[StBernard] Feinberg Accidentally Arrives At Public Meeting, Gets Swarmed

[Westley Annis]

Feinberg Accidentally Arrives At Public Meeting, Gets Swarmed



Claims Administrator Berated By Angry BP Spill Victims



POSTED: 10:45 am CST January 28, 2011

UPDATED: 4:42 pm CST January 28, 2011

CHALMETTE, La. -- BP claims administrator Ken Feinberg was unexpectedly
swarmed with angry people affected by the oil spill when he showed up at the
wrong location for a closed-door meeting with the St. Bernard Parish
president.

Feinberg had a private meeting scheduled with Parish President Craig Taffaro
on Friday. Taffaro said Feinberg -- the man overseeing BP's $20 billion
claims fund for oil spill victims -- refused to meet with the fishermen and
business owners publicly because it was not creating solutions.

So Taffaro scheduled his own public meeting at 9 a.m. Friday at the parish
council chambers, and then planned to meet with Feinberg afterward.

But Feinberg accidentally showed up at the council chambers shortly after
Taffaro left, and people quickly realized who he was and began demanding
answers.

One woman was very vocal, sharing her name and claim details with Feinberg
and asking why her claim hadn't been paid. Feinberg told her, "I'll look
into it," but the woman questioned how he would do that when he hadn't
written down her name.

"Here's your shot, make it right," fisherman Robert Campo said to Feinberg.
"You gotta help the people on the front lines that do this for a living. I'm
a front line fisherman. I do this for a living. I'm immediately affected."

Many of the fishermen and business owners asked Feinberg to stay and answer
their questions, but he quickly left in his vehicle and traveled to a
different location to meet with Taffaro.

"Until we change the process, I don't think anyone is going to be satisfied
in this meeting," said resident Curt Pannagle.

St. Bernard Parish leaders agree, which is why they have appointed a parish
case manager to follow-up on claims, giving folks a single point of contact
and a person who will walk their case through the red tape.