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Fear the unknown

One of the hottest issues in the ongoing special session on ethics reform might be the one you’ve heard the least about. The singular topic that could burn Gov. Bobby Jindal’s seemingly sincere efforts can’t even be found in his much-ballyhooed 31-point ethics plan that was released to the press and public during his 2007 campaign. It’s not a recommendation from his carefully crafted ethics advisory team, either.

Part of Jindal’s session call, meaning his official agenda, seeks to strengthen the state’s 11-member Ethics Board, which investigates violations and hands out fines. But many people, including the board’s current chairman and most recent administrator, believe Jindal’s related proposals will have the opposite effect. And they’re not alone. “In my opinion, no matter how much success Jindal might have in passing his proposed new ethics laws, enforcement under his recommendations would be decidedly—stunningly, I would say—weaker,” says Shreveport political analyst Elliot Stonecipher, who has become one of the state’s leading advocates for reforming the Ethics Board.

In particular, Jindal wants to take enforcement powers away from the board and allow administrative law judges to conduct closed-door hearings on violations. Essentially, the board would have the final say on the cases that should be handed down to the administrative judges, which state agencies have long used to settle potential legal disputes. But that’s about it.

Not only would public discussion be cut out of this part of the ethics process under Jindal’s proposal, it’s also unclear exactly who would appoint the judges, although the governor enjoys wide appointing authority under most of Louisiana’s laws.

But even more shocking, according to Stonecipher, is the amount of attention the call gives—or rather doesn’t give—to whistleblowers. “There is not even a single item related to increasing the rights and protections of those who file complaints, nor is there any provision for increasing public reporting of unethical behavior, or the highly regarded practice of telephone/Internet hot lines for reporting,” he says. “Importantly, the governor does not even raise the subject of the board’s budget,” which would address its ability to handle more investigations.

To be certain, financial disclosure for lawmakers and lobbyists will grab headlines in coming weeks, but the loudest battle will be fought behind the scenes over the fate of Louisiana’s Ethics Board. No matter what happens during the ongoing special session, Jindal, a Republican, can still be credited for trying to do more on ethics reform than any other governor. But what goes down with the future of the board just might become a constant reminder of just how successful the session really was. —Jeremy Alford

BRACing out

Since Stephen Moret was tapped by Gov. Bobby Jindal to be secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, two of his former BRAC colleagues have been brought into the fold (see chart). Jim Ellis, BRAC’s board chairman, says there are no plans to replace Steven Grissom with another interim president, since the board should be close to hiring a new permanent CEO by the time Grissom leaves in early March. He says losing Moret, Grissom and El Koubi to higher-profile state jobs shows the quality of BRAC’s staff and helps attract others for their positions.

“The word is out about BRAC,” Ellis says. —David Jacobs

Hard to do

The white-knuckle standoff between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System ended Jan. 31—hours before the previous contract agreement was set to expire.

Nobody—least of all patients—was looking forward to Blue Cross life without Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and other FMOL facilities and doctors around the state.

In the end, FMOL abandoned its insistence on a double-digit reimbursement rate hike and settled for a single-digit increase. The contract expires in two years. Considering the mounting cost of providing medical care from FMOL’s perspective and the pressure Blue Cross feels not to raise rates on its customers, future negotiations are likely to be lively.

Neither side is saying anything beyond what was contained in a news release sent out late on Jan. 31. Blue Cross and FMOL, it reads, will work together to improve quality of care and reduce costs, while recognizing that “the current healthcare delivery system throughout the country is unsustainable.”

Earlier in the day, before the press release went out, OLOL spokeswoman Catherine Harrell conceded the entire situation was stressful for everyone involved but that it was hardly an anomaly.

“That’s how all these negotiations go,” she said. “It’s not unique to the Lake. It’s not unique to Baton Rouge. It is the state of an imperfect system.” —Steve Clark

BUSINESSofPOLITICS

Security money: When it comes to homeland security, it just seems like Baton Rouge doesn’t get any respect. Last year, the city was slammed hard by a federal report on readiness and passed over for money from the Urban Area Security Initiative program. All of these shuns cut deep, especially since Baton Rouge was recognized by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program as being fully prepared for a disaster. Since last year’s series of slights, the federal government has changed its requirements, and Baton Rouge is back in the mix for UASI money. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this month that Baton Rouge’s port will get a piece of a $29.4 million security grant meant for facilities in south Louisiana, and the city will receive a chunk of a $1.28 million Metropolitan Medical Response System Grant.

Cajun Camelot: There’s a Cajun Camelot developing on the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, which is the state board that regulates hunters and anglers. Jindal recently appointed Stephen W. Sagrera of Abbeville to the commission. Sagrera takes the place of his father, Wayne, who formerly chaired the panel. The seat represents commercial fishing and fur interests. The younger Sagrera is both a cattleman and a crawfish farmer, but is probably better known as vice president of Vermilion Gator Farms, which is run by his father. But he is by no means new to representing the industry. He previously served as president of the Louisiana Alligator Farmers and Ranchers Association. —Jeremy Alford

Hiring freeze: A first report on Gov. Bobby Jindal’s limited hiring freeze enacted Jan. 15 has been released. The executive order authorized Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis to grant hiring exemptions on a case-by-case basis or by category based on guidelines. She says the initial report shows the hiring freeze is supporting Jindal’s order to limit and cut government growth by at least $25 million. According to the report:

•Of the 4,089 vacancies in state government reported in December, 488 exemptions were made and 140 positions were approved. Of the approvals, 53 are for temporary, seasonal tax-related positions at the Department of Revenue, and 52 are for security and public safety personnel at the Department of Corrections.

•Some 87 position requests were not approved.

•The Office of Planning and Budget is reviewing 261 exemption requests, which includes requests from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department Culture, Recreation and Tourism. —Staff report

Walk it out

Walkscore.com says its aim is to “help homebuyers, renters, and real estate agents find homes and apartments in great neighborhoods.” Type in an address and you get a “walkability” score based on nearby assets like stores, restaurants, schools and parks listed on Google Maps. The site admittedly says it doesn’t factor in adjustments like weather, public transit, freeways, safety, block length and outdated listings. How does Baton Rouge fare? We checked a handful of locations we figured might be more foot friendly. The results are a bit odd—unless you do all your grocery shopping at a convenience store. —Marissa Frayer

Area---Score/100---Notably strange listing

Downtown---83---rug stores: Daniel Pharmacy

Spanish Town---74---Parks: Parks office

State Street---74---Movie theaters: Swine Palace

Garden District---66---Libraries: Christian Formation

Southdowns---62---Grocery store: Circle K

Welcome to Jindalville

Sure Gov. Bobby Jindal earned his master’s from New College, Oxford, about two hours away from Cardiff, England. But that’s not the Cardiff some area residents would like you to remember. Try Cardiff Avenue in Kenilworth subdivision, the home where Jindal spent most of his childhood.

Civic association board member and 18-year Kenilworth resident Leslie Tassin suggested a sign would be nice to honor the subdivision’s gubernatorial ties. Tassin found four residents to put up money for the wood sign, a resident to make it [and make sure it would stay erected] and got Lamar Advertising to donate their services for the lettering.

So far, two signs have been made declaring Kenilworth the “Boyhood home of Governor Bobby Jindal” though only one has been put up on the entrance from Perkins Road. There are a few logistics to figure out with the Highland Road bookend, and then that one will be good to go.

Tassin says the motion passed by the board calls for the signs to stay up as long as Jindal is governor. As for the “boyhood” part, that was a source of discussion and one Tassin ended up deciding.

“He was more of a young boy when he moved here,” he says. —M.F.

Seeing things

You’re in the drive-thru lane at the bank. You shoot your money through the tube. The teller pops onto a video screen and asks about your day. You can see the teller. The teller can see you. No, it’s not The Jetsons. It’s reality: Two-way video cameras are popping up at area Capital One branches as part of ongoing renovations.

The cameras made their debut several years ago in Livingston Parish, when then-Hibernia added drive-thru lanes, says Steve Lousteau, Capital One Baton Rouge city president. Because of the way the branch was situated, the drive-thrus had to be added in a reverse flow, where the driver’s side faced away from the drive-up window. That’s where the two-way cameras came in, allowing the driver and the teller to see one another.

Though Lousteau says the cameras won’t necessarily be added to all locations in the metro area, they are going to continue to implement the technology. There’s a Gonzales branch with 10 drive-thru lanes that uses the cameras, as well as the Bluebonnet Boulevard location that opened in October.

“It makes interaction more personal, almost as if you were conducting business in the lobby where you have more face-to-face contact,” he says. —M.F.

ONTHEBEAT

Down in Africa: Westinghouse Electric Co. and the Shaw Group have submitted a bid to provide three nuclear power plants to South Africa by 2016. The companies have partnered with Murray & Roberts Ltd. of South Africa, a major construction company for the bid.

Road monies: The Baton Rouge Area Chamber is advocating the state’s $2 billion surplus and excess revenues be used as one-time investments in economic development. BRAC is calling for $800 million to $1 billion of the surplus to be spent on major projects to relieve traffic congestion in the Baton Rouge area.

OLOL’s CEO: K. Scott Wester will start no later than March 17 as CEO of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, replacing Bob Davidge who is retiring. Wester has served for four years as president/CEO of St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe.

NFIB head: Pat Felder of Baton Rouge has been named as head of the National Federation of Independent Business’ Louisiana Leadership Council. The council directs small business input and counsel into the NFIB’s legislative agenda. Felder co-owns Felder’s Collision Parts with her husband, Wayne.

Raw restaurant: Brandon Lee, who owns the popular Tokyo Live restaurant in Lafayette, has signed a deal to lease the O’Henry’s building on Coursey Boulevard for a new Asian restaurant. Plans are to call the restaurant Raw Addiction, which Lee hopes to open in the next few months.

Roemer’s vote: Former Gov. Buddy Roemer has been taking time away from his job as head of the Business First Bank to hit the campaign trail for U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “I’ve never volunteered in a presidential campaign, so John has given me a lot more than I’ve given him,” Roemer says.

West again: TraceSecurity, a Baton Rouge-based data security firm, has opened a new office in Palo Alto, Calif., to recruit business from Silicon Valley companies. This is the second California office for TraceSecurity; a San Diego location opened last summer. The company has also expanded its Dallas office to house the newly formed training division.

Solar power: Lamar Advertising has mounted solar panels on four of its billboards near Pensacola, Fla., as part of an experiment to funnel energy into the power grid. The company has partnered with Gulf Power Co. for the project, which is the first time Lamar has tried putting solar power into the system instead of using it to charge batteries.

A Towne for sale

A Dallas company is listing the Towne Center at Cedar Lodge retail center as an investment opportunity. Holliday Fenoglio Fowler is marketing the 358,000-square-foot shopping center as a trophy asset, noting that retailers in Towne Center such as Whole Foods, American Eagle Outfitters and Coldwater Creek are consistently bringing in sales from $375 to $500 per square foot. The shopping center is nearly 97% occupied, HFF says.

Stephen Keller of Creekstone Companies, which owns Towne Center, was out of the country and unavailable for comment. The first Towne Center stores opened in 2005, and the center has attracted a mix of upscale national retailers and New Orleans-area businesses that wanted to set up Baton Rouge locations after Hurricane Katrina. Since developing Towne Center, Keller has started work on two new projects: Juban Crossing, a shopping center/TND at the Interstate 12/Juban Road intersection in Livingston Parish, and a 125-acre TND in Lafayette.

Estimates are the center could sell for between $54 million and $72 million, depending on how high the average rents are. With the weak dollar, there’s speculation Towne Center could end up in the hands of European investors. —Timothy Boone

Another name change

A 143-room Holiday Inn is scheduled to open on Constitution Avenue in December, the same time that the neighboring Holiday Inn Select could switch over to a Crowne Plaza. Negotiations are under way to rebrand the Holiday Inn Select, says Ed Baker, an executive vice president with Executive Hotel Management, which owns the property near the Interstate 10/College Drive intersection. InterContinental Hotels Group, the Great Britain-based company that owns the Holiday Inn chain, is phasing out the Holiday Inn Select brand, which targets business travelers.

“We feel like in this marketplace, a mid-luxury hotel is needed,” Baker says. “That will allow us to take care of the mid-market and the Holiday Inn customers.”

The Holiday Inn Select—which opened as a Sheraton and in 1994 was rebranded as a Radisson—was recently renovated, so Baker says it won’t take a lot of work to turn the hotel into a Crowne Plaza, other than installing plasma televisions in all the rooms and fixing up the bathrooms. The Holiday Inn scheduled to be built adjacent to the current property will be one of the first of a new hotel prototype. Baker says by combining the new construction with the renovation, Executive Hotel will save some money. —T.B.