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I often get asked the question, “When do you think things will get back to normal?” My answer is short and simple, “This is the new normal.”

We all are aware of changes that have taken place in our community since Katrina and Rita. They are significant and have impacted our population, housing, traffic, economy, hospitals, schools, churches, labor force, crime and daily lives. The changes have also significantly increased the needs in the area of health and human services. That means our charities and non-profit agencies. And specifically the Capital Area United Way which currently assists 53 nonprofit agencies.

With our growing and aging population and high poverty rate, think about the increased demand on just a few United Way agencies: Cancer Services, Hospice of Baton Rouge, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Crisis Intervention, Food Bank, ARC, Boys & Girls Club, Salvation Army and the O’Brien House. And these are just 10 of the 53.

In fact, the 53 agencies provided a total of 13,394,308 services in 2006 compared to 7,327,802 services in 2004. That’s an incredible 82% increase in two years.

As board member and marketing chair of United Way, I have discovered that while needs continue to grow, campaign giving in the past three years has remained about the same. Some of this is because of consolidation in certain industries, as well as donors retiring from local plants. In addition, new businesses that have come to our area and start-ups have not become involved. But United Way wants to change that and is working hard to assess the needs of the community and be accountable to our donors.

Under the leadership of new CEO Howard Taylor and 2007 campaign chairman Van Mayhall, new divisions have focused on involving retirees and recruiting new companies to run campaigns. (If your company would like to conduct a campaign this fall or simply make a donation, visit the new Web site at TheWayToHelp.org or call 383-2643.)

With our new growth and growing needs, we face new challenges. But I have no doubt our 10-parish Capital Region will pull together during the 2007 United Way campaign to meet the challenge. We need your help.

Hold Foti accountable

Attorney General Charles Foti fired and missed. Now he’s the target—and should be fired by the voters of Lou-isiana.

A year after Foti was grandstanding in a press conference announcing charges of murder against Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses, an Orleans Parish grand jury refused to indict. District Attorney Eddie Jordan said, “I think the grand jury did the right thing. The grand jury considered all the evidence—carefully considered…They concluded no crime had been committed.”

Remaining unbowed, Foti said after the grand jury announcement, “I am very proud of our efforts on behalf of the victims and their families.”

The Times-Picayune had previously reported that Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard said the physical evidence collected does not support a finding of homicide and he left the four deaths as “undetermined.” Foti said he had experts with findings to the contrary but said they were not called before the grand jury.

A nurse who was there at the hospital the week after Katrina told The Times Picayune, “It was unbearable to witness the suffering and the agony these patients had to endure while we waited many days for rescue. This investigation has only festered our deep wounds, and we cannot begin the healing process until Dr. Pou is fully exonerated.”

Foti’s politics added three more victims to the list for Katrina—Dr. Pou and the two nurses. No question that people died—at least 34 at Memorial hospital. But the doctors and nurses who could have evacuated stayed behind to save lives, not take them. While I know it must be tough for the families to accept, targeting Dr. Pou as someone to blame was wrong and now Foti must be held accountable by the voters.

School board politics: A+

If our local school system was as good at educating kids as they are at political strategy, we would be the envy of all parishes in the state. The two recent tax renewals, which were scheduled on July 21, both passed by a 2-to-1 margin. That was the political goal.

But the political strategy was the key to victory: Schedule the election so only our “school folks” will turn out and they can dominate the results. It worked.

The school board moved the election from the spring to July, and we witnessed a voter turnout of 4.89%. Certainly the school board knew that their teachers, staff, along with their families, could account for 7,079 votes in favor, representing 68% of the total cast. They didn’t need any of our votes on July 21.

But what was the cost of such a strategy? First, by not holding it on a day with statewide elections (i.e. Oct. 20), the school board had to pay most of the expenses. The estimate is $286,000. That means it costs taxpayers more than $27 for each vote cast. Wow! While our public schools cry out for more money, how many computers, books, supplies or after-school tutoring time could that quarter of a million dollars have purchased?

But in addition to the hard cost of the special election, there is that continued withdrawal of public trust in our government-run schools. That is expensive.

When asked about the election victory, Superintendent Charlotte Placide said, “I’m just so excited and thankful to the community.” Fact is, she only has to really thank her board, school employees and their families because it seems they were the only ones who bothered to show up and vote—and that was by design.

But in addition to admonishing the school board for their political tricks, it is ultimately the registered voters who have to take responsibility. If you don’t vote—and won’t hold these politicians accountable—then don’t complain.

Generations will pay

Once again, there is a move afoot to try to get former Gov. Edwin Edwards out early from prison. He was sentenced to 10 years and a federal sentence requires at least 85% be served. Edwards is about half way.

Some would argue that if all the crimes that Edwards committed were known, he might have gotten a 100-year sentence. Others contend the damage he did to this state, its reputation and its future during his 16 years as governor and even when he was out of office—working to kill fiscal reform and doling cash out to Cleo Fields on FBI video—makes him deserving of every day he serves behind bars.

It is sad to see this elderly man, who had so much potential for good, spend his remaining years in prison, but our children and grandchildren will pay the price for his actions for generations. While one can plead for compassion, it must be weighed against justice. When you consider that, it makes it easier to oppose any effort to commute his sentence. Let Edwards serve his time for his crimes and the suffering he has caused so many in our state.