whole unseemly mess is just the latest embarrassment to afflict Louisiana politics. In summary, here are some of our former elected officials our state has sent to jail in recent years:
Governor Edwin Edwards—still in jail
State Senate President Michael O’Keefe—still in jail
Jefferson Parish Judge Ronnie Bodenheimer—still in jail
Former elected officials recently released from jail include the following:
Insurance Commissioners Sherman Bernard, Doug Green and Jim Brown
Election Commissioner Jerry Fowler
State Representative and gubernatorial candidate David Duke
State Senator Larry Bankston
Investigations are continuing into the Orleans Parish School Board and the administration of former Mayor of New Orleans Marc Morial. Four close associates of Morial have recently been indicted. The investigation will undoubtedly lead to more indictments and surely more high profile trials.
The never ending indictments and convictions paint a portrait of Louisiana politics as a cesspool of corruption. The elected officials listed above have been caught or investigated, but they are not alone. According to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, “There are public officials out there who are living on the edge.” Whoever these public officials are, they need to be quickly brought to justice. The State of Louisiana can no longer afford corrupt elected officials in office. It damages our image and ultimately damages our economy because what businessmen in their right mind want to relocate to a state where corruption thrives.
U.S. Attorney Letten is to be commended for his aggressive investigation into public corruption. His top notch office is committed to rooting out criminal behavior from the positions of power in this state. Unfortunately, in Louisiana, we don’t have enough people like Jim Letten; we have too many people like Judge Alan Green.
In Louisiana, we need elected officials who will bring honor and not shame to the state. We need behavior that is exemplary, not criminal. The public has been disappointed and disgraced by our politicians since the days of Huey Long. Of course there are many fine politicians in Louisiana, but their meritorious actions are overshadowed by the corrupt activities of their colleagues.
Louisiana will grow as a state economically when and only when we have changed our reputation for political corruption. We need to clean our own house. Unfortunately, in the last legislative session, bills to strengthen the state’s ethics laws died. Since the politicians don’t want to police themselves, it is up to prosecutors and more importantly the people. Voters need to do a much better job of evaluating candidates and electing ones of character, instead of ones with questionable ethics.
Louisiana is now at an important crossroads, as our state desperately needs to improve our image and grow our stagnant economy. We need to evolve to a state where the convictions of a sitting judge and/or an elected official become an extreme rarity, instead of a regular occurrence.