2019 public referendum allows City Council to cut re-elected mayor’s pay

Could be used to force mayor into submission or block future opponent

Previous mayor sounded alarm, no one seemed to care

-Editorial-

Editor’s Note: A correction was made to this editorial on October 23rd. Mandeville Daily had incorrectly attributed authorship of Ordinance 19-33 to then-Councilman at Large Clay Madden. He supported the ordinance and voted in favor, but did not officially author it. Read the full correction here.

Those are strong words. Incendiary, some might say.

But it’s true. Read the City of Mandeville’s Home Rule Charter and pay careful attention to the changes made with a 2019 public referendum that was forced on voters by the previous City Council so that they could cut the pay of future mayors.

The charter, adopted in 1985, only allowed a council to increase a mayor’s pay, not cut it. That changed in 2019.

Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different story as to why the events in 2019 transpired. Some say the council was trying to punish then-mayor Donald Villere. Others will tell you they were trying to contain what they say was a runaway salary for the mayor of a town with a population of just over 12,000. Yet others suggest it had to do with jockeying for position in the upcoming election.

Whatever the real reason is, it happened. And now we’re stuck with it.

Changing the Charter: ’The road to hell is paved with good intentions’

After a months-long battle with then-mayor Donald Villere, the 2019 council finally conceded the Home Rule Charter prevented them from cutting a mayor’s pay, so they changed it… with the help of the voters.

It didn’t occur to anyone else at the time that maybe there was a good reason why the authors of the city charter didn’t give the legislative branch the ability to cut the pay of the executive branch’s current occupant.

It’s worth noting that then-councilman at large Clay Madden was in favor of just cutting the pay and benefits without a charter change. In fact, he and others on the council tried that first, before the 2019 referendum. He told the Times-Picayune in April 2019 that he believed it was permissible under the existing charter:

While the 2019 charter amendment allows the City Council to cut the mayor’s pay to whatever they want, it also says the “salary of the mayor shall not be reduced during the term for which the mayor is elected.”

Therein lies the rub.

There’s nothing preventing the City Council from drastically cutting the salary of a popular first-term mayor whom they don’t like, and having it take effect in his second term, assuming re-election. So in effect, the Mandeville City Council has the authority as of 2019 to cut the pay of the current, sitting mayor.

This change to the charter also sets up a situation where the middle-class could be eliminated entirely from ever running for mayor. Only the poor or the independently wealthy who no longer need to work could afford to run.

Imagine there was an independently wealthy, millionaire City Council member — Jane Doe — whom the other council members really liked and wanted her to run for mayor to replace the current, term-limited mayor.

Now let’s pretend there is a financially responsible, upper-middle class guy — John E. Appleseed — who has a family, a mortgage, car notes, and kids in private school, and he earns about $100,000 a year in his current job. He has great ideas for the city and wants to run for mayor, and his friends and colleagues are urging him to do so.

All the pro-Jane-Doe City Council would need to do is to set the mayor’s salary for the next term to some ridiculously low amount, like $50,000, and Mr. Appleseed wouldn’t be able to run.

This is a real problem we have here. The intention was to prevent someone from “getting rich” as mayor, yet it created a situation where potentially only non-working millionaires could ever become mayor.

Nuclear Option: ‘Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines’

We can call it the Mandeville City Council’s “nuclear option” to force a mayor into submission, or to prevent a possible rival from running in a future race.

Of course, Mandeville Daily is in no way suggesting there is actually a plan afoot to do this. We’re merely making the point that this City Council — and all future city councils — have the authority to do it, thanks to the Home Rule Charter change in 2019.

And we need to let go of this notion that we can’t undo anything the previous city council did, including this pay cut, as if it’s the Roe v. Wade of Mandeville politics.

And what’s more, there have been references made to “the will of the people” to reduce the mayor’s pay, referring to the 2019 public referendum.

The 2019 public referendum did not cut the mayor’s pay. Let’s get that straight once and for all. The referendum merely — by accident or by design — created this nuclear option the council now holds over the mayor.

Irony: ’It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife’

What makes this all the more interesting is the bitter layer of irony heaped on top.

Madden himself was a council member back in 2019 and supported the original ordinance which was to cut the next mayor’s salary in April of that year. Villere vetoed it, but the council came back and overrode the veto to which Villere sued the City Council for violating its own charter. This ultimately led to the public referendum, which changed the charter to authorize the council to reduce the chief executive’s pay.

Immediately after the referendum passed with 70% of the vote, the City Council adopted Ordinance 19-33 which cut the mayor’s salary from $114,475 to $94,500, and it excluded the mayor from having their state retirement contributions paid by the city like all other full-time employees.

Councilman Madden supported the pay cut, the change to the charter, as well as removing the retirement benefits.

Villere was outspoken on the matter, even though the pay cut would not have affected him because he was term-limited to leave office anyway. His remarks to The Times-Picayune in October 2019 confirm it.

Perspective: ‘Time will say nothing but I told you so’

Whether you agreed with Villere’s policies as mayor or not, think he did a good job or not, one thing is clear… He was right about this.

The public’s perception of Villere’s relationship with the City Council in 2019 was a real problem. Let’s face it. We don’t have the press coverage shining the light of day on local government we once did. There’s no more pesky beat reporter who covers everything at City Hall. Read “Mandeville Daily to cover City Council” to understand Mandeville Daily’s perspective on local news coverage in the modern era.

Even today, Nola.com — a.k.a. The Times-Picayune — provides spotty coverage of Mandeville government, usually only when something controversial or bad happens relevant to people outside of Mandeville.

The scuttlebutt in 2019 among friends and on social media was that Villere and the council were always fighting. Accurate or not, whether you blame Villere or blame the council, that was the perception that was floating around.

Because most people don’t bother attending City Council meetings or even watching them on Facebook, and there are no local beat reporters churning out multiple stories a week on every aspect of local government, the citizens only know what they hear from friends.

So to the casual observer, a fight over the mayor’s salary, where lawsuits were filed and lines drawn in the sand, naturally made Villere look like he was fighting to keep his salary from being cut.

He was not.

Mandeville v. Covington: ‘Separate but equal’

One of the arguments that then-councilwoman at large and eventual unsuccessful mayoral candidate Lauré Sica used to justify the pay cut was that it would put Mandeville in-line with Covington. The inference was this comparison was based on population — according to reporting by The Times-Picayune in April 2019 which attributed the remarks to Sica — and hence Mandeville’s mayor should be paid about the same as the Covington mayor which was $90,700.

The only problem was, the numbers didn’t add up. But again, no one except Villere seemed to notice.

Mandeville’s population was 12,475 in 2019 and Covington’s was 10,564, according to the United States Census Bureau. In who’s world is that “similar?”

According to a recently discovered, newfangled witch’s device called the calculator, that’s an 18% difference. Would you consider a 5-foot-tall person “similar” in height to a 6-foot-tall person? No woman on Tinder would, that’s for sure.

By this reasoning, the mayor of Mandeville’s salary should have been cut to about $107,000, not $94,500. It’s simple algebra.

And who determined that Covington should be the gold standard anyway? Suppose their mayor is underpaid? Suppose they’re overpaid? What does that have to do with Mandeville?

And should population really be the determiner for how much a mayor is compensated? Doesn’t a full-time mayor still work 40 hours a week whether he is the leader of 12,000 or 120,000?

Why shouldn’t we use the wealth of the city to determine the mayor’s pay? If you think of a city as a family, can’t rich families afford nicer stuff, like fancier cars, better clothes, better food, and, yes, bigger allowances for their children?

Doesn’t Mandeville have nicer streets, better parks, better everything? Why else do people come here from all over the region every Saturday and Sunday to enjoy the lakefront and shop and dine down here?

Why do people move here just to get into the famed “Mandeville school district?”

Who says we can’t pay our mayor, councilmen and employees more, and shower all Mandeville workers with nicer perks and benefits, like taxpayer-funded retirement contributions?

If you consider per capita income for Mandeville versus Covington in 2019, it’s night and day, with Mandeville at $45,465 and Covington at only at $32,455. Mandeville’s median owner-occupied housing value was $288,000 while Covington’s was only $232,900.

Looking at these numbers — if you still insist on using Covington as the benchmark — then the Mandeville chief executive should fall somewhere in the range of $104,000 to $127,000. Remember, Villere was at $114,475 before the charter change.

So the arguments used back in 2019 really didn’t hold water then and they don’t pan out today either. But the greater travesty of justice wasn’t the pay cut itself, it was the public referendum.

About-face: ’It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds’

We may have already witnessed the beginning of the end.

At the September 23rd City Council meeting, two council members were adamant they would not support Ordinance 21-39 which would have restored taxpayer funding of the mayor’s retirement contributions plus correct legal language in city code created by — you guessed it — Ordinance 19-33, the instrument that Madden and the 2019 City Council used to cut the mayor’s pay and strip away retirement benefits that Madden wants restored.

Councilman at Large Rick Danielson, with support from District II Councilman Skelly Kreller, attempted two unsuccessful amendments to 21-39 to prevent the mayor from returning to 100% funding on his retirement contributions. But then at the last minute and before a final vote on passage, they managed to sway District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire to help them get the vote deferred to a future meeting.

And who would benefit if this council restores the mayor’s state retirement contributions? None other than Clay Madden, the same City Council member who in 2019 voted to end those benefits.

Madden insisted at the last meeting that the 2019 City Council didn’t make a mistake with Ordinance 19-33.

He said the 2019 council was simply unaware that the mayor is legally considered a full-time employee, and required to participate in the retirement system. Ordinance 19-33 said the mayor “may participate” but if he or she does so, they would be responsible for paying their own contributions into the system, not the city.

Nowhere — at least for me — was it said that the former council made a mistake. That was never said. What happened was … there was a piece of information that was not known at the time of the vote. It was not known at the time by me, or any of the other former councilmen, that the mayor had to participate. That was information we got when I became mayor.

— Mayor Clay Madden, September 23, 2021

Madden apparently didn’t intend to contribute to the state retirement system if elected mayor, so once he took office and the state told him the contributions were required by law, this in effect became a pay cut.

Fair enough.

But as long as we’re being fair, let’s be honest too. Those on the 2019 City Council did most undeniably make a mistake, including Madden. Just because they were unaware of the law doesn’t let them off the hook. As the old saying goes, “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

Mandeville Daily holds the position that all full-time employees at the City of Mandeville should have the same benefits. This council should vote to restore this benefit out of fairness to the office of mayor.

Conclusion: ‘The chickens are coming home to roost’

The real problem remains the 2019 referendum and how it amended the charter.

The 2019 council and Madden were shortsighted, or hasty at the very least, in crafting the wording. It opened Pandora’s box, and now we’re faced with the very real possibility that a city council may cut the pay of a sitting mayor, even if it doesn’t take effect until his next term.

Madden could become a victim of his own actions from 2019.

Do you think they wouldn’t do it? Think again.

Madden’s been butting heads with the current council on a number of issues since he took office as mayor. Kreller and Danielson are both embroiled in the aforementioned retirement contribution battle with the mayor.

Danielson and others on the council were perturbed at an August meeting when it was revealed that Madden had given his executive assistant a $10,000 raise without telling the council.

Months before that, Madden had pushed contracts before the council after having sent notice-of-award letters to contractors to work on flood protection projects before a much-touted public flood summit had been scheduled, seemingly putting the proverbial cart before the horse. This drew harsh reactions from several on the council.

Barring some crazy, unforeseen revelation, none of these things were illegal or even unethical.

They may have been unpopular with the council, but for all we know, the voters may have liked them, or perhaps not. Maybe Madden will overwhelmingly be re-elected in three years, or maybe he’ll go down in flames. Who knows.

Madden’s had his share of successes. Even his critics gave him credit for his performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Morale is reportedly up at City Hall. His pick of Todd Schliem as the new police chief was roundly praised. He’s a great public face for the city and highly visible, which is part of the role of a mayor. Has he had missteps? Sure… or maybe. Again, it’s up to the voters to decide.

Consider what could happen next.

Let’s assume Ordinance 21-39 is adopted at the next council meeting, restoring the mayor’s 10% retirement contribution. What if in response Kreller or Danielson introduce an ordinance that would cut the mayor’s salary to $85,909 next term, which would be the equivalent of backing out the 10% retirement contribution so that the mayor still ends up with only $94,500 in total compensation? All they would need is three votes.

And then what would happen if Madden angers the council again, and they decide Mandeville is better off without him and pass an ordinance to cut his pay even more drastically, should he be re-elected?

It’s all hypothetical at the moment. But it’s a slippery slope.

The mayor should be held accountable for his policies and actions, but only at the ballot box, not through some unintended consequence of a badly worded charter amendment.

Any move to reduce the mayor’s pay at this point would seem petty and set a dangerous precedent, one that wouldn’t have been possible just two years ago.

Until this is fixed by another amendment to the charter, the office of mayor shall live under the threat of this nuclear option, reducing him or her to little more than a figurehead.

Mandeville Daily holds the position that the 2019 public referendum to allow the City Council to reduce a mayor’s pay was a mistake with many unintended consequences as detailed in this piece.

The change to the charter created by the referendum should be reversed, returning the section on the mayor’s compensation to its pre-2019 state. If reducing the chief executive’s pay should ever become such an emergency in the future, the City Council would still have the authority — as they always have — to ask the public to reduce the pay, each and every time they should ever want to do so.

But the City Council itself should not have the authority to do it directly. The 2019 charter change has created a powerful political gadget for seated council members to punish mayors or block competitors from running… it gave them a nuclear option.

It would appear the 2019 City Council’s chickens are coming home to roost.

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Email Mandeville Daily

Updated 10/2/2021 at 8:25AM: Expands on why change to charter was bad and other problems it creates. Adds Mandeville Daily’s position.

Updated 10/1/2021 at 7:30AM: Clarifies remarks on Madden’s performance as mayor and his connection to referendum.

Updated 10/1/2021 at 4:42AM: Removes “and benefits” from first paragraph. The City Council has always been able to adjust the benefits of a mayor. Adds quote from Madden. Adds more references to 2019 referendum.

References:

”Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines.”
—General “Buck” Turgidson, “Dr. Strangelove”

”Time will say nothing but I told you so,”
— W. H. Auden, “If I Could Tell You”

“It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife.”
— Alanis Morrissette, “Irony”

“It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds.”
— Doc Holliday, “Tombstone”

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Before and after pix of Mandeville’s Hurricane Ida recovery progress

Photographer Eric McVicker contributes

Updated September 27, 2021 at 5AM

Today (September 27th) marks 28 days later. It has been 28 days since Mandeville woke up to unprecedented damage from a hurricane named Ida.

Hurricane Ida plowed through Mandeville on the evening of August 29th, 2021, damaging homes, businesses and parks with 100-mile-an-hour-plus winds and a devastating storm surge estimated at 7.6 feet. It toppled trees and utility poles on nearly every block south of Florida Street, effectively cutting off Old Mandeville from the rest of the world.

AT&T cell service was down for over 24 hours in the heart of Mandeville and unreliable for another day after that. Locals were seeking out friends who had different mobile carriers to make calls or posts to social media to let loved ones know they were OK.

On the morning of August 30th, Mandevillians found themselves climbing over trees and ducking downed utility poles just to check on neighbors only a block or two away. The recovery had begun.

Some had trees in their homes. Others had vehicles or property damaged by the storm. Businesses were flooded that hadn’t taken on water since — well — Hurricane Katrina.

The breadth of damage was disheartening to say the least.

But amazingly, the recovery and cleanup seemed to move much faster than anticipated. Perhaps it was because of the many lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, which ironically struck 16 years earlier to the day.

Cleco seemed well prepared. A number of residents had their power restored within days and most homes in Mandeville had lights within a week. Also, internet services were more easily restored compared with Katrina, probably due to advances in technology in the last 16 years, but still, impressive overall.

Mayor Clay Madden provided constant updates via social media as soon as the city regained cellular service. Unfortunately, the City of Mandeville government relied solely on AT&T, which one can only hope that the city’s new disaster response and recovery contractor Richard C. Lambert Consultants has identified as a serious flaw.

Other than the complete communications blackout from the city during the first 24 hours, the mayor regularly posted the exact information he was receiving from utility companies, almost as he was receiving it himself. Madden and other officials seemed aggressive to get debris cleared so that people could get in and out of the area, and more importantly, so that utility crews could begin their work.

Grocery stores opened using generator power within a few days of the storm. After Katrina, that was not the case.

Mandeville bounced back from Ida, and fast.

To illustrate the progress the city has made, Mandeville Daily and local photographer Eric McVicker conducted a photo survey of the damage on August 30th compared to now — 28 days later:

Mandeville Beach facing east

The Mandeville Beach had almost all of its sand washed over and onto Lakeshore Drive to the north. It took more than a week to move the sand back to the beach after having been cleared to a staging area just outside the park. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Mandeville Beach facing northeast

Within days city crews and contractors were busy moving the sand to a staging area south of Lakeshore Drive to clear the roadway for cars. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Coffee Street near Jefferson Street facing north

Two ladies in wading gear making their way down Coffee Street toward Lake Pontchartrain. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Jackson Avenue at Tammany Trace facing north

Looking north down Jackson Avenue standing at the intersection of the Tammany Trace. City work crews can barely be seen here behind this tree as they clear a path through the numerous downed trees blocking one of Old Mandeville’s main access points. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Carroll Street near Lakeshore Drive facing north

Carroll Street near Lakeshore Drive facing north. The storm surge left its mark. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Madison Street facing south toward Bayou Castine

Madison Street between Jackson Avenue and Atalin Street facing south toward Bayou Castine. Even almost 24 hours after Ida passed through, the water had only receded several inches, and leaves, limbs and debris of all kinds created a ‘carpet’ that obscured the bayou completely. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Monroe Street at Antibes Street East facing east

Monroe Street at Antibes Street East facing east. Trees and utility poles crisscrossed Monroe Street at multiple points. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Monroe Street at Coffee Street facing west

Monroe Street at Coffee Street facing west. Trees and utility poles crisscrossed Monroe Street at multiple points. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Atalin Street at Livingston Street facing north

Atalin Street at Livingston Street facing north. Much of the Jackson Avenue corridor, including Atalin Street, was a tangled mess of trees and utility poles and their wires. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Carroll Street at Lakeshore Drive facing north

Carroll Street at Lakeshore Drive facing north. The storm surge bent signs over as it pushed inland. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Coffee Street near Jefferson Street facing south

Coffee Street near Jefferson Street facing south toward the lake. Water was still 2-3 feet high blocks inland almost 24 hours later. (Eric McVicker Photography)

Tammany Trace near Jackson Avenue facing west

Tammany Trace between Jackson Avenue and Atalin Street looking west. The Trace was barely visible at numerous points. (Mandeville Daily/William Kropog)

Editor’s Note: Mandeville Daily thanks photographer Eric McVicker for his contributions to this piece. His work greatly enhanced Mandeville Daily’s Hurricane Ida coverage.

Mayor remains in limbo on who should pay retirement contribution

Updated September 24, 2021, at 10:30AM: Clarifies that the 2019 public referendum did not cut the mayor’s salary, but only changed the City Charter to allow a city council to do so, which they immediately did.

Updated September 24, 2021, at 6:00AM and 9:30AM: Adds comments and context from council members. Clarifies that current code expires with current mayoral term.

MANDEVILLE — After almost an hour of debate, the City Council failed to take action on what seemed like a simple matter to correct wording in city code that would have put the mayor in the same category as all other full-time city employees where the taxpayers foot the bill for their contributions to the state retirement system.

After several failed motions to change the wording of the ordinance, the council could only agree to defer the matter.

According to state law, the office of mayor is a full-time employee and hence is required to participate in the Municipal Employee Retirement System (MERS). Some cities pay their employees’ contributions, other cities do not. Mandeville is a city that does.

But on November 21, 2019, the previous council voted to cut the mayor’s salary from $114,475 to $94,500, not including benefits.

This came on the heals of the passage of a November 16, 2019, public referendum to change the City Charter, allowing the city council to cut a mayor’s pay. Before the referendum, the council could only vote to raise the salary of a mayor.

The problem is, Ordinance 19-33 used flawed legal language, saying the “Mayor may participate” in MERS, which needs to be corrected to read the “Mayor shall participate,” putting it inline with state law.

Mayor Clay Madden served as a council member on that 2019 City Council. Madden went on record at this meeting (September 23, 2021) to say that the council did not make a mistake with the 2019 ordinance because they were unaware at the time that the mayor is legally considered a full-time employee. Former District II Councilman Michael Pulaski, who also served on the 2019 council, appeared at the meeting and echoed the mayor’s sentiment.

“I don’t think we made a mistake. We just were not informed. Maybe that’s a legal problem.” Pulaski said.

Yet the fact remains, Ordinance 19-33 does contain a technical mistake, which is the reason why a new ordinance was proposed in the first place.

The issue for some on the council was that Ordinance 21-39 specifies that the city — or taxpayers — would pay the mayor’s retirement contribution, just like it does for all other full-time employees.

Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman and Council Members Jill McGuire and Rebecca Bush where ready to put the matter to bed. Zuckerman said he felt the issue of the mayor’s compensation had been thoroughly debated at previous meetings and the council needed to move forward.

Zuckerman, who currently serves as the council chairman, said the council would need to revisit the issue later to craft language that would affect the next mayoral term because the current code only addresses the current mayoral term. Also, Zuckerman, McGuire and Bush had all previously said it would be unfair to single out one full-time employee by not paying their share into the system.

However, Councilman at Large Rick Danielson and District II Council Member Skelly Kreller were against adopting the ordinance as is.

Danielson offered two different motions on the evening.

The first proposed to phase in the taxpayer contribution one-third each year until the mayor is back to 100% taxpayer funded. Kreller was outright against the city paying any of the mayor’s retirement, but went along on this motion. The motion failed 2-3, with only Danielson and Kreller voting in favor.

In responding to a question from McGuire, Danielson said part of the reason he favored phasing in the MERS funding for the mayor was that doing so all at once was the equivalent of about a 10% pay raise for the mayor while other full-time employees were only receiving a 2.5% increase this year.

During budget workshops in recent months as well as the September 9th meeting, Kreller had a number of dustups with Madden over budget-related issues, including a $10,000 raise for Executive Assistant Trilby Lenfant.

Danielson’s second motion on the night would have changed the wording of Ordinance 21-39 to read “the Mayor shall pay the Mayor’s contribution,” not the city. That motion also failed 2-3 along the same lines.

Seeing the council was at an impasse, McGuire offered a motion to defer the matter to the October 14th meeting.

McGuire said, “This meeting has brought up several factors that have come into play. I thought this was just going to be a formality… We’ve hashed this out. We’ve discussed and discussed this… But we debated it from a budget perspective.”

Zuckerman disagreed with that assessment: “I know we debated the merits of it not just from a budget standpoint because I kept bringing up the issue of it not being fair to single out a full-time employee … from a benefits standpoint.”

The motion to defer carried 3-2, with McGuire, Danielson and Kreller in favor.

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Email Mandeville Daily at editor@mandevilledaily.news

City Council to vote to lift permit fees for Ida repairs

Ida damaged many more utility poles than Katrina: Entergy

Spectrum ‘quadrupled’ their local workforce: mayor

Curfew lifted by mayor

Sunset Point suffers heavy damage to pier (photos)

Lagging Jackson Avenue corridor restored Sunday night

Many Spectrum, AT&T internet customers up and running, some not so lucky

No boil-water advisory for Mandeville residents

editor@mandevilledaily.news

Updated September 9, 2021, at 8:22AM: Updates the Cleco outage mage updates in last hour.

Updated September 9, 2021, at 7:42AM: Provides latest update.

MANDEVILLE — Mayor Clay Madden is reporting that fewer than 10 homes inside Mandeville city limits are without power while the Cleco outage map — which has been reasonably accurate throughout the Hurricane Ida recovery effort — shows roughly that number still in the dark.

The news is good for Mandeville just 11 days after Category 4 Hurricane Ida decimated portions of the city, leaving all of its citizens in the dark with presumably millions of dollars worth of damage to the immediate area.

Also, the City Council will consider the adoption of emergency Ordinance No. 21-40 to waive all local permit fees associated with residential and commercial building permits associated with Hurricane Ida.

Spectrum and AT&T internet and TV services returned for most in Mandeville as electricity was restored. However, there were a number of pockets of homes who were still offline as of yesterday, although a number of those are now reporting their services have been restored.

Mandevillians were greeted to damage unlike what was witnessed even after Katrina plowed through the area 16 years earlier to the day. According to various reports, more trees were toppled during this storm because the ground was already saturated due to recent rains and flash floods. This made it easier for high winds to overturn trees at the roots, and those trees are what brought down power lines in many cases.

In Old Mandeville, trees or utility poles blocked nearly every street — some at every block — at one point. It took up to 24 hours for locals or first responders to clear access to the area.

A number of Old Mandeville businesses suffered flood damage this time. La Lou, Nuvolari’s, the Grapeful Ape, and others within three blocks of the lake took on water and are effecting repairs.

A number of homes in Mandeville suffered significant tree and other storm-related damage. No Ida-related deaths were reported in Mandeville.

According to a graphic released by Entergy, Hurricane Ida damaged over 30,000 utility poles while Katrina took down around 17,000.

It’s going to be a while before all of Mandeville’s attractions are restored to pre-Ida states.

Sunset Point Fishing Pier suffered heavy damage and Madden said it will be closed indefinitely. The Mandeville Beach at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Lakeshore Drive was left in disarray by Ida, having all of its sand washed up on or north of Lakeshore Drive. It is unclear when the attraction will return to normal.

The regularly scheduled City Council meeting is tonight (September 9th) at the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center at 6 p.m. The mayor and other officials are expected to provide updates on the Ida recovery effort.

Mayor Clay Madden’s updates from September 9th:

SPECTRUM UPDATE:

I just got off the phone with a northshore manager at Spectrum. He said they have been working closely with Cleco, and now have trucks out in Mandeville. They have quadrupled their local staff and brought in out of state help. If your internet or cable TV services are currently out, then the best thing you can do is make a service call by calling 1-833-267-6094. They are open 24 hours a day. Please call that number to report your outage. If you have BOTH your internet and cable TV through Spectrum, you only have to make one call to report both. Lastly, he said the more people who call from one area, the quicker the turnaround time, so get your neighbors to call! I will provide an update on this tomorrow. For now, please call in your outages to Spectrum. Thank you!

THURSDAY HURRICANE IDA UPDATE:

Subject: Permit Process for Public

All plumbing, electrical, mechanical and/or structure repairs are required to be permitted and inspected. All Contractors are required to be State Licensed and Registered with the City of Mandeville. If you are unsure if you need a permit, please call the Planning Department at 985-624-3103 or email permits@cityofmandeville.com.

When you submit for a permit, the Building Official will come to do an inspection to confirm the type of inspections needed. We are prioritizing processing permits associated with Ida recovery. The Permit fees are being waived for work performed due to Hurricane Ida.

Mayor Clay Madden’s update from September 8th:

I’m down to below 10 homes in Mandeville city limits without power. I drove to all on my list today and almost all had just gotten power or had linemen in front of their house. If you are still down, text me at 985-630-8578. Thank you!

Editor’s Note: When reporting on outages and restorations, Mandeville Daily often provided updates on areas immediately outside Mandeville city limits because some of those areas are pockets surrounded city limits and residents there often consider themselves “Mandeville” even though they are not officially residents, like Lewisburg and areas north of Florida Street. With that said, the above reference to exactly how many remain without power was strictly considering only those inside Mandeville city limits. Tips and story ideas: editor@mandevilledaily.news.

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Updated September 8, 2021, at 8:40AM: Provides latest update; Corrects Katrina anniversary reference;

MANDEVILLE — Perhaps as few as 100 households remain without power in the City of Mandeville today (September 8th) as locals continue to recover and rebuild in the wake of Category 4 Hurricane Ida, which devastated the city on the 16-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Cleco’s outage and storm center pages paint a much rosier picture for Mandeville than just 72 hours ago when large swaths of the city were in the dark one week after Ida made landfall, showing somewhere between 100-150 households without power. The estimated times to restoration (ETRs) for the remaining isolated trouble spots in Mandeville, including a significant patch at the far western edge of the city toward Madisonville, range from today through Saturday (September 11th).

While some residents reported their Spectrum and AT&T internet services were working when the power was restored, others say those services are still down.

The mayor announced yesterday he has lifted the city-wide curfew that had been in place since the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Mayor Clay Madden’s update from September 7th:

TUESDAY IDA MID DAY REPORT:

Curfew is lifted starting now! Curfew is over. There will be no curfew tonight. Mandeville Police will continue to be on double patrol and will focus on areas that are still dark.

Debris removal is beginning today. They are not leaving until everything is picked up. If your curb is already filled up, and you have more debris, say, in the backyard, that is okay. Bring your second round debris to the curb as soon as possible after your first round debris is picked up. They will keep making passes, but please don’t wait around-get your debris to the curb as soon as possible.

Hot meals continue to be served daily at First Baptist Church in Mandeville.

I am working hard on getting the last remaining areas still without power restored. I’ll do an update post later today on this. God Bless!

Updated September 7, 2021, at 8:30AM…

MANDEVILLE — Cleco now estimates power should be restored on or by Friday for the vast majority of the approximately 400 customers still without power in Mandeville, a far cry from just several days ago when most of the city was in the dark in the wake of Category 4 Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Sunday (August 29th) on the 16-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The Cleco outage and storm center pages show a September 10th estimated time to restoration (ETR) for most of those still without power in Mandeville.

The Jackson Avenue corridor, encompassing a significant portion of the eastern end of Old Mandeville, was reenergized Sunday night, after originally having ETRs ranging from September 8th to the 10th.

Cleco was, however, forced to cut power off twice for a few hours at a time in order to allow for excessively damaged blocks to be repaired with new equipment Monday (September 6th).

While some residents reported their Spectrum and AT&T internet services were working when the power was restored, others say those services are still down.

The popular Sunset Point Fishing Pier suffered heavy damage from Ida, according to local resident and photographer Eric McVicker who kayaked out to the attraction’s main pier for photographs. The park remains closed and will be temporarily used as a staging area for a city debris removal contractor, according to a statement by Mayor Clay Madden today. See photos below:

Garbage pickup is scheduled to resume tomorrow (September 8th) by Coastal Environmental, according to Madden. Recycling remains temporarily suspended, he added.

Mayor Clay Madden’s update from Cleco for today, September 7th:

TUESDAY MORNING QUICK IDA UPDATE:

I need to assess the areas around Mandeville still without power. I will do an update later today, however, I wanted to quickly update you on two items:

GARBAGE PICKUP: Regular garbage pickup will resume tomorrow morning (Wednesday) in Mandeville by our garbage provider, Coastal Environmental. Pickup is cart only. You can use your recycle cart for garbage and they will pickup up recyclables as garbage in tomorrow’s pickup. Recycling remains temporarily suspended. Moreover, they will NOT pickup up private round garbage cans tomorrow. They usually do, however, the mechanical truck they are using tomorrow cannot grab those-it can only grab the carts.

PARKS and DEBRIS: Neighborwoods and Paul Cordes Park (behind city hall) remain closed for clean up until further notice. SUNSET POINT remains closed until further notice and will be used as a STAGING AREA for our debris removal contractor. Debris removal begins TODAY and will continue until complete. Mandeville Police will be patrolling Sunset Point at all times. Any jokers who think it’s a good idea to sneak into Sunset Point will be arrested and heavily prosecuted. Sunset Point is an OFF LIMITS area until further notice.

Please call or text me with any questions (985-630-8578). I’ll do another power update later. God Bless!

Updated September 5, 2021, at 8:40PM: Adds power restored to Jackson Avenue strip.

MANDEVILLE — The Jackson Avenue corridor — one of last remaining major stretches of homes, spanning both south and north of Florida Street, that had been without power for a week since Hurricane Ida — finally became energized Sunday night (September 5th) after days of confusion and mixed signals over estimated times for restoration (ETRs).

The area had received an ETR of September 8th several days ago, but those who are following the progress of power restorations on Cleco’s website were disheartened this morning to see that the ETR had slipped to September 10th. But it changed yet again in the early afternoon, just before Mayor Clay Madden’s daily power update, to today’s date, September 5th.

Cleco delivered.

Officials have said since the early hours of the recovery effort that power restoration is a fluid situation that changes as more work is completed.

Customers also reported that both Spectrum and AT&T internet were already working when their lights came back on. This is a positive sign for those remaining in the dark as to when they’ll get their high-speed internet restored.

There are still significant pockets of homes without power in both Old Mandeville, Lewisburg and the far western edge of Mandeville city limits. Cleco’s posted ETRs range from September 7th to the 12th for those areas.

Updated September 5th at 3:25PM: Adds mayor and Cleco updates

MANDEVILLE — Power restoration estimates for sections of Old Mandeville still in the dark a week after Hurricane Ida struck received encouraging news today when Cleco updated its storm center and outage pages. Streets that only hours earlier had been estimated to receive power not before September 10th were given a new estimated time to restoration (ETR) of today (September 5th).

Cleco yesterday (September 4th) posted ETRs in Mandeville to show that certain key areas, such as the Jackson Avenue corridor, were set to get energized by last night, but that didn’t happen.

Then this morning, the Cleco outage map suddenly showed the same area with a September 10th ETR.

But with this afternoon’s update, the Jackson Avenue area — with a total of 365 affected households including streets north of Florida Street — should get energized tonight.

Mayor Clay Madden released a statement on social media confirming the Cleco update, saying the key streets “will receive restored power TODAY…”

Developing…

Mayor Clay Madden’s update from Cleco for Sunday, September 5th:

SUNDAY POWER UPDATE:

CLECO just sent out an update that the following Mandeville streets will receive restored power TODAY (Sunday, September 5)-

Mandeville

• Hickory Dr

• Bon Teps Roule

• Rebecca Ln

• Wilkinson St

• Aurora St

• Tanglewood (except Elmwood St)

• Golden Shores (Part)

• Avenue D

• Livingston St

• Avenue C

• Villere St

• Avenue B

• Montgomery

• Avenue A

• Lambert St

• Mariners Island

• Tops’l Condos

• Sandra Dl Mac Dr

• St Croix

• Cayman Ct

• St Jean Deluz Ave

• Mariners Blvd

• Antibes St

• Monroe St (Lambert St to Lafayette St)

• Wilkinson St (Villere St to Lakeshore Dr)

• Lakeshore Dr (West End to Carroll St)

• Massena (South of Monroe St)

• Hermitage on the lake

• Maple St

• America St (Coffee St to Gerard St)

• Carroll St (America St to McNamara St)

• Lafite St (Caroline St to America St)

• Adair St (Monroe St to Hwy 190)

• Reine St

• Albert St

• Prieto St

• Atalin St (Madison south)

• Woodlawn lane

Again, we are down to clusters of homes on

select streets that are still out. Please feel free to let me know and I’ll continue to contact CLECO.

A lot of folks have been asking me about Spectrum. If a tree knocked out your internet line, you will continue to have problems. Make an outage report to spectrum online using your phone if possible. However, in these situations it is common for Spectrum to hold off for a few days to allow for the electric companies to go first. However, I have seen some Spectrum trucks in some areas today.

God Bless!

Updated September 5, 2021, at 7AM: Adds lates info in a rolling update
Updated September 5, 2021, at 12:01PM: Adds no boil-water advisery

MANDEVILLE — After setbacks and letdowns, a significant number of blacked out areas of Mandeville were reenergized yesterday (September 4th), but a long list of other streets and strips that were estimated to have power by last night are still without, according to the latest information posted by Cleco and Mandeville Mayor Clay Madden.

In the last several days, Cleco created a special webpage where it provides a more detailed listing of estimated times to restoration (ETRs) down to the street level. Before Friday, those estimates were only delivered to public officials. Madden has posted those Cleco updates routinely since cell and internet services were restored to the City of Mandeville government and emergency response team after a 24-hour failure of the AT&T cellular network following landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Ida Sunday night.

According to the Cleco “Storm Center” webpage, the power company missed their ETRs for a long list of troublesome streets and strips in Mandeville, including the Jackson Avenue corridor and Monroe Street, targeted for yesterday (September 4th). Other areas including Marigny Trace, Colbert Street, Old Golden Shores and Brookside Drive could be four to 10 more days:

Cleco’s Estimates as of Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021

ETR, Sept. 4:

Dupard St (Coffee to Gerard St), Coffee St (Focher to Dupard), Focher St, Webster St, Lamarque St at Claiborne St, Claibirne St at Gerard St, Madison St at Gerard St, Monroe St at Gerard St, Claiborne St at Lafitte St, Colbert St (north of Hwy 190), Carmel Dr, Greenfielld Dr, Monterey Dr, Kingfisher Dr, Marigny Trace Subdivision, Jackson Ave (Lakeshore to Monroe), Atalin St (Madison to Montgomery), Albert St (Monroe to Villere St), Livingston (Jackson Ave to Colbert St), Bayou Dr, Ridgewood Loop (Part), Live Oak Dr (Part), Sandra Lee Dr (Part), Heavens Dr, Beau Chen, Penns Chapel Park, Lovers Ln (Brookside Dr North), Elmwood Pl, Park Dr (Brookside to Forest Dr), and Forest Dr (West part)

Marigny Trace, 2-4 days

Colbert St., 2-4 days

Old Golden Shores, 4 days

Brookside Dr., 8-10 days

These are the current outage maps as of publication time today at 7 a.m., Sunday, September 5th (outage.cleco.com).

Mandeville Daily will provide updates on this information throughout the day (September 5th).

Work is underway to restore the popular Mandeville Beach at the corner of Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Avenue to its pre-Ida state. Workers have moved all the sand that had been deposited onto and north of Lakeshore Drive to a staging area closer to the beach park.

This City of Mandeville has not issued a boil-water advisory related to Hurricane Ida. Those who pay their water bill to the City of Mandeville do not have to boil their water.

Numerous food, ice and water distribution points have been set up in and around Mandeville, including local churches such as Church of the King and First Baptist Church of Mandeville.

Here are Madden’s updates from Saturday, September 4th:

SATURDAY HURRICANE IDA UPDATE:

Okay folks, here’s the long awaited Saturday post. I was not able to talk to my two local CLECO contacts today as they are working hard in the trenches. However, I spoke to a gentleman at the CLECO main office in Alexandria who worked the Mandeville area during Katrina. I gave him all the questions I had about certain areas and he is going to contact all the substation managers and send me updates piecemeal. So I won’t do one big post later today. Rather, I’ll post as I get updates on certain areas.

First and foremost, the answer to the question “ALL MY NEIGHBORS GOT THEIR POWER BACK ON EXCEPT ME AND THE TWO OTHER HOUSES AROUND ME” needs to be given. Per the CLECO rep I spoke with, this is typically caused by a service wire or fuse going to your house, or a row of three houses, being damaged. What can you do? PLEASE REPORT THIS TO CLECO ASAP!!! HINT: doing this online, rather than calling 1-800-623-6537, may expedite the process. So I would report it online. He told me they want to get these situations addressed ASAP while they are in the area, so please report this to them online ASAP. I’ve gotten this question from Girod St to Claiborne St to Marigny Ave to Monroe St to Heavens Drive. Please report all of these to CLECO!

Based on both feedback from Mandeville city limits residents and the outage map, here are the areas I asked for reports on (in no particular order):

-Heavens Drive/Chateau Village/Cedarwood

-Kleber St/Park Ave/Carondelet St

-Marigny Ave/Carroll St/Coffee St/Girod St/Monroe St

-West Beach area

-The Shadows/Fontainebleau near service road entrance

-Tanglewood

-Hermitage

-Mariners Village

-Parts of New Golden Shores, Old Golden Shores and The Sanctuary

Several subdivisions and areas came on in Mandeville yesterday and last night which is great news. I’m not going to stop until every Mandeville resident is fully restored.

Old Mandeville residents-please know that your particular situation may be a little more difficult to ascertain because of the long roads, both north/south and east/west. Some streets will have power on at some, but not all, of their houses. I’ve asked about every request that has come to me and will do my best to get the information out there. I have no indication that entire Old Mandeville streets are still completely out. All of them have some houses with power.

Again, as I get the info from the CLECO contact, I will post it. Thank you for your ongoing patience.

…

Thanks to our state GOHSEP office and a company we contracted with out of Texas called FPS recovery, our lift stations that still don’t have power will all have generators or pump trucks and we will be able to maintain service completely. Big thanks to our Public Works Director Keith LaGrange for his leadership here.

…

QUICK POWER UPDATE:

CLECO is starting to flip switches and more homes are starting to come on in Mandeville right now as we speak. Here is a list CLECO just put out for those who should get power restored today:

Mandeville

• Dupard St (Coffee to Gerard St)

• Coffee St (Focher to Dupard)

• Focher St

• Webster St

• Lamarque St at Claiborne St

• Claibirne St at Gerard St

• Madison St at Gerard St

• Monroe St at Gerard St

• Claiborne St at Lafitte St

• Colbert St (north of Hwy 190)

• Carmel Dr, Greenfielld Dr

• Monterey Dr

• Kingfisher Dr

• Marigny Trace Subdivision

• Jackson Ave (Lakeshore to Monroe)

• Atalin St (Madison to Montgomery)

• Albert St (Monroe to Villere St)

• Livingston (Jackson Ave to Colbert St)

• Bayou Dr

• Ridgewood Loop (Part)

• Live Oak Dr (Part)

• Sandra Lee Dr (Part)

• Heavens Dr

• Beau Chen

• Penns Chapel Park

• Lovers Ln (Brookside Dr North)

• Elmwood Pl

• Park Dr (Brookside to Forest Dr)

• Forest Dr (West part)

I still hope to get reports on those areas I asked about earlier today. Thanks!

Updated September 2, 2021, at 2:22PM: Corrects mayor’s language to ‘highly likely’ on power restorations.

Updated September 2, 2021, at 1:30PM: Adds Thursday update from mayor
Updated September 2, 2021, at 10AM: Adds Spectrum restoration source.
Updated September 2, 2021, at 6:20AM: Adds Cleco power restoration statement.

MANDEVILLE — A number of neighborhoods and businesses will likely get electrical power tonight as Cleco is set to energize key substations, according to Mayor Clay Madden.

Madden, in his daily Ida recovery update, said he spoke to Cleco officials today and they tell him that Greenleaves, Golden Glen, Lakewood Heights, Mariner’s Village, New Golden Shores, the Causeway Blvd. system, some in Old Golden Shores, and the surrounding commercial areas from Rouse’s to Neighborhood Walmart are “highly likely” to be energized tonight. Also Mandeville City Hall and the Mandeville Police complex are expected to get power.

However, the call from Cleco brought bad news for other areas, as officials told the mayor areas near Jackson Avenue could be another four-to-five days, and Tanglewood another week.

The entire St. Tammany Parish electrical grid went down as Hurricane Ida plowed through the region on the Hurricane Katrina anniversary August 29th, and original estimates from various sources were that Mandeville could be without power and other services for two weeks or longer, which is apparently no longer the case.

The report on the Jackson Avenue area jives with what several locals with businesses in the area said they were told by power company workers who felt confident that power in Old Mandeville would be restored by Monday, Labor Day, which would be four days from now.

A Spectrum worker who preferred not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the company told Mandeville Daily that typically the Spectrum repair trucks roll right along with or directly behind Cleco trucks in a coordinated effort, so Spectrum service restoration often follows on the heals of Cleco.

However, this individual said that as of yesterday (September 1st) there was a problem with the main line that provides service from Slidell to the western half of St. Tammany Parish at present. Currently there are several dozen “faults” between Mandeville and Slidell that need to be diagnosed and repaired before western St. Tammany Parish — including Mandeville — has service.

This means Spectrum internet could lag several days behind Cleco’s restoration in this scenario — but not necessarily — according to the source.

Customers with AT&T fiber optic internet service are reporting that their internet connections returned with the electricity being restored or hooking up generators.

Madden announced yesterday (September 1st) that there “soon will be” two points of distribution in St. Tammany parish for MREs (U.S. military meals-ready-to-eat), water and possibly ice. Those locations are: First Baptist Church, 16333 Highway 1085, Covington, and Heritage Park, 1330 Bayou Lane, Slidell.

The mayor also said he is pushing to have a third location set up in Mandeville soon.

The recovery effort hasn’t been without trouble. A man was arrested yesterday for allegedly causing a fight at a Mandeville gas station. “This will not be tolerated and fighters will go to jail,” the mayor added.

The mayor also cautioned residents that because there are still many downed power lines throughout Old Mandeville they are not marking them all with cones or barricades.

Mandeville Police are actively enforcing a ban on sightseers along the Lakeshore Drive area, stopping cars or pedestrians to confirm they either live in the affected location or are actively assisting someone in recovery or repairs. Madden previously announced a zero-tolerance policy to deal with violators.

A citywide curfew remains in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Madden said.

The popular “Mandeville Beach” at the corner of Lakeshore Drive and Jackson Avenue appears to have suffered catastrophic damage. While structural damage to the playground facilities was minimal, most if not all of the sand from the beach was moved by the storm surge to the northern side of Lakeshore Drive.

To see more photos of Old Mandeville damage, check out the Mandeville Daily Facebook page.

Here is Mayor Clay Madden’s complete public statement for Thursday, September 2nd:

THURSDAY HURRICANE IDA UPDATES:

As I’m writing this, I just received a call from CLECO:

Two substations in Old Mandeville are likely to go HOT tonight-the Penn Street and the Lambert Street subs. It is highly likely that Mandeville City Hall, Mandeville Police Station, Greenleaves, Golden Glen, Lakewood Heights and the surrounding commercial areas from Rouse’s to Neighborhood Wal Mart will go hot tonight. This also includes Mariners Village, New Golden Shores, and the Causeway. Some in Old Golden Shores are on the Causeways system. Certain areas of Old Mandeville could come on tonight. Areas near Jackson Avenue could be another 4-5 days. Tanglewood is looking like another week. It is still a fluid situation.

Cleco could NOT give me an estimate on the Sanctuary substation. They hope to later today. This sub feeds most of the neighborhoods along the west approach such as Weldon Park, Woodstone, Fontainebleau, The Sanctuary, Beau Rivage and includes me in the back of Old Golden Shores along with Lewisburg. I will continue to connect with Cleco on this for the duration of the storm recovery.

Curfew is still in effect for night time, but the times have been adjusted to 10pm to 6am. MPD will continue to strictly enforce this.

The Point of Distribution (POD) for the west side of the parish is now open at First Baptist Church in Covington-16333 Highway 1085. They have MREs, water and ICE.

I am continuing to fight hard for a POD in Mandeville. In the meantime, the First Baptist Church in Mandeville, located at 1895 Highway 190, will have water all day and 1500 hot meals today from 4-6pm. I have put in an official WebEOC request for tarps and ice. The biggest requests I’m getting are for tarps and ice. Anyone who has these, I’m diverting to the First Baptist Church in Mandeville. I hope to have these items there sometime today. Stay tuned! Unfortunately, I as the Mayor have NO control over gasoline. Those are private businesses. However, I have made all elected officials above me aware that we have a gas shortage in Mandeville.

The majority of our roads are now passable. A big thanks to our Department of Public Works, Mandeville Police, and Fire District 4, for intense tree cutting the last few days, along with our debris contractor. There are a few exceptions-roads with trees or poles tangled in power lines. Do not go near, or drive under, any hanging trees or power posts that are tangled in power lines.

Debris pickup will begin on Tuesday, September 7. This includes green waste/trees, construction and demolition, and white goods (appliances). Please separate these piles as best you can to speed up the process. Anyone who did not get their trash cart picked up on Wednesday, please have it by the curb on Saturday morning for pickup. NOTHING BAGGED will be picked up by either our debris contractor or garbage provider. This is because they cannot see what is in it. Bagged garbage will NOT be picked up.

Our Emergency Response and Recovery consultants have been assessing city assets. We’ve made the determination that the following public parks are CLOSED until further notice-Paul Cordes Park behind City Hall and Neighborwoods. The Tammany Trace is closed. Additionally, the walking bridge near Jackson Ave. on Lakeshore Drive sustained damage and is barricaded.

TREES-if you have a leaning tree on private property and you fear it will fall on your property, it is your responsibility to remove it. The city cannot go on private property. If you fear a leaning tree may fall on a city right of way or utility line, call our planning department at 985-624-3103 or email at planning@mandevillela.net. However, our debris monitoring contractor will be assessing all leaning trees on city right of ways.

Please stay tuned for further updates. My cell is 985-630-8578. Thank you!

This is a developing story. We will continue to provide updates on the Hurricane Ida recovery efforts here.

-30-

Makes it more difficult to conduct business while skirting state licensing rules

Dovetails with resolution to work with law enforcement to crack down

MANDEVILLE — The City Council tonight voted unanimously to make it more difficult for illicit ‘massage parlors’ to operate in the City of Mandeville.

Ordinance No. 21-26 empowers the city to revoke the licenses of businesses — including massage parlors — that are believed to be in violation of city, state or federal law. The ordinance was preceded by the adoption of Resolution No. 21-38 at the August 12th meeting which pledges city support to work with law enforcement agencies to crack down on these establishments.

Introduced by District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush, the ordinance alters the Mandeville City Code of Ordinances Section 14-10, which is used to regulate the issuance and renewal of annual licenses to conduct business.

Previously, the city could only deny the application for a license or refuse to renew one if the city has “reasonable grounds to believe” the applicant or business is in violation of a law. With just seven words, revocation action has been added to the teeth of the law.

The change was prompted by a recent controversy surrounding two now-closed massage parlors that were operating inside Mandeville city limits, when an undercover sting operation by law enforcement netted an arrest at one of those establishments.

Michele Avery, president of Beau West Homeowner Association, told the council, “I think this is a great move… I’m very thankful to you for working with me to put this ordinance together.”

Bush thanked Councilmen at Large Rick Danielson and Jason Zuckerman for their help in bringing the ordinance related resolution to fruition.“

“I think it’s a good step forward, and a good effort on behalf of many people,” she added.

-30-

Proposal would allow city to yank license of any business found to be in violation of law

Updated August 26, 2021, at 6:27AM: Changes “found” to “believed” in lead for clarity.

MANDEVILLE — The City Council will vote tonight (August 26th) to empower the city to revoke the licenses of businesses — including massage parlors — that are believed to be in violation of city, state or federal law.

Ordinance No. 21-26, introduced by District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush, would alter the Mandeville City Code of Ordinances Section 14-10, which is used to regulate the issuance and renewal of annual licenses to conduct business.

Currently, the city can only deny the application for a license or refuse to renew one if the city has “reasonable grounds to believe” the applicant or business is in violation of a law. With just seven words, revocation action will be added to the teeth of the law.

The proposed change was prompted by a recent controversy surrounding two now-closed massage parlors that were operating inside Mandeville city limits, when an undercover sting operation by law enforcement netted an arrest at one of those establishments.

A 52-year-old employee was booked on one count of prostitution by massage along with license violations. She was later released on $1,000 bond. The “OBH Massage Therapy” — the establishment where she worked — later closed when it was evicted by its landlord, but concerned citizens were frustrated that the arrest itself did nothing to close the business. The city was powerless to act.

But that would change if the City Council adopts the measure Thursday, in effect rewriting Section 14-10 to read as follows, adding the bolded text:

The tax collector of the City of Mandeville or his duly authorized assistants may refuse to issue or renew a license or revoke a license whenever the tax collector or authorized assistant has reasonable grounds to believe that the applicant for the license or the license holder is conducting the trade, business, profession, vocation or calling for which the license is sought in violation of any law of the United States of America or the State of Louisiana or in violation of any ordinances or regulations of the City of Mandeville.

Michele Avery, president of Beau West Homeowner Association, told Mandeville Daily “this is a good first step” because neither of the two massage parlors in question were properly licensed with the Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy.

Avery had been pushing for months to get law enforcement agencies to investigate the establishments in question — ones that she and other activists allege were “operating outside of the law and in plain sight.”

Avery added, “This ordinance would give the City the ability to revoke their occupational license if they are not properly licensed… However, keeping this form of sex trafficking out of Mandeville will require a partnership of active citizens, law enforcement, code enforcement and landlords that are not willing to lease to these types of establishments.”

The City Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 26th, at 6 p.m. at the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center in Mandeville.

-30-

Contentious debate among council, mayor, officials raises more questions

Mayor gave executive assistant $10K raise in June

Council says they should have been advised

MANDEVILLE — Over an hour of often-heated debate at tonight’s City Council meeting (August 12th) ended with a 4-1 vote to ask the state Attorney General for an opinion on whether a $10,000 raise Mayor Clay Madden recently awarded his executive assistant Trilby Lenfant is allowed under the city’s budget rules. The raise brings Lenfant to almost $82,000 annually. Only District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush voted against.

At the heart of the matter is that Madden gave Lenfant the raise without first consulting the council, just months after the mayor’s proposal to move Lenfant into a proposed “Director of Administration” post with a $90,000 salary was rejected by the council.

Bush, Finance Director Kathleen Sides and City Attorney Elizabeth Sconzert debated budgeting and finance technicalities and legalese with the other members of the council, particularly Councilman at Large Rick Danielson, District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire and District II Councilman Skelly Kreller, who all expressed frustration with how Lenfant’s raise was awarded.

Individual council members have weekly breakfasts with the mayor — in groups of two so that the Open Meetings Law isn’t violated by forming a quorum — and Danielson, McGuire and Kreller said they were not told in advance about the raise.

Danielson said they only heard a rumor that the raise had been given after the fact. McGuire said she is frustrated that the City Council had to file a formal public records request just to receive details about the raise.

Resolution No. 21-33, introduced by Kreller, requests an opinion from the State Attorney General’s office on whether the raise broke City of Mandeville budget rules.

According to members of the council, any line item change of greater than 5% is supposed to go through a budget adjustment process, which would require council approval. However, in this particular situation the question being asked is, what constitutes an actual line item. Both Sides and Sconzert disputed whether the 5% rule applies to individual raises.

The budget for fiscal year 2020-21 — as adopted by the City Council under Ordinance 20-13 on Sept. 10, 2020 — is comprised of various exhibits, labeled B, C and D.

Exhibit B is titled “Job Class Detail” which lists the pay levels for each of the city’s job classifications under both General Government (10100) and Police Department (10110). The “Executive Secretary” (Trilby Lenfant) is listed as $71,782,65. The total for the General Government category in the exhibit is reported as $1,294,648.98.

But Exhibit D, which contains the so-called line items one typically associates with a budget has an entry for “General Government – Salaries” with a requested budget of $1,318,049 for 2021.

This makes Exhibit B more like a detail record of the “Salaries” line item in Exhibit D. Apparently the Attorney General is being asked for an opinion on which one constitutes the actual line item and hence is subject to the 5% rule, if it is applicable.

Developing…

-30-

Durio’s partial term to expire in 2025

Quillin to serve full 7-year term, expiring in 2028

MANDEVILLE — The City Council tonight appointed Claire Durio and Scott Quillin to fill two vacancies on the Mandeville Planning & Zoning Commission.

Durio, appointed with a 5-0 vote, will complete Jeff Lahasky’s unfinished term which expires at the end of August 2025. Lahasky moved outside city limits, requiring him to resign. Scott Quillin, appointed on a 4-1 vote, will serve a full seven-year term, replacing outgoing commission member Ren Clark. District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush voted against Quillin.

Durio is a licensed attorney in the State of Louisiana and a state-licensed title agent with experience in land use, development, permitting, historic preservation. She is listed as a general partner in her current firm.

Quillin is an engineer, licensed commercial contractor, and project manager at a local company managing large construction projects in the energy industry. He is currently listed as project manager with a local engineering consultant firm. Served on the Planning & Zoning Commission one term from 2009-2016.

The City Council updated its selection procedures in 2020 with the adoption of Resolution No. 20-17, which established a six-step process for making appointments to municipal or district boards and commissions, including the Planning & Zoning Commission. The procedure as adopted includes: 1) Announce at a council meeting the request for resumes; 2) Post the request for resumes on the city’s website and City Hall front door; 3) Publish the request for resumes in the city’s official journal of record (The St. Tammany Farmer); 4) Allow 14 days to receive resumes; 5) Review of the resumes by two members of the City Council (allow interviews by all council members) and then make a recommendation on one applicant (per vacancy); 6) Vote by the City Council to appoint “the candidate who received the recommendation.”

In filling these vacancies, Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman and Bush handled the recommendation to fill Lahasky’s seat, while Councilman at Large Rick Danielson and District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire handled the seat vacated by Clark.

Bush, who had previously stated that she would like a District I resident appointed to a vacancy, said she and Zuckerman could not agree on her first two recommendations — Cynthia Thompson and Michael Gagliardi — but that they were able to agree on Durio. Zuckerman has maintained that he would only support the most qualified applicant regardless of their district of residence.

Danielson and McGuire recommended Quillin, but Bush took exception, saying, “I cannot support the appointment of a commissioner who has already served, and that’s just my position.”

District II Councilman Skelly Kreller said he disagreed with Bush on the matter. “I have to look at the best… and he definitely comes to the top. I’m not sure where you’re coming from with your comments.”

Each Planning & Zoning Commission member serves seven-year terms, which are staggered by one year and expire August 31 of the expiration year. Durio and Quillin will join five other Planning & Zoning Commission members: Planning Chairwoman Karen Gautreaux (2027), Zoning Chairman Nixon Adams (2023), Simmie Fairley (2022), Mike Pierce (2024), and Brian Rhinehart (2026).

According to the original agenda, the council could only have voted to fill the unfinished term vacated by Lahasky. The updated agenda means the council could fill both vacancies at tonight’s meeting, which they did.

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RELATED STORY: Council could fill both P&Z vacancies tonight, not just one

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A vote to fill one of the vacancies was delayed at the July 22nd council meeting. A question was raised during that meeting over the availability of the list of applicants for public inspection as required by state law.

The Planning and Zoning Commission appointment provisions are outlined under the Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO) Sec. 2.1.2: “All successive appointments to the Planning Commission (includes Zoning Commission) shall be appointed by a majority vote of the City Council. No person shall be appointed to the Planning Commission until a public hearing before the City Council attended by the nominee has been held.”

The point raised was, can the city hold a “public hearing” on an individual without publishing the name of that individual or individuals in advance. The Louisiana Open Meetings Law (R.S. 42:11 – R.S. 42:28) only states that meeting agenda items must be “described with reasonable specificity.”

Mandeville Daily filed a public records request with the city and received the redacted list of applicants in a timely manner.

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Original agenda advertised filling 4-year unfinished term

Updated agenda opens door to filling either or both posts

Panel from council to recommend name(s) for vote

Updated August 12, 2021, at 8:30AM: Adds reference to council procedure on selection process adopted in 2020.

Updated August 12, 2021, at 10:26AM: Clarifies council procedure and process.

MANDEVILLE — The City Council could vote to fill both vacancies on the Planning & Zoning Commission at tonight’s meeting instead of just one, according to an updated meeting agenda released yesterday.

A vote to fill one of the vacancies was delayed at the July 22nd council meeting. A question was raised during that meeting over the availability of the list of applicants for public inspection as required by state law.

The Planning and Zoning Commission appointment provisions are outlined under the Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO) Sec. 2.1.2: “All successive appointments to the Planning Commission (includes Zoning Commission) shall be appointed by a majority vote of the City Council. No person shall be appointed to the Planning Commission until a public hearing before the City Council attended by the nominee has been held.”

The point raised was, can the city hold a “public hearing” on an individual without publishing the name of that individual or individuals in advance. The Louisiana Open Meetings Law (R.S. 42:11 – R.S. 42:28) only states that meeting agenda items must be “described with reasonable specificity.”

The original agenda stated “Appointment of Commissioner to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a 4-year term.” The updated agenda, released yesterday (August 11th) at approximately 5:30 p.m., changed this item to read: “Appointment of Commissioner(s) to the Planning & Zoning Commission,” which opens the door to filling either or both vacancies.

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RELATED STORY: Field of 9 applicants vie for 2 P&Z vacancies

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This verbiage is the same that was used in previous years when P&Z appointments came before the council, but in those instances the complete resumes had been made available, a practice that had drawn criticism because it went beyond the scope of what the law requires, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The Louisiana Public Records Law (R.S. 44:1 – R.S. 44:41) says only the names of the people who apply for such positions “with policymaking duties” along with “related qualifications, relevant employment history or experience” are public record, not necessarily their complete resumes.

Mandeville Daily filed a public records request with the city and received the redacted information in a timely manner.

The City Council updated its selection procedures in 2020 with the adoption of Resolution No. 20-17, which established a six-step process for making appointments to municipal or district boards and commissions, including the Planning & Zoning Commission. The procedure as adopted includes: 1) Announce at a council meeting the request for resumes; 2) Post the request for resumes on the city’s website and City Hall front door; 3) Publish the request for resumes in the city’s official journal of record (The St. Tammany Farmer); 4) Allow 14 days to receive resumes; 5) Review of the resumes by two members of the City Council (allow interviews by all council members) and then make a recommendation on one applicant (per vacancy); 6) Vote by the City Council to appoint “the candidate who received the recommendation.”

According to this procedure, the name of the person being recommended is known to at least two, if not all, of the council members at this point, and a public hearing will be held tonight on that recommendation before a vote. Presumably, the council could be voting on any of the nine applicants, whose names were released after a formal public records request was made to the city in late July.

Each Planning & Zoning Commission member serves seven-year terms, which are staggered by one year and expire August 31 of the expiration year. The applicant selected to fill Lahasky’s vacated seat will only serve to complete the remainder of his term which expires in 2025. The other applicant will start a new seven-year term, expiring in 2028. The applicants appointed to these two vacancies will join five other Planning & Zoning Commission members: Planning Chairwoman Karen Gautreaux (2027), Zoning Chairman Nixon Adams (2023), Simmie Fairley (2022), Mike Pierce (2024), and Brian Rhinehart (2026).

According to the original agenda, the council could only have voted to fill the unfinished term vacated by Lahasky. The updated agenda means the council could fill either vacancy or even both.

As of press time, the list — redacted or otherwise — was not available for download on the city’s website.

The City Council will have a field of nine applicants to consider when filling the vacant Planning & Zoning Commission seats at the tonight’s council meeting (August 12, 2021).

Five men and four women, representing each of the three city districts, have submitted their resumes for consideration to fill the slots being vacated by Ren Clark and Jeffrey Lahasky. Clark’s term expires in August and Lahasky moved outside city limits.

Here is a summary of the nine applicants, with their redacted resumes and cover letters available at the end of the story.

Michael R. Gagliardi, 73, District I

His resume says he has business management experience with a degree in economics and business marketing with food service management training. He is currently listed as the general manager of a local hardware store. His is listed as having a B.A. in economics and business marketing.

Christian H. Jones, 40, District I

His resume says he is an architectural designer and general contractor with over 20 years of experience, who owns his own design and construction firm. He is listed as having a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Urban Design.

Scott Kevin Quillin, 55, District I

His resume says he is an engineer, licensed commercial contractor, and project manager at a local company managing large construction projects in the energy industry. He is currently listed as project manager with a local engineering consultant firm. Served on the Planning & Zoning Commission one term from 2009-2016.

Cynthia Strong Thompson, 55, District I

Her resume says she is a financial advisor (member FINRA/SIPC, CRPC, and AAMS) and former surgical sales specialist who has been active with the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and has served as board chair with several non-profits. She is listed as the managing director of her current firm. She is listed as having a B.A. in political science.

Elizabeth Barilleaux, 50, District II

Her resume says she is a licensed residential realtor and CCCIM candidate with B.S. in environmental engineering. She is currently employed with a local realty group.

Shawn C. Potter, 42, District II

His resume says he is an institutional research director with MBA and over twenty years experience with higher education institutions. He is currently listed as Director of Institutional Research with Tulane University.

M. Claire Durio, 54, District III

Her resume says she is a licensed attorney in the State of Louisiana and a state-licensed title agent with experience in land use, development, permitting, historic preservation. She is listed as a general partner in her current firm.

Andrea J. Fulton, 61, District III

Her resume says she has extensive experience in city government, community service, the public sector and non-profit and business settings, most notably with the City of New York, with a B.S. in HDSP/Human Resources and Industrial Psychology & Industrial Engineering.

Jeffrey R. Lyons Sr., 63, District III

His resume says he is a restaurant management and operations specialist with over 30 years experience with an emphasis on professional development. He is currently listed as the general manager of a New Orleans seafood restaurant. He is listed as having an associates degree in culinary arts and food service management. Lyons ran unsuccessfully for the District III council seat in 2016, being eliminated in a close primary.

Download the applicants’ redacted resumes and cover letters here.

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Mayor gave executive assistant $10K raise in June

MANDEVILLE — The City Council will vote Thursday to ask the state Attorney General for an opinion on whether a $10,000 raise Mayor Clay Madden recently awarded his executive assistant Trilby Lenfant is allowed under the city’s budget rules. The raise brings Lenfant to almost $82,000 annually.

Resolution No. 21-33, introduced by District II Councilman Skelly Kreller, would request an opinion from the State Attorney General’s office on whether the raise broke City of Mandeville budget rules.

Any line item change of greater than 5% is supposed to go through a budget adjustment process, which requires council approval. However, in this particular situation the question being asked is, what constitutes an actual line item.

The budget for fiscal year 2020-21 — as adopted by the City Council under Ordinance 20-13 on Sept. 10, 2020 — is comprised of various exhibits, labeled B, C and D.

Exhibit B is titled “Job Class Detail” which lists the pay levels for each of the city’s job classifications under both General Government (10100) and Police Department (10110). The “Executive Secretary” (Trilby Lenfant) is listed as $71,782,65. The total for the General Government category in the exhibit is reported as $1,294,648.98.

But Exhibit D, which contains the so-called line items one typically associates with a budget has an entry for “General Government – Salaries” with a requested budget of $1,318,049 for 2021.

This makes Exhibit B a detail record of the “Salaries” line item in Exhibit D. Apparently the Attorney General is being asked for an opinion on which one constitutes the actual line item and hence is subject to the 5% rule.

While a $10,000 raise for Lenfant is just shy of a 14% increase on its own, when taken in context with the requested salaries for 2021 in the amount of $1,318,049 in the Exhibit D line item, the bump would barely register. The mayor has stated there are unfilled positions at City Hall and some newer hires are making less than their predecessors did, accounting for a small surplus in the line item.

The City Council voted down Madden’s staff restructuring proposal in April, killing the idea of a director of administration post, which was to have been filled by Lenfant with a $90,000 salary.

The next City Council meeting is Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 6 p.m. at the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center.

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Inventory of fleet and other equipment top priority for mayor

Updated August 5, 2021: Corrects date of last City Council meeting to July 22nd.

MANDEVILLE — Incoming Police Chief Todd Schliem will start work on Monday, August 9th, Mayor Clay Madden announced during a budget work session tonight (August 4, 2021).

Madden said the first item of business Schliem will tackle is an inventory and asset assessment of the department, which he expects to be completed within 60 days.

Part of the budget discussions tonight between the council and the mayor involved upgrading the police department’s fleet of vehicles and other equipment such as laptop computers.

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RELATED STORY: Todd Schliem confirmed as new police chief

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The City Council voted 4-0 to confirm Schliem, a former FBI Special Agent, at its July 22nd meeting. The council widely praised the choice of Schliem and Mayor Clay Madden’s selection process.

“Your record is obviously impeccable… congratulations on an incredible career… we appreciate your desire to serve this community in an even greater role,” Councilman at Large Rick Danielson said.

I love Mandeville… My kids grew up here… I’m inheriting a great department, otherwise I wouldn’t even have considered it.

— Mandeville Police Chief Designate Todd Schliem

Schliem, 55, a native of Wisconsin, has 22 years of experience as a special agent with the FBI. He was selected by Mayor Clay Madden from among a field of seven interviewees.

Madden said in a press release he made his decision to appoint Schliem after an open search, a series of multiple interviews, and discussions with veteran law enforcement officials in the area.

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Applicants’ info released by city

All 3 districts represented

5 men and 4 women comprise slate

Updated July 29, 2021, at 5:25AM — Adds reference to CLURO for clarity relating to selection process and length of terms.

MANDEVILLE — The City Council will have a field of nine applicants to consider when filling two vacant Planning & Zoning Commission seats at the August 12, 2021, council meeting.

Five men and four women, representing each of the three city districts, have submitted their resumes for consideration to fill the slots being vacated by Ren Clark and Jeffrey Lahasky. Clark’s term expires in August and Lahasky moved outside city limits.

A vote to fill one of the vacancies was delayed on July 22nd, with the stated reason being to allow District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire, who missed that meeting due to a medical procedure, to be on-hand for the appointment. Now, both vacancies will be considered at the August 12th meeting.

A question was raised during the July 22nd meeting over the availability of the list of applicants for public inspection (required by state law) and that they were not available before a vote would have taken place.

The Planning and Zoning Commission appointment provisions are outlined under the Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO) Sec. 2.1.2: “All successive appointments to the Planning Commission (includes Zoning Commission) shall be appointed by a majority vote of the City Council. No person shall be appointed to the Planning Commission until a public hearing before the City Council attended by the nominee has been held.”

City Attorney Elizabeth Sconzert said at the meeting that members of the public would need to file a public records request to receive the list because the resumes needed to go through the city’s legal department to allow information not required by law to be released to be redacted.

Mandeville Daily filed a public records request with the city and received the redacted information.

Here is a summary of the nine applicants, with their redacted resumes and cover letters available at the end of the story.

Michael R. Gagliardi, 73, District I

His resume says he has business management experience with a degree in economics and business marketing with food service management training. He is currently listed as the general manager of a local hardware store. His is listed as having a B.A. in economics and business marketing.

Christian H. Jones, 40, District I

His resume says he is an architectural designer and general contractor with over 20 years of experience, who owns his own design and construction firm. He is listed as having a Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Urban Design.

Scott Kevin Quillin, 55, District I

His resume says he is an engineer, licensed commercial contractor, and project manager at a local company managing large construction projects in the energy industry. He is currently listed as project manager with a local engineering consultant firm. Served on the Planning & Zoning Commission one term from 2009-2016.

Cynthia Strong Thompson, 55, District I

Her resume says she is a financial advisor (member FINRA/SIPC, CRPC, and AAMS) and former surgical sales specialist who has been active with the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce and has served as board chair with several non-profits. She is listed as the managing director of her current firm. She is listed as having a B.A. in political science.

Elizabeth Barilleaux, 50, District II

Her resume says she is a licensed residential realtor and CCCIM candidate with B.S. in environmental engineering. She is currently employed with a local realty group.

Shawn C. Potter, 42, District II

His resume says he is an institutional research director with MBA and over twenty years experience with higher education institutions. He is currently listed as Director of Institutional Research with Tulane University.

M. Claire Durio, 54, District III

Her resume says she is a licensed attorney in the State of Louisiana and a state-licensed title agent with experience in land use, development, permitting, historic preservation. She is listed as a general partner in her current firm.

Andrea J. Fulton, 61, District III

Her resume says she has extensive experience in city government, community service, the public sector and non-profit and business settings, most notably with the City of New York, with a B.S. in HDSP/Human Resources and Industrial Psychology & Industrial Engineering.

Jeffrey R. Lyons Sr., 63, District III

His resume says he is a restaurant management and operations specialist with over 30 years experience with an emphasis on professional development. He is currently listed as the general manager of a New Orleans seafood restaurant. He is listed as having an associates degree in culinary arts and food service management. Lyons ran unsuccessfully for the District III council seat in 2016, being eliminated in a close primary.

Each Planning & Zoning Commission member serves seven-year terms, which are staggered by one year and expire August 31 of the expiration year. The applicant selected to fill Lahaskey’s vacated seat will only serve to complete the remainder of his term which expires in 2025. The other applicant will start a new seven-year term, expiring in 2028. The applicants appointed to these two vacancies will join five other Planning & Zoning Commission members: Planning Chairwoman Karen Gautreaux (2027), Zoning Chairman Nixon Adams (2023), Simmie Fairley (2022), Mike Pierce (2024), and Brian Rhinehart (2026).

Editor’s Note: Mandeville Daily decided that the only fair thing to do was to make available the legally redacted resumes and cover letters (as opposed to only the Mandeville Daily summaries above) with this story. In previous years, the complete resumes plus other information were available to download at the city’s website. We are also aware that hours before this story was published, the applicants’ names and complete addresses were posted to social media. As a matter of policy, Mandeville Daily does not publish nor share the home addresses or phone numbers of private citizens outside of what is explicitly allowed as “public record” by law. However, in this internet-driven age, such information can be found with relative ease by the public. Mandeville Daily intentionally only posted the council districts in which each applicant resides, and only because members of the City Council had made comments at the July 22nd meeting pertaining to whether the districts should play into consideration or not.

Download the applicants’ redacted resumes and cover letters here.

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MANDEVILLE — Here is summary action taken for each agenda item for the July 22, 2021, City Council meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Adoption of ORDINANCE No. 21-21; an Ordinance for the city council of the City of Mandeville to amend Ordinance number 20-13, the operating budget of the City of Mandeville and for other matters in connection therewith (Budget adjustment for the Lang House for $30K) (Councilwoman McGuire, District III)

Adopted, 4-0.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Appointment of Commissioner to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a four-year term. (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

Deferred. District II Councilman Skelly Kreller offered motion to defer. Motion carried, 4-0.

See related story: Vote to fill P&Z vacancy postponed

2. Adoption of Resolution No. 21-31; a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mandeville appointing a council chairman for the Mandeville City Council for the term of August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022; and providing for other matters in connection therewith (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

Adopted, 4-0.

See related story: Todd Schliem confirmed as new police chief

3. Adoption of Resolution No. 21-32: a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mandeville confirming the mayor’s appointment for the chief of police position and providing for other matters in connection therewith (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

Adopted, 4-0.

See related story: Todd Schliem confirmed as new police chief

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for August 12, 2021, at 6 p.m.

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Council to fill two vacancies at Aug. 12 meeting

Applicant names not available to public yet

MANDEVILLE — A vote to fill a vacancy on the Planning & Zoning Commission was delayed by the City Council at its July 22nd meeting after District II Councilman Skelly Kreller made a motion to defer, saying that he’d rather wait until District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire returned from having a medical procedure which caused her to miss that meeting.

The motion to defer carried 4-0 but not before a question was raised concerning the scheduled vote: the list of applicants had not been made available to the public.

This means the City Council was set to fill a Planning & Zoning vacancy from a list of applicants that only the City Council members themselves and the administration had seen.

Local attorney and Former District III Councilman Ernest Burguières asked the council for the list of applicants or their resumes during the public comment period, but City Attorney Elizabeth Sconzert said members of the public would have to file a public records request to receive the information.

Sconzert indicated that this delay was so that the resumes could go through the city’s legal department to allow information not required to be released to be redacted.

It remains unclear why this process was not done in advance of the July 22nd meeting, considering a vote was scheduled on the matter.

In previous years when filling Planning & Zoning vacancies, complete resumes were made available; however, this practice had drawn criticism because it went beyond the scope of what the law requires.

Councilman At Large Rick Danielson — the outgoing Council Chairman — said the council wants to improve the Planning & Zoning appointment process from previous years. “This was one of the items we wanted to address so that we can develop a good process going forward,” he said.

In her exchange with Burguières, Sconzert said she didn’t see a problem with the information being released before the August 12th council meeting when the council is expected to fill two vacancies on the Planning & Zoning Commission.

The Louisiana Public Records Law (R.S. 44:1 – R.S. 44:41) says only the names of the people who apply for such positions “with policymaking duties” along with “related qualifications, relevant employment history or experience” are public record, not necessarily their complete resumes.

The Louisiana Open Meetings Law (R.S. 42:11 – R.S. 42:28) says meeting agenda items must be “described with reasonable specificity.”

The information provided on the agenda for the appointment read: “Appointment of Commissioner to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a four-year term.”

Mandeville Daily has filed a public records request with the City of Mandeville for the names of the applicants and related information as it pertains to R.S. 44:1.

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Zuckerman installed as new City Council chairman

UPDATED: July 23, 2021, at 8:10 a.m. – Corrects Schliem’s age.

UPDATED: July 23, 2021, at 6:49 a.m. – Adds and corrects quotes from Schliem. Adds vote total.

MANDEVILLE — The City Council voted 4-0 to confirm FBI Special Agent Todd Schliem as Mandeville’s new police chief tonight (July 22, 2021). He will formally take office after his retirement from the FBI is made official. District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire was absent due to a medical procedure.

“I’m honored and humbled to be the selection,” Schliem told the crowd.

“I feel like the shortstop that took over for Derek Jeter. If you would have told me four weeks ago, maybe five weeks ago, that I would even consider leaving the FBI, that would have been heresy… no way… except to serve the people of this city,” he continued.

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RELATED STORY: Vote to fill P&Z vacancy postponed

RELATED STORY: The rest of the story: July 22, 2021, City Council Meeting

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The council widely praised the choice of Schliem and Mayor Clay Madden’s selection process.

“Your record is obviously impeccable… congratulations on an incredible career… we appreciate your desire to serve this community in an even greater role,” Councilman at Large Rick Danielson said.

I love Mandeville… My kids grew up here… I’m inheriting a great department, otherwise I wouldn’t even have considered it.

— Mandeville Police Chief Designate Todd Schliem

Schliem, 55, a native of Wisconsin, has 22 years of experience as a special agent with the FBI. He was selected by Mayor Clay Madden from among a field of seven interviewees.

Madden said in a press release he made his decision to appoint Schliem after an open search, a series of multiple interviews, and discussions with veteran law enforcement officials in the area.

According to the release, Schliem has had “a stellar career” with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, where the majority of his career was spent working and collaborating with local police agencies.

Schliem’s wife is a New Orleans native and they have lived in Mandeville since 2007. He has received numerous awards during his career including the FBI Director’s Award in 2016 and the Metropolitan Crime Commission Case of the Year in 2015.

In other business, Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman was appointed to the post of Council Chairman, whose duties include running council meetings, for the August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, term. He takes over for Councilman at Large Rick Danielson who has served at the post since the new council was sworn in fall 2020.

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Award letters reveal flood projects already in motion

Project to install gates, pumps along Lakeshore Drive

Council members react negatively, wanted public input first

Mayor to address concerns at next council meeting

MANDEVILLE — An award letter issued to a Covington civil engineering company by Mayor Clay Madden on July 6th and obtained by Mandeville Daily reveals that a project to install flood gates and pumps along Lakeshore Drive has been put into motion, before a promised “Flood Summit” and without public feedback.

The letter to T. Baker Smith LLC is just the first step in the process of entering a professional services contract, letting the firm know they have been selected. The City Council would still need to adopt a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute the yet-to-be-written contract.

A second, similar letter was issued to Volkert Inc., a Mandeville engineering firm, also on July 6th, concerning the Tchefuncte Marsh Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation Project between the Tchefuncte River and Lewisburg, or the far western end of Mandeville.

But the questions being asked by several council members are, why weren’t they told in advance about the mayor’s intention to initiate flood-protection projects and would such a large-scale project like the one described in the T. Baker Smith letter negate the need to have a flood summit, the same concerns raised at the July 8th City Council meeting concerning blocked Task Order 4.

It was the wording of that task order — calling for Principal Engineering Inc. to inspect the seawall and check-valve system that they designed, then offer longterm “tidal protection alternatives” to the city — that raised concerns with most on the council, forcing the measure to be pulled from consideration.

Members of the City Council have been calling for — and Madden had previously promised — a public flood summit or meeting of minds where various experts — such as land planners, hydrologists, coastal engineers, general engineers, horticulturists, and others — might gather to discuss and offer comprehensive solutions to address Old Mandeville’s flooding.

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Editor’s Note: Mandeville Daily reached out to Mayor Clay Madden for comment on this story. He deferred, saying he will address the issue at the next City Council meeting Thursday (July 22nd). District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush was out of town but said she’d respond to a comment request upon her return.

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District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire said she did not know about the award letters to T. Baker Smith and Volkert in advance. “I was quite surprised to see an award letter for flood protection come out without discussion with the council and the public,” McGuire said when reached for comment by Mandeville Daily.

“I will not vote to award one penny to any firm unless the public has input and we are looking at new solutions, not the same solutions that have been batted around for years,” she added.

Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman said he too was surprised to see the award letters. “As I’ve made clear before, and in the last council meeting, I don’t plan on supporting or authorizing any contracts to engineering firms to solve nuisance flooding along our Lakefront without knowing who the entire team is.”

He said he has asked Madden for the related requests for proposals (RFPs) along with responses received from the firms in question.

“This is just the sort of pre-determined engineering solution I have been cautioning everyone against and remain extremely worried about because of the unintended consequences that will surely come with such an engineering-driven solution,” Zuckerman continued.

District II Councilman Skelly Kreller told Mandeville Daily that he saw the award letters just before the July 8th council meeting and was immediately concerned, but he wanted a chance to talk to the mayor before reacting. “I looked at them, I looked at the date (July 6th), and I said… interesting. We haven’t even seen them come before the council yet.”

Because the award letters are dated “July 6, 2021,” it means the decisions were made before the Task Order 4 Principal Engineering project came before the council on July 8th, indicating there would have been at least three flood-protection projects running simultaneously in Mandeville, before a flood summit is convened.

When asked by Mandeville Daily about not being told in advance about the award letters, Councilman at Large Rick Danielson said, “So to me, it seems like the administration is putting the cart before the horse. We want to work with him on this process and will but we do have some issues and concerns and we also receive a lot of feedback from constituents,” he said.

Kreller, McGuire, Zuckerman and Danielson each said these moves by the mayor — Task Order 4 and now the award letters — make it at least appear Madden is moving on flood protection without input from the council or the public and most importantly, without a promised flood summit.

The contracts are expected to come before the council in August for approval.

Danielson said he intends to discuss the matter with Madden before the next council meeting, adding, “I am not sure what I am missing but this does not change anything with my desire that we hold public discussions on flood protection.”

Based on the description in the T. Baker Smith award letter, the requested project sounds strikingly similar to what Zuckerman described recently to Mandeville Daily concerning an idea informally floated to council members by Public Works Director Keith LeGrange Jr. to install 32 or more drain lift stations along Lakeshore Drive, approximately every 230 feet.

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RELATED STORY: Recent task order could have opened door to old proposal to raise seawall

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The award letter reads in part, “Project concept will investigate the use of gate structures at the ravines … and pumping features at the ravines and/or at the outfall pipes along Lakeshore Drive.”

Zuckerman and Kreller said they believe the two projects are one and the same.

Zuckerman continued, “I can only take what’s written in these notices of contract award literally.”

He had previously said he didn’t like the drain lift station idea when presented to him, saying “it would forever change the character of the lakefront.”

McGuire said that she took comments by Madden at the July 8th City Council meeting to mean that he no longer intended to have a flood summit as promised.

Madden said at the July 8th meeting that the COVID-19 pandemic had altered his plans about having a large-scale flood summit, and that he had heard from some of McGuire’s constituents who asked him not to have a summit for that very reason, so he said he would instead like to have several smaller flood forums and then hire an engineer to “tie it all together.”

McGuire said that if the mayor doesn’t hold a flood summit, the City Council should hold one instead.

“The focus for flood protection and prevention needs to be on new ideas which encompass more than just costly engineering projects… You cannot achieve this by awards without public input or a comprehensive plan,” she said.

Zuckerman reiterated his desire for a flood summit, adding, “I remain adamant that we cannot treat our shoreline and our Lakefront just like any other roadway or drainage project, hiring an engineering firm to come up with an engineering solution.”

Developing…

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Editor’s Note: The original ‘teaser art’ used with this story — showing flooding on Lakeshore Drive at Girod Street — was a Mandeville Daily stock photo from Tropical Storm Claudette on June 19th and not from the rain event yesterday (July 20th). It was selected for this story and published approximately three hours before the flash flooding story broke. The only portion of Lakeshore Drive closed yesterday (July 20th) due to flooding was the eastern end between Jackson Avenue and Foy Street. We regret any confusion this may have caused.

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© Copyright 2021 Mandeville Daily

Updated: July 21, 2021, 4:55 a.m. – Reports everything back to normal.

MANDEVILLE — The eastern end of Lakeshore Drive was reopened last yesterday after flash floodwaters that were a nuisance to much of the area yesterday subsided. The Public Works Department had closed the area from Foy Street to Jackson Avenue yesterday.

Updated: July 20, 2021, 11:45 a.m. – Adds updates from mayor.

MANDEVILLE — Mayor Clay Madden has issued updates on social media saying while the east end of Lakeshore Drive has standing water, the rest of the area is improving.

“We anticipate the water will go down but for now we have closed off the area (easter end),” the mayor posted.

Updated: July 20, 2021, 9:55 a.m. – Adds more weather information and observations.

MANDEVILLE — Old Mandeville is under a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service, effective until 10:30 a.m. today (July 20, 2021), as standing water could be seen in the streets of Old Mandeville at locations indicating an greater than normal flash flood event.

Mayor Clay Madden issued an update from the Public Works Department that the Monroe Street rain gauge had received 7.9 inches of water since last night, and weather reports indicated that more than eight inches had fallen in the area in the last several hours.

A National Weather Service alert issued at 9:28 a.m. read: “A flash flood warning is in effect for this area until 10:30 AM CDT. This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”

Mandeville Daily investigated the area between Jackson Avenue and Marigny Avenue and observed standing water in the streets, typically associated with more severe flash flood events, at a number of locations that would make travel difficult or impossible in the area.

The mayor said in his social media update, “Please be careful today and be respectful of your neighbors. We are monitoring the situation.”

Developing…

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City Council Meeting Agenda – July 22, 2021

Mayor to introduce capital and operating budgets

Budget work session scheduled for 5PM before meeting

Zuckerman to be appointed Council Chairman

MANDEVILLE — The City Council will vote to confirm police chief designate Todd Schliem at its regular meeting Thursday, July 22nd, at 6 p.m. But first, the council will hold a budget work session immediately before the meeting, starting at 5 p.m.

Schliem, 57, a native of Wisconsin, has 22 years of experience as a special agent with the FBI. He was selected by Mayor Clay Madden from among a field of seven interviewees.

Madden said in a press release he made his decision to appoint Schliem after an open search, a series of multiple interviews, and discussions with veteran law enforcement officials in the area.

According to the release, Schliem has had “a stellar career” with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, where the majority of his career was spent working and collaborating with local police agencies.

Schliem’s wife is a New Orleans native and they have lived in Mandeville since 2007. He has received numerous awards during his career including the FBI Director’s Award in 2016 and the Metropolitan Crime Commission Case of the Year in 2015.

“The finalists for the job were all capable professionals, however, I feel strongly that Schliem is what the department needs right now. I have had one on one meetings with every officer in our department. I know Todd will do the best job in meeting the men and women of the department where they are at, and then leading the department forward in a positive direction right off the bat,” Madden said.

In other business, Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman will be appointed to the post of Council Chairman, whose duties include running council meetings, for the August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, term. He takes over for Councilman at Large Rick Danielson who has served at the post since the new council was sworn in fall 2020.

Below is the City Council’s published agenda for the next City Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 22nd, at 6 p.m. at the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center. A special budget work session is scheduled for 5 p.m. Council meetings and budget work sessions are open to the public.

Paul Spitzfaden Community Center
3090 E. Causeway Approach
Mandeville, Louisiana 70448

MINUTES:

1. Adoption of the July 8, 2021, Regular Meeting Minutes

REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Presentation by Julie Agan with the Council on Aging St. Tammany.

2. Mande Milkshakers Day Proclamation

3. The Mandeville City Council is soliciting resumes for two (2) of their appointment to the Mandeville Planning & Zoning Commission. Please send your resume to the attention of: Mandeville City Council Clerk, 3101 East Causeway Approach, Mandeville, LA 70448 or kscherer@cityofmandeville.com. Deadline: Monday, August 2, 2021 for 2nd appointment.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Adoption of ORDINANCE No. 21-21; an Ordinance for the city council of the City of Mandeville to amend Ordinance number 20-13, the operating budget of the City of Mandeville and for other matters in connection therewith (Budget adjustment for the Lang House for $30K) (Councilwoman McGuire, District III)

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Appointment of Commissioner to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a four-year term. (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

2. Adoption of Resolution No. 21-31; a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mandeville appointing a council chairman for the Mandeville City Council for the term of August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022; and providing for other matters in connection therewith (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

3. Adoption of Resolution No. 21-32: a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mandeville confirming the mayor’s appointment for the chief of police position and providing for other matters in connection therewith (Councilman Danielson, At-Large)

4. Introduction of Ordinance No. 21-19; an Ordinance to appropriate funds relative to and for adoption of the capital improvement budget for the City of Mandeville for fiscal year 2021-2022; and to establish the administration of expenditures thereof and to provide for related matters. (Councilman Zuckerman, At-Large)

5. Introduction of Ordinance No.21-20; an Ordinance to appropriate funds relative to and for adoption of the operating budget for the City of Mandeville for fiscal year 2021-2022; and to establish the administration of expenditures thereof and to provide for related matters. (Councilman Zuckerman, At-Large)

PUBLIC COMMENT:

FINANCE REPORT:

PROJECTS IN PROGRESS (STATUS REPORT):

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Idea to install 32 ‘lift stations’ floated to council members recently too

Official says inspect check valves alone as first step

MANDEVILLE — A recently killed task order could have brought back to the table a proposal to raise the seawall along Lakeshore Drive, if not for a stand taken by some on the City Council at its July 8th meeting.

Task Order 4A/B (a two-part task order) was pulled from consideration once it became apparent it did not have the votes. It was the wording of the task order that drew scrutiny from Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman and District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire.

The task order, potentially worth $250,000 in and of itself, would have authorized Principal Engineering Inc. to inspect the seawall system along Lakeshore Drive and then offer proposals to address future “tidal protection alternatives” based on its previous analyses and proposals, which include a 2019 $2 million proposal to raise the seawall by a foot.

McGuire raised concerns at the meeting that it could have negated the need for a promised “Flood Summit” where various experts — such as land planners, hydrologists, coastal engineers, general engineers, horticulturists, and others — might gather to discuss and offer comprehensive solutions to address Old Mandeville’s flooding.

On the surface, the task order appeared to be a mundane but necessary maintenance inspection of the seawall, but a careful reading of its language reveals that it could have opened the door to a controversial $2 million plan to raise the Lake Pontchartrain seawall by a foot, a proposal that was presented to the public on Sept. 8, 2019, by Principal Engineering and then-Mayor Donald Villere.

The task order contained two parts, A and B, but it effectively would have done three different things:

1. Part A called for Principal Engineering to conduct the inspection of the seawall;
2. Part A also called for an inspection of the check-valve system designed and implemented by Principal Engineering several years ago, whose effectiveness is now being questioned; and
3. Part B called for Principal Engineering to propose flood and tidal protection options to the city and help choose a path forward based on its “data and knowledge” from previous analyses and proposals, including the 2019 proposal to raise the seawall by a foot.
   

The stated reason at the 2019 public forum at City Hall for raising the seawall a foot would be to reduce wave energy during flooding — not to prevent flooding — and Villere and other officials at the forum specifically said as much, but added that making this change would have a positive effect on which homes lie in the FEMA Flood Insurance Rates Map’s more affordable “AE” zones versus the less affordable “VE” zones.

FEMA requires the purchase of flood insurance in certain areas defined by Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) zones.

The estimated cost of the project at the time was approximately $2 million, according to documents provided by Principal Engineering.

Zuckerman said that a determination concerning Mandeville’s future “tidal protection alternatives” should be made by a panel of various experts, like what would be assembled at a flood summit, and not a single engineering firm.

“I’d like to see a comprehensive team put together and a comprehensive strategy. I just don’t think it ought to be treated like another roadway project that we’re hiring an engineering firm to go solve that problem,” Zuckerman said.

During the 2019 presentation by Principal Engineering, computer-simulated photographs were on display depicting views of the lake from near the seawall, not the roadway, making it appear that an observer’s view of the lake would not be obstructed if an additional foot were to be added.

However, Mandeville Daily conducted its own line-of-sight experiments, including videos, photographs with props, and computer-simulated photographs in an effort to objectively demonstrate the difference a one-foot extension would make visually from the road surface. (See media at end of story.)

These findings reveal that the view of Lake Pontchartrain would be completely or mostly blocked for someone in a sedan-size vehicle or bicycle on the roadway surface at most points along Lakeshore Drive.

However, the view is far less obstructed as the observer walks up the raised, grassy ground toward the seawall as Principal Engineering’s presentation confirmed. By design, the Lakeshore Drive road surface is the lowest point along the lakefront.

Zuckerman and McGuire both said that Part B of Task Order 4 was unrelated to the scope of work spelled out in Part A, and that in Part A, inspecting the check-valve system should be done first and before anything else is approved or considered, because the results of that inspection would determine what the next step should be.

Zuckerman told Mandeville Daily the first thing that needs to happen is to inspect just the check valves with cameras. “Let’s find out for sure if those are working before we authorize a large-scale inspection or revive plans to raise the seawall.”

Zuckerman said that based on previous conversations with Public Works Director Keith LaGrange Jr., he believes there is uncertainty as to whether the check valves work as intended.

It was Principal Engineering that played a significant role in the design and implementation of the so-called check-valve system that was intended to allow water to flow out to Lake Pontchartrain but not inland.

He said LaGrange told him that he thinks the check valves will never work as Principal Engineering intended and had proposed removing them completely at one point.

McGuire, whose district includes the seawall, raised concerns at the July 8th council meeting about having the same firm that designed the check-valve system be the one to inspect it, considering there is a question as to whether or not it’s working.

Another option, which Zuckerman said was informally presented to council members by LaGrange recently, is the idea to install an array of 32 so-called “drain lift stations” along Lakeshore Drive that would completely replace all existing gravity driven drainage.

A lift station is a water pump of sorts, that could help speed the rate at which water recedes after flooding, but because this system would replace all gravity driven drainage, it would be vulnerable to factors such as mechanical issues, availability of operators, and electricity outages, according to Zuckerman.

Zuckerman says this plan would forever change the “character” of the lakefront, with these lift stations being spaced approximately every 230 feet.

“We really need to assemble this team of experts from various fields that we keep talking about before we do this (lift stations) or any other idea like raising the seawall. We have to quit just talking about it and do it,” he added.

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Planning & Zoning Commission rejects special use permit to build carwash on West Causeway Approach

4 Mandeville politicos attend, 3 speak against

UPDATE: July 14, 2021, at 6:19AM — Adds quotes, comments and other information
FLASH: July 13, 2021, at 7:03PM

MANDEVILLE – The Planning & Zoning Commission rejected a special use permit application to build a carwash on West Causeway Approach tonight (July 13, 2021) by a vote of 5-0, before another standing-room-only crowd.

The proposal, debated at a standing-room-only meeting in June, called for the construction of a 4,320-square-foot building on a 200-by-400-foot property on the east side of West Causeway Approach, which abuts Fontainebleau Subdivision. The properties to the north and south both have office buildings on them. Skipper Drive is directly across from the site.

Rhonda Alleman, President of the Fontainebleau Homeowners Association, again made her case before the commission, but this time, reading into the record a letter signed by representatives from other home owners associations and local businesses — 10 in all — that claim they would have been adversely affected by the proposed carwash.

“You have the authority to maintain the desired nature of the corridor and prevent this permanent damage and destruction in our community,” the statement read in part.

The commission received feedback from several other concerned citizens and heard and watched video and audio statements from various homeowners in other areas of Mandeville who claim to have been adversely affected by carwashes similar to the one proposed for West Causeway Approach.

Several elected officials addressed the commission during the relatively short debate period, compared to the June work session.

Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman spoke to relay feedback he’s collected from members of the community. “The vast majority of the opposition I’ve received … has been really in opposition to the compatibility to the surrounding properties and the development along that approach… I really haven’t had any feedback in support of this use, but I have received overwhelming opposition to it.”

Zoning Chairman Nixon Adams told Zuckerman, “You know, of course, if everybody in this room, including us, really didn’t like carwashes, it really wouldn’t matter. We’ve got to have whatever findings as to why this is incompatible with the area.”

Adams continued by saying that the commission had requested information from the applicant — Chris Donner, who did not attend the meeting as he did the June work session — but they hadn’t received any further information. “We work with the facts we got.” Adams concluded.

Zuckerman agreed, saying that while some of the negative feedback he’s received was because people simply don’t want a carwash, but “most of it has been centered around the incompatibility with the office complexes and the residential (neighborhood) behind it.”

Mayor Clay Madden spoke against the carwash permit, saying of the commission, “I think the Planing & Zoning Commission exists to be that human element… and not just something on paper.”

This led to a brief discussion among commission members and the mayor, expressing their desire to have the CLURO (Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance) further examined to possibly avoid conflicts over “compatibility” in the future.

Commission Member Ren Clark said, “We’re just the people … charged with interpreting CLURO to the best of our abilities and to give findings about a particular deal.”

District I Councilwoman Rebecca Bush was the last to speak from the public, saying, “You’re looking at CLURO … you have what you need — health, safety, welfare, compatibility — so all of the factors you’re hearing are important… you have what you need to deny.”

District II Councilman Skelly Kreller was also in attendance but didn’t speak.

The vote itself was an uneventful 5-0 to deny, compared to the June work session where a parliamentary procedure gaffe on a different issue added to the tension in the room that night.

The property was annexed into the City of Mandeville in 2003 and zoned as Planned Combined Use (PCUD). The proposed use in this application is permitted with the approval of a zoning permit, or “Special Use Permit.”

According to information released by the Planning and Development Department, a zoning permit was approved in 2014 for the previous property owner, who also proposed a carwash facility, but that approval was contingent on special conditions, including restricting hours of operation, noise, and signage among other things.

Planning Chairwoman Karen Gautreaux and Commission Member Jeff Lahasky were not present at the meeting. Lahasky has moved outside Mandeville city limits and hence resigned, effective June 30th. Ren Clark’s term expires at the end of August.

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Was offered job last night (July 12th)

Announcement expected today

UPDATE: July 13, 2021, at 1:25PM — Confirms Schliem accepted post
FLASH: July 13, 2021, at 9:33AM

MANDEVILLE — FBI Special Agent Todd Schliem has accepted the Mandeville police chief position, replacing Gerald Sticker who retired in June, sources familiar with the selection process and who preferred not to be identified in this Mandeville Daily exclusive have confirmed.

When contacted by phone this morning (July 13th), Schliem would neither confirm nor deny that he would be the next police chief, saying, “That may be a bit premature,” and that he would call Mandeville Daily back.

Since that call this morning, sources have confirmed that Schliem has accepted the post and an announcement is expected today (July 13th).

Schliem, 57, who has lived in Mandeville since 2007, has 22 years of experience as a special agent with the FBI, according to his LinkedIn profile and other public information sources.

According to sources, Schliem has experience as an investigative assistant with the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, as well as other relevant work experience.

On his LinkedIn profile, he includes the following licenses and certifications: Federally Certified Polygrapher, Certified Crisis Negotiator, and Certified SWAT Operator.

He lists the University or Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin Oshkosh as his educational experience, according to LinkedIn.

Mandeville Daily had previously opted not to publish the complete list of all seven applicants for police chief, out of an abundance of precaution and privacy concerns due to social media, even though such information is protected as “public” according to Louisiana Public Records Act § 44:1 et seq.

Developing…

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Planning & Zoning Commission set to vote on West Causeway Approach carwash permit

MANDEVILLE – An incendiary special use permit application before the Planning & Zoning Commission to build a carwash on West Causeway Approach is up for a vote tonight (July 13, 2021).

The proposal, debated at a standing-room-only meeting in June, calls for the construction of a 4,320-square-foot building on a 200-by-400-foot property on the east side of West Causeway Approach, which abuts Fontainebleau Subdivision. The properties to the north and south both have office buildings on them. Skipper Drive is directly across from the site.

More than 70 locals packed the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center to voice their concerns over the proposal at the June 22nd work session.

The property was annexed into the City of Mandeville in 2003 and zoned as Planned Combined Use (PCUD). The proposed use in this application is permitted with the approval of a zoning permit, or “Special Use Permit.”

According to information released by the Planning and Development Department, a zoning permit was approved in 2014 for the previous property owner, who also proposed a carwash facility, but that approval was contingent on special conditions, including restricting hours of operation, noise, and signage among other things.

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RELATED STORY: Planning & Zoning procedural gaffe causes confusion over vote outcome

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Rhonda Alleman, President of the Fontainebleau Homeowners Association, and a procession of other residents who live or work near the proposed site made impassioned pleas before the commission, asking them to deny the request, set for a vote at the next meeting.

The Planning & Zoning Commission will vote on the matter at its July 13th meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Paul Spitzfaden Community Center in Mandeville.

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Members express concern that longterm process should not already be locked in to one firm

Withdraws task order so that it can be reworked to address concerns raised during debate

Principal Engineering was to conduct seawall, culvert and check valve assessment of wall then propose options to address flooding based on previous analyses

Principal Engineering offered plan to raise seawall at least one foot in 2019

UPDATED: July 9, 2021, at 12:02 PM — Clarifies and expands references to Task Order 4A/B.

UPDATED: July 9, 2021, at 7:42 AM — Adds quotes, comments from council members, mayor and Public Works; Clarifies that Principal designed the plans for the check valves but did not actually install them.

UPDATED: July 8, 2021, at 9:30 PM — Corrects description of procedure that withdrew the item from consideration.

MANDEVILLE — The City Council tonight (July 8, 2021) killed a task order that would have authorized Principal Engineering Inc. to inspect and possibly clean the seawall system along Lakeshore Drive and then offer proposals to address future tidal and flooding concerns.

To prevent a vote to reject, Councilman at Large Rick Danielson withdrew Task Order #4A Seawall, Culvert, & Check Valve Condition Assessment; and Task Order #4B Old Mandeville Tidal Protection Decision Facilitation & Scoping from consideration at Mayor Clay Madden’s request — a potentially $250,000 contract — so that it can be overhauled to address the concerns raised during debate at tonight’s meeting.

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Editor’s Note: This story is being developed into a separate piece on Task Order 4A/4B and recent tidal protection proposals and their potential effect on Lakeshore Drive. Check back for that release…

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Most of the opposition came from Councilman at Large Jason Zuckerman who led the charge against the task order from the outset, insisting that the inspection of the existing seawall and a proposal for future flooding alternatives should be separate issues.

Zuckerman, joined by District III Councilwoman Jill McGuire and District II Councilman Skelly Kreller, said the City of Mandeville needs to form a task force to study the lakefront flooding situation as a whole and not be locked in to previous proposals.

“I’d like to see a comprehensive team put together and a comprehensive strategy. I just don’t think it ought to be treated like another roadway project that we’re hiring an engineering firm to go solve that problem,” Zuckerman said.

A portion of the debate involved a back-and-forth between McGuire and Zuckerman and Director of Public Works Keith LaGrange Jr.

Zuckerman indicated he had previous conversations with LaGrange that led him to believe the check valves may not work properly or that they are the wrong valves. “Based on some of the conversations we’ve had, they may never work, they may never serve their purpose… if I’m getting mixed signals… I’ve gotta ask why we’re spending the money on it.”

LaGrange said a majority of the money in Task Order 4A would involve hiring a dive team for the inspection, not particularly dealing with the check valves. The entire task order is worth approximately $250,000.

McGuire said she had heard from constituents who had a problem that an outside firm wasn’t being contracted to do the inspection.

Principal Engineering designed the check valve system plans in 2015, according to LaGrange, and this task order would have had them do the inspection too. “I’m just concerned that it’s not like a third party independent source,” McGuire added.

Andre Monnot, Vice President, Principal Engineering, who was unhand to answer questions before the council, took exception to McGuire’s comments: “That seems like you’re suggesting we can’t maintain objectivity or somehow we have something to defend.”

However, McGuire replied that she is not questioning Principal’s integrity but rather she represents constituents who raised concerns about the appearance of the arrangement.

Task Order 4A, as written, generally deals with inspection and assessment of the existing seawall components. Task Order 4B seems to revive the previous work and proposals done by Principal Engineering to propose future tidal protection solutions.

Danielson also questioned the need to combine the two issues into one item. “There are a lot of moving pieces with this.”

The opposition expressed concerns that portions of Task Order 4A and all of Task Order 4B (see text below) would lock in Principal Engineering and their previously proposed solution presented to the public during Mayor Donald Villere’s administration on Sept. 8, 2019, that included building a one-foot wall on top of the existing seawall. Critics of that plan complained at the time it would ruin the aesthetics of the lakefront as seen from Lakeshore Drive and not really address the flooding problem.

Specifically, the wording under “Scope of Work” for proposed Task Order 4 (A and B) was called into question. At one point in debate, some on the council floated the idea of stripping out Task Order 4B, which most directly ties Principal Engineering to a proposed longterm solution, but McGuire pointed out that even 4A reads as if Principal Engineering’s solution (raising the seawall) has already been selected (see text below).

McGuire further explained that she was under the impression when she won office that there would be a “Flood Summit” (also referred to as a “dream team” and “task force” during debate) where experts from different fields would come together to discuss solutions. Zuckerman had earlier described the process that he’d like to see, including assembling a task force to explore all options and not continue down the path that the task order seemed to create due to its wording.

In Task Order 4A, it was “suitability for the Old Mandeville Tidal Protection alternative selected” that was the so-called poison pill for some on the council. The concern was that it implied the decision has already been made.

In Task Order 4B the problem was that the wording “Engineer (Principal Engineering) has performed analysis on lower cost alternative solutions,” seemingly referring to the previous proposals or work by Principal Engineering, including raising the seawall.

Also, the wording “After the City has identified a Tidal Protection Alternative, Engineer (Principal Engineering) shall prepare a written scope and graphical exhibits” would seem to tie Principal Engineering to whatever solution the city ultimately agrees upon, with or without a “Flood Summit.”

Ultimately the council agreed the task order would have to be completely reworked.

Later in the evening, Madden tried to assuage McGuire and Zuckerman’s concerns about having a flood summit or task force and the wording of Task Order 4, telling the council his intentions originally were to have a flood summit similar to his recent traffic summit.

“Because COVID sort of prohibited those big meetings, I had several people, mostly your constituents (speaking to McGuire), come to me and say ‘Please do not have a flood summit, we’re begging you.’”

“If we had one meeting where we invited five different engineering firms to come and present, that meeting would last until one or two a.m.,” Madden continued.

He said he’d like to have “several flood summits” instead. “We’re going to hire a consultant to tie it all together.”

Based on comments by council members during debate and the wording of Task Order 4B, some seemed concerned that “consultant” has already been determined to be Principal Engineering, although the mayor did not specifically say that.

Madden continued, “What is going to be proposed at the beginning is just going to be a first step… We could still have different ideas about flooding after that.”

McGuire quipped, “So it’s going to be more of a ‘Here’s what we’re going to do’ kind of meeting” to which Madden replied, “No, it’s going to be more of a ‘here’s what we’re proposing… let’s gather input.’”

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