[StBernard] Meraux Foundation Foundation Board Shakeup Is Good news for St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

U  must  be  dreaming ~ politics ~ ha ha




-----Original Message-----
Meraux Foundation Foundation Board Shakeup Is Good news for St. Bernard

News with a Twist: News with a View
Kaare Johnson
News with a View

10:59 AM CDT, September 21, 2011

Residents of St. Bernard Parish received some good news Tuesday: long time
Meraux Foundation board members Sal Guiterez and St. Bernard Sheriff Jack
Stevens have stepped down from their positions on the not-for-profit board. 

The Joe Meraux Foundation was set up with one goal in mind: to benefit the
residents of St. Bernard Parish; to make their life in the parish better. 

Joe Meraux was an interesting person. He was St. Bernard Parish's number one
land owner and developer. He amassed a fortune of over $250 million when he
died.  After years of family members - and others - wrangling over his
fortune, a board was set up to oversee the trust and, ideally, follow Joe
Meraux's wishes: to provide for the citizens of St. Bernard parish. 

Instead of doing that, the board became politically appointed and members
had a different plan. Instead of having the foundation benefiting the
residents of St. Bernard, it became clear that this board's goal was to have
the massive trust benefit them. Instead of board members doing their civic
duty by being on the board in a volunteer basis, some board members make as
much as $120,000/year.  As a matter of fact, the board actually pays itself
more money than it gives out to the citizens of St. Bernard parish. 

Some board members, like the sheriff, get sweetheart deals on Mereaux
assets, like Stevens renting Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop in the French Quarter
or Bretton Sound Marina from the foundation for pennies on the dollar.

Typical greater New Orleans: the needs of the few, outweighing the needs of
the many. So sad.

But there is good news! Reportedly, Sal Guiterrez and sheriff Jack Stevens
have finally stepped down from a board they never should have been on in the
first place.  At least now, two of the board's most politically connected
members are gone and that's good news for the citizens of St. Bernard
parish. 

Maybe now the board can get down to what it was originally designed to do,
benefit St. Bernard's people and not just the politically connected.

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