A picture is worth a thousand words, and that is why I chose this rare occasion to include a few photos with my column. They make my point very clearly—trash is not just found on the ground—and it needs to be cleaned up.
Our executive editor, JR Ball, made his own case in the last issue with his column “Our dirty little war” [“Random Thoughts,” June 30], which detailed his disgust at the litter in our streets. He pointed out that Mayor Kip Holden has heard the cries of the people and “responded by declaring trashy streets, overgrown empty lots and garbage-clogged waterways this town’s axis of evil.”
Ball added that Holden “has recently ramped up the assault … and even launched something called the Pickup Challenge, pitting one team of elected officials against another team of elected officials in a contest to make Baton Rouge ‘cleaner than it’s ever been before.’”
But my point here is we need to look up in the air as well as down on the ground. [See photos below.]
Fact is, Pete Newkirk, head of DPW, told me there is an ordinance that allows citizens to file complaints about a damaged or abandoned sign. [Call 311 and ask for the Complaint Department.] The city will then inspect the sign and may send a letter to the owner to have it repaired or removed in a specified period of time. After that, the city will go on site and remove the sign and invoice the property owner [or lien his or her property]. Newkirk says they are currently in the process of removing 22 signs. I applaud their efforts.
Many of the signs pictured below may have been damaged in Gustav—but that was nine months ago. Many other signs have been rusting for years, and it’s time to remove the “aerial trash” and sell it for scrap.
I only used these photos of a few examples and chose not to “call out” the owners … yet. But next time I run them—and others—the names will be attached for all to see and scorn. There are hundreds of examples and I encourage all citizens to call 311 and file complaints on such signs.
The mayor’s “war on litter and trash” must include rusting and abandoned signs in our city. If a business is going to have a sign in front of it, the sign should be maintained. If the business leaves or closes, the landlord should cover the sign or remove it.
This is about responsibility. It may be on your property, but everyone else has to look at it—and the community must have standards for all to abide by. If you chose to have a sign, use it or lose it. The rest of us don’t want to look at your trash.
Pay for performance
State Civil Service officials are currently working on proposals for a “variable merit system” for 60,000 state employees in Louisiana. The new system would tie pay raises to job performance, as opposed to the present system, which is almost an automatic 4% annual increase—regardless of how hard one works or one’s results. This dinosaur system should be buried because it is obsolete and unfair to workers and taxpayers. Those who do best don’t get more—and those who do poorly get rewarded along with everyone else. That’s wrong.
Oh sure, there are some who argue any kind of merit-based system opens the door to “politics and favoritism.” So their answer is to give everyone a 4% raise, and they think that represents equal treatment. But it doesn’t. In the current system, excellence and initiative are not being rewarded. Instead, just showing up to work and breathing will get you a raise.
Every private company has a merit system, and they too risk a subjective choice by those in charge. Someone must decide, and life is not always fair. But there can always be a system to appeal—or an employee can quit. Unfortunately, in the current debate many of those who are complaining are the ones looking for cover because they would lose under a merit system. It’s time that state workers were paid for performance—not just for showing up and hanging around for decades.
Leadership is the difference
Last week, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu announced he will not be a candidate for mayor of New Orleans in February 2010. Following Katrina, the Big Easy was in desperate need of leadership and failed to get it from Mayor Ray Nagin. And the election that followed in 2006 provided no relief, as the voters of what Nagin had called the “chocolate city” re-elected him with the support of Jesse Jackson, Bill Jefferson and Cleo Fields. Thanks to them—and the Republicans who opposed Landrieu thinking it would hurt the re-election chances of his sister, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu—New Orleans has struggled in a malaise and built little momentum.
The announcement by Landrieu, the frontrunner in the race, now leaves things wide open. What remains is the need for strong leadership and vision in the mayor’s office to bring the community together and to work with business leaders and the governor to get things done. That has not happened in the last three years, and New Orleans voters need to get it right this time.
To see what a difference this makes, just look at Baton Rouge and Mayor-President Kip Holden. Holden won re-election with 74% of the vote and has worked well with the entire community. He also has strong support among the business community.
He has provided leadership and been progressive and aggressive to get things done and make things happen in the Capital City. The results are evident, with Baton Rouge ranked high on many recent national lists, including one by The Brookings Institution where Baton Rouge was ranked No. 8 among the top 100 metro areas for economic performance during the recession.
Whether it’s a private company, a school or the mayor’s office—leadership makes the difference.
Louisiana proud
I want to give kudos to our vice president and executive editor, JR Ball, and our team for once again representing Baton Rouge well at the national convention for the Alliance of Area Business Publications. Business Report received four awards [click here] this year.
In fact, Louisiana was well represented in the competition against the likes of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Detroit. In addition to our awards, our colleagues at New Orleans City Business also collected seven awards. Our congratulations to them.
