Times-Picayune

EDITORIAL: Levee boards need you

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Getting levee board reform through the Legislature was tough. The existing system was mired in good-old-boy politics and patronage, and some influential lawmakers were staunch defenders of the status quo.

It took two special sessions and pressure from tens of thousands of South Louisiana residents for Sen. Walter Boasso to get his levee consolidation legislation passed. Even then, opponents of reform tried in the regular legislative session to undermine requirements to make levee governance more professional and less political.

Thankfully, they failed, and voters overwhelmingly voted in September to consolidate the old levee boards into two regional boards with greater professional expertise.

As hard as it was to get to this point, the real work is only beginning.

A nominating committee is looking for candidates to fill the 18 seats on the two boards and must give the list of nominees to Gov. Kathleen Blanco by Dec. 29. Finding well-qualified, dedicated people is crucial. Southeast Louisiana's very life depends on having a strong flood protection system, and these boards will play a hugely important role in that process.

The metro area has a wealth of talent -- in its universities, in the business world, in civic associations -- so there ought to be plenty of well qualified people to serve on the boards. But finding people who not only are willing to dedicate their time and energy to the board but who also meet professional, geographical and ethical requirements is complicated.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, for instance, needs 11 members. Each of the seven parishes covered by the levee district must be represented -- so there must be a member from Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, east St. John the Baptist and east St. Charles parishes. So having 15 nominees from Orleans Parish, for instance, won't give the nominating committee the pool it needs.

A certain number of members on each board must meet educational and professional requirements, such as expertise in hydrology. Another group must be from outside the levee board districts altogether. They could be from Shreveport, for instance.

Government employees, lobbyists and elected officials are not allowed to serve, and board members and their family members won't be allowed to do business with the levee districts.

Still, that leaves a lot of people in southeast Louisiana and beyond who could qualify for these posts.

The nominating committee has gotten more than 30 applications so far but more are needed by Dec. 7. Potential members from St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, St. John and St. Charles parishes are especially in demand.

You don't have to wait to be tapped. You can nominate yourself, and you should. The only way to be sure the nominating committee knows you're interested is to tell them so.

The Louisiana Secretary of State has an application form and information available on-line at http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/. The information is listed under Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority on the Web site.

If you don't have access to a computer, call the Secretary of State's office at (225) 922-1200.

This is a crucial time for South Louisiana, as it rebuilds and recovers from the devastation of Katrina and Rita. We need our brightest, most dedicated people to step up. Our communities must be much safer in the future than they were on Aug. 29, 2005.

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