Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Just when you thought it couldn't get much slimier

Bajoie earmarks fund niece's job at SUNO


Aside from Bajoie-Ford’s salary, SUNO has about $62,500 of documented expenditures for thee Economic and Urban Tourism program. Many of them, such as a membership in the Krewe of Oshun, stray from the program’s stated purpose of assisting small, minority-owned tourism businesses with advertising, marketing and development.
Also, thousands of dollars were spent on catered events and excursions such as a guided swamp tour.
Lucy got some 'splainin to do but Lucy ain't talkin'....or remeberin'
- Bajoie-Ford has not responded to several calls or email.
- University officials so far are unable to explain Bajoie-Ford’s payment schedule, and Diana Bajoie says she doesn’t recall the earmarks.
With a memory like that should she really be serving in City Council?  Is the mayor seriously going to keep defending this woman's "integrity"?  How much damage can she do between now and the next District B election?  
I think it's time for a resignation and an investigation.  I particularly want to know why there are so many derivations of "Twelve", "Twelfth", "12th" Ward Save Our Community.
Hat's off to City Business and Ben Myers.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dambala, it's time to sic 'em. Go after Half Moon and pin him down for a reason why he appointed Bajoie to the City Council. This sounds like another indictment opportunity for Jim Letten. Federal money has to be involved somewhere. Is there a course legislators take to figure these scams out?

Anonymous said...

These grants originated from federal dollars. Jim Letten's office has another couple of future indictments on his radar and these people will be indicted. Mitch Landrieu needs to call for Bajoie's resignation today not tomorrow but rather today. Then Mitch & Mary have some explaining to do before they get caught up in this con-profit scam as willing co-conspirators.

Keep up the great work New Orleans City Business. This type of journalism is what the City needs.

Anonymous said...

The amazing thing is this: Ray Nagin was accessible. Mitch is not. 3 or 4 years ago when the Anthony Jones Tulane degree issue was front and center I emailed Ray Nagin and LITERALLY got an email from Ray Nagin's Blackberry acknowledging my email and agreeing that if he made up his education there would be hell to pay. With Mitch I can't even send him a one-on-one about Bajoie and con-profits.

Jason Brad Berry said...

I can't see the co-conspirator angle. That would only be on Mary's side even if it materialized.

Mitch is simply guilty of bad judgement. I think it would be prudent for Mitch to conduct a serious ego check before he destroys himself (politically) but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Politics as usual just ain't gonna cut it in today's New Orleans and I'm not sure he got the memo.

Frolic said...

Re: "Mitch is simply guilty of bad judgement."

I assumed for a long time (but not as long as Clancy), that Nagin was simply crazy instead of corrupt. That was wrong. Who knows about Mitch?

Although I'd guess Mitch things he secure some votes via Bajoie, which matters to him more than the future of the city.

Anonymous said...

So if we use the map and follow the money we just might get these fuckers under the RECO act.
If you ear mark money for a non-profit and that non-profit gives you money back in the form of a campaign contributions I'd say thats money laundering, fraud, etc.etc.etc.

God Bless You
Keep up the good work
Thanks

Anonymous said...

Arghhhhhh New Orleans City Business exposes yet another Bajoie story today but this one requires a membership to City Business. This is one of those stories that shouldn't be subscription only because this one does a public service by letting the non-subscribing public read the story. Only criticism of the story but overall an excellent job by Ben Myers at NOCB.

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2012/07/05/bajoie-earmarks-pay-nieces-salary-carnival-krewe-membership/