EDITORIAL: Election recommendations

This newspaper makes the following recommendations for the Saturday ballot

JEFFERSON PARISH

KENNER

CITY COUNCIL, 1ST DISTRICT

Earl Smith

Mr. Smith, 63, is a retired insurance agent and adjuster who seems positioned to devote the time and attention needed to represent this district. He vows to focus on railroad safety in the short term and on drainage, sewerage and youth programs. The special election is being held to choose a successor to Marc Johnson, who resigned to become a judge on the Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal.

ST. BERNARD PARISH

LAKE BORGNE PROPOSITION

To renew a 4.27-mill tax for the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District

For

This is the renewal of a property tax that has been around since 1980 and has been renewed several times by voters. The Lake Borgne Basin Levee District is located entirely in St. Bernard Parish and oversees flood control efforts in the parish. The tax, which brings in around $1.2 million annually, is a large slice of the district's $3.39 million annual budget. The district has 27 employees -- down from 44 pre-Hurricane Katrina -- and has been operating at a deficit in recent years. The district's surplus, which is fast running out, has covered the budget. The renewal of this tax is essential to flood protection. Officials with the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which has oversight of the district, say they plan to put together a long-term plan to address expenses and revenues. But, they warn, the district's expenses will rise when the Corps of Engineers completes its overhaul of the flood control system in St. Bernard Parish. Bigger levees and larger floodgates will cost more to maintain and operate, and the corps doesn't give the district money for that. The renewal would be for 10 years.

ST. CHARLES PARISH

PROPOSITION 1...