Louisiana Politicians Flee in Terror

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | July 2, 2008

Politicians in Louisiana are suddenly discovering a sudden, hitherto unnoticed, urge to retire from public life and become private citizens once again. This eureka moment for about 140 (and growing by the hour!) politicians just “happens” to coincide with the approach of the date when Louisiana’s new ethics laws will come into effect. Perhaps the politicians are nervous—and for good cause.

A 1996-2007 study of all states with a population greater-than 2 million found Louisiana to be the most corrupt state, based on public official convictions. The average between the 35 states surveyed was just under 3 convictions per 100,000 population. Louisiana had 7.67.

Indeed, even before the debacle of Hurricane Katrina, the state had a reputation for high-profile corruption. Which may help explain why, in a recent poll, 75 percent of Louisiana residents responded “no” to the question, “In your opinion, does the state government spend tax dollars wisely?” Even the most unobservant Louisianian likely doesn’t equate padding a politician’s pockets with spending tax dollars wisely.

Enter Bobby Jindal. Riding into office on a wave of popular support, Governor Jindal pushed through the legislature a massive ethics reform measure. It would require greater accountability and transparency on the part of government officials, by forcing them to disclose their personal financial information. Any politician affected by the measure (and that’s most) who chooses to remain on the job after July 1st will have to comply with the new full disclosure regulations.

And so the panic-stricken politicians are dropping like flies.

Already, the Emergency Response Network Board, Garden District Security District, Louisiana States Art Council, Louisiana Geographic Information Systems Council, Louisiana Education Television Authority, Louisiana Board of Ethics, Millennium Port Authority, and the New Orleans City Park Improvement Board have all seen multiple members resign. In some cases, such as the ethics board, nearly all have left. A member of the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors—and former union leader—resigned. Even the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Secretary has left office (perhaps to avoid the risk the cultural and recreational pitfalls of a lengthy tour of the state prison).

Granted, it’s possible that some of these politicians simply consider their financial information personal, and do not wish to disclose it. That might be plausible, if there were only a handful of resignations. But not when the numbers hit the triple-digits. Maybe, just maybe, the resignations are indicative of the depth of corruption in the state. Too bad Gov. Jindal wasn’t in charge of evacuating New Orleans.

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