vandalism today - Radtke reconsidered

Definitely tongue in cheek - or maybe not?

Behold a picture gallery of Operation Clean Sweep

From NoLa.com’s graffiti expose Hello, and welcome to part one of an occasional series on New Orleans painter, personality and provocateur Fred Radtke. In this series I will present some alternative viewpoints on the much-maligned and misunderstood creative force that is Fred Radtke. My argument, simply put, is that he is a major artist– certainly the most important in New Orleans– the profundities of whose work have gone unfairly unexamined due to the regrettable paparazzi-like attention paid to the man himself and a creeping philistinism characteristic of our time.

It may be difficult or at least counter-intuitive for some of Radtke’s detractors to take Radtke seriously as a painter. This is the first step of my Reconsideration, establishing Radtke’s legitimacy as an artist.

To begin with, I understand some feel they have personal reasons for disliking Radtke. I have read internet postings calling him a bully and worse. The general allegation is that he reacts in an uncouth way to those who bother or harass him while he’s working.

While it is not for me to speculate on these (entirely unproven) assertions, let us admit that many artists of every calibre find interruption or unwanted personal attention anathema to their creative process. Granted, not every artist works in public and uses the city as their canvas in the way Radtke does, but the complex issues of ownership and property his work raises are part of what makes Radtke groundbreaking, and I will address them in due time. For now, let us imagine walking into Jackson Pollock’s studio, trying to take his photograph, and hectoring him about the nature of his work. You ought sooner to provoke a bear in its den. Leave Radtke alone! We are lucky he even performs for us bastards, an argument I will flesh out in greater detail over the course of this essay.

Radtke’s work and methods are not popular. Often Radtke’s critics cry that he’s “as bad as a graffiti artist” or “just another tagger.” He is, in certain ways. He’s also much more, but if you are going to criticize Radtke’s work as being graffiti, you are obligated to render it the aesthetic consideration you would any other piece of graffiti, which is to say, a fair evaluation on its own terms.

I find ghettoizing Radtke as a “graffiti artist” problematic, but it’s a good enough jumping-off point. He does paint at present exclusively on the streets– if his work hangs in any galleries, I am not aware of it, and hope a reader will set me straight– and he employs the same public canvas as crass muralists like Keith Haring, so “graffiti artist” will do for now.

Artist as controversialist

Without going too deep, what is it that constitutes “art?” Is it a creative self-expression, one that challenges or inspires us, a visual reaction to existing human conditions? No, that’s rather glib and narrow, but unless you’re some perverse undergraduate who thinks “everything’s art,” it will do as a working definition. Art serves ornamental purposes; it is that within our lives the creation and value of which derives from something besides strictest utility.

The grey overlapping squares which Radtke paints on every available surface are not as obvious or eye-catching as the candy-colored nonsense and fanciful lettering most of us think of when we think “graffiti artist.” Radtke is an artist in a different league, and the furor his work has generated is proof enough of its power. When is the last time an argument over a painter has lasted this long and involved as many members of the New Orleans public?

If you’ve been to a gallery show lately, how many of the pieces there evoked the strength of response Radtke’s do? Those gallery paintings are entombed, pinned against the wall like butterflies in a case. They are safe, contained within the sterility of an approved setting. They are unambitious art which knows its place, and few have anything to do with what Radtke is about. The threat Radtke’s art presents– the prospect that your house or business could become his next canvas– is part of the revolutionary nature of Radtke’s work.

Outside the terrifying, ghoulish cabals of the French Quarter and Marigny neighborhood planning commissions, how much community debate is there over the unified “look” or visual aesthetic of New Orleans? Radtke inspires that debate. His persecutors often claim that he is changing the “look” of a city they wish was more colorful, and he is– let there be no doubt he is– in a way few other artists in history have dared to. He is ambitious outside the gallery, outside the restrictive niches which modern life has relegated art to, and the very success of Radtke’s work serves to obscure appreciation of it as art. Let us not hold his success against him.

Though Radtke is an artist against and beyond authority, in pleading his case as an artist I turn to precedent. For those still resisting the notion that Radtke’s work is art, I would like to cite some of his aesthetic predecessors, the mostly American painters of last century’s Abstract Expressionist movement.

Abstract Expressionism challenged the art of its time, partly by its focus on process. Spontaneity, energy, chance, and a disregard for figurative and literal representation are just a few of the elements I vaguely recall as being associated with the movement. No less an authority than whatever anonymous person wrote its Wikipedia entry informs us that the key to Abstract Expressionism was a combination of emotional intensity and self-denial. In what contemporary artist but Radtke do we see these twinned characteristics expressed so powerfully, so poignantly? That he is a driven, emotionally intense man none can deny, and as for self-denial, he is an artist against art, an artist whose very creations are both canvas (for subsequent artists) and denials of art-as-aim: his work perpetuates, on many levels, that which it seeks to destroy. So crushing! So brilliant! So Radtke!

His “loveable curmudgeon” public persona may play off of or spoof the egotism which popular imagination attributes to artistic genius, but Radtke is actually a master collaborator, and though no Radtke can ever be considered “done”– this is part of what makes him so exciting, that his process is organic and temporally infinite– a really good Radtke is one which he has revisited multiple times, building on and over his collaborators to create the look that defines New Orleans. On the assumption that almost no-one will actually read this entire essay, I have also tried to make my argument in visual terms, juxtaposing throughout it tiny, low-res reproductions of the work of some prominent Abstract Expressionists with Radtke’s. To wind up this installment, let us examine an almost chillingly prescient piece by one of Radtke’s forebears:

Hanging now at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Gottlieb’s “Man Looking at Woman” resembles, in a primitive, inarticulate way, a Radtke in full flower: layers of beautiful, roughly rectangular grey overwritten with childish doodlings. I wouldn’t deign to try to psychoanalyze Radtke’s collaborators, beyond that some of them apparently feel antagonism towards Radtke. I mean, clearly they’re sociopathic and suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but that’s neither here nor there. What matters is that they provide Radtke with a vital piece of his process. Looking at “Man Looking at Woman,” those of us fortunate enough to live in New Orleans know that such a work here, on an overpass or the wall of a restaurant, would not be finished, not ready for consignment to some alcove of a high-dollar gallery with a high-dollar entrance fee. No, to see it is to anticipate Radtke’s next layer, the next color fields he will daub atop the crude, figurative contributions of the lesser artists whose participation Radtke alternately invites and invalidates.

In future installments, look for my explanations of where Radtke’s process has set him apart from the “old school,” what the proper reaction to Radtke’s work is (reverence), and his relationship to the Situationist notion of writing under erasure. Did I say look for? I meant eagerly await. Until next time, dear readers, in the words of another anonymous interweb yahoo, Paint it Grey.

Dingler - the anti-Radtke?

Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose recently sat down with local artist and member of the NOLA Rising project Michael Dingle to discuss his inspirational artwork.

According to the article, Dingle’s art is meant to inspire and brighten the city. He also says that it’s not considered graffiti since anyone can take it down, if they like it or if they don’t. No gray paint necessary.

What do you think? Is it art? Or more graffiti?

Check out the NOLA Rising blog for more information on the Radtke/NOLA Rising conflict.

and finally, Operation Clean Sweep

Lost on what we’re talking about when we mention “Operation Clean Sweep,” “Fred Radtke,” and the “Gray Ghost?”. . . let me explain
Eugenio Hernandez III / NOLA.comGraffiti over some gray paint that probably covered up some earlier graffiti on the side of a pawn shop on Magazine St.

Simply put… Fred Radtke is the president and chairman of the board of the Louisiana nonprofit organization called Operation: Clean Sweep, Inc. Anti-Graffiti Task Force. Some refer to him as the “Gray Ghost” due to his signature gray paint that he uses to cover up graffiti he finds around the city. While some people consider him a great citizen fighting to help keep New Orleans beautiful others consider him a vandal that is only adding to the problem.

Despite denial after denial that he does not paint over graffiti on private property without prior consent more and more locals are calling him out on these claims. The chief of police and Mayor Nagin have commended Radtke for his work and say he is simply doing what the city would do about graffiti if it had the resources to solve this problem that is plaguing New Orleans.

For some examples of his work go here

http://photos.nola.com/photogallery/operationcleansweep/

and feel free to upload your own gray paint images

http://www.nola.com/photoupload/operationcleansweep/upload.html

What’s your take? Is he fixing the problem or just as bad as the graffiti artists tagging up the city? http://photos.nola.com/photogallery/graffiti/

I almost missed this one

Dennis Woltering of WWL-TV interviews two women on creationism in Louisiana this past Sunday morning

Dr. Barbara Forrest cites Dr. Charles Voss in her comments as the one behind SB 733, here is a .pdf written by Dr. Voss for your perusal. And Ms. Magee of the Louisiana Family Forum questions why only evolution is taught and not alternatives, such as creationism - she states teaching only evolution is a “bias” and other theories, ie. religious concepts such as human origins should be introduced to students. She also questions global warming, a la Rush Limbaugh. And like a good little fundamental conservative, Ms. Magee refused to name her SELU biology professor that paid her such a disservice in her college biology education. Dr. Forrest then called poor Ms. Magee “misguided”.

gawd help us…

her face speaks volumes

Maybe she was just tired, or maybe she was just plain disgusted, but check out Supriya’s face in this video from WWL-TV

Bayou Buzz’s Jeff Crouyere takes up the gauntlet and tells PBJ not to play Louisiana voters for fools

It is time to remind our politicians that the people of Louisiana are not stupid. Voters in this state may make poor political decisions and elect the wrong people to office, but they are very politically savvy. The people of Louisiana understand when politicians are not telling the truth. For example, despite what is said by Senator McCain or Governor Jindal, people know exactly what is going on this weekend in Arizona.

According to Governor Jindal, he is going to tout recovery issues with the Arizona Senator. The McCain campaign claims that the visit is purely “social” in nature. All of this is pure and unadulterated malarkey.

Although there will be socializing and the issue of the recovery may be discussed, there is only one reason for the trip to Arizona this weekend, to determine who John McCain wants to pick as his running mate. The Arizona Senator is looking for the best match and he is using the weekend to “interview” Jindal, Florida Governor Charlie Crist and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Could it be just a coincidence that this social includes three men who are top vice presidential contenders? Of course not, the vice presidency is the only reason why these candidates have been invited by McCain to the Arizona compound. Even former Louisiana Governor and McCain confidante Buddy Roemer admits that Jindal is on the “short list” to be selected as the GOP vice presidential nominee.

I just wish that Governor Jindal would level with the voters of Louisiana. He is obviously interested in pursuing the vice presidency. Otherwise, he would not be granting so many national interviews to improve his national profile. If uninterested in the position, he would not be spending the weekend with John McCain.

There are many problems that need to be addressed in Louisiana, demanding the full time attention of Governor Jindal. He is a talented, capable and ambitious leader who should put all of his considerable talents to use to benefit our state. Pursuing the vice presidency is strictly a personal quest for political advancement. Although most politicians would do the same thing, many people thought that Jindal was somehow different and would put the people of Louisiana first on his priority list.

In my view, at age 36 and after only four months as Governor of Louisiana, it is way too soon for Jindal to be considered for a position that is only a heartbeat away from the most important job in the world. Being considered is quite flattering and this courtship has obviously interested the Governor, but while this process unfolds the unfinished business of Louisiana remains. There is much work to be done to make this state a better place to live, work and raise a family. The Governor should focus his full attention on the important matters of the home front. It is more challenging than anything he will face as Vice President of the United States.

Fred Radtke gets the beat down from Judge Sean Early

Read all about it at Nola Rising

Here is an installment from WWL-TV on NOLA Rising’s art work

I’ve been driving around with camera in hand (when I remember to bring it) so here are some pictures of Radtke’s work - this is a montage in progress with more grey paint pictures coming

Looking at the pictures below of I-10 west before the 17th St. Canal, it just occurred to me - isn’t the interstate state/federal property? Then who is sanctioning Radtke to paint grey paint all over this graffiti? Plus that last picture of the bridge over the 17th street canal is partly in Jefferson Parish…

Drive around, Radtke’s mark is all over the place - the mark of a beast, out of control

ode to my companion

Last night it came to an end - my beloved dog, my companion of 13 years is gone. He had slowed down the last couple years with a weak heart, was valiant the past week during the decline and went peacefully in my arms. C and I brought him home and laid him to rest in the soft ground beneath the ginger in my backyard, burying him under the waning moon in the cool of the night…

I got him at 5 weeks old, and he was by my side the entire way. I remember his high energy and friendliness to all. Despite being a crazy hound, he was one of those dogs that never chewed or barked. He never was able to be left off the leash cause he’d run off, but he loved the water and enjoyed getting a bath. Thunder and rainstorms made him crazy, I wonder why some dogs go nuts as the foul weather passes. He was raised as a puppy around an aloof old cat, and I think he adopted her mannerisms of being distant and skittish - then again maybe it was just his breed.

But he loved to sit at my feet while I cooked, cause he always got scraps as I prepared the dish, plus ate whatever else hit the floor. And he would do this cute maneuver whenever he needed attention, he’d muscle his snout in the crook of my arm or weasel under my leg and wedge himself in the respective extremity until I stopped what I was doing to pet him and scratch his chin.

I remember his first encounter with snow, in New Mexico at a rest stop, and how he romped around in the white, trying to shake it off his paws and lick it from the ground. It was a special time those few years on the road with him in the mountains, a liberating time for me and he was there with me while we traveled all over the country…

There is a special place for you in heaven, and I will see you again…

…with love to my brave friend
January 13, 1995 - May 22, 2008

John McGowan Jackson, Mississippi developer proposes damming the Pearl River with resulting detriment to south Louisiana wetlands

Sunday’s Times Picayune article on the Two Lakes Plan development in Jackson, Mississippi outlines the potential devastation to the lower Pearl River and the Wildlife Management Area.

Apparantly McGowan is an oil man - his company is located in Jackson Mississippi, however they also have an office in LaPlace, Louisiana.

Here is the T-P article with links provided to read further about this issue

Passing under a veil of Spanish moss to enter the narrow channels of Maple Slough in the West Pearl River, Jeff Rogers’ boat glided past cypress and gum trees keeping silent sentry.

As a bullfrog croaked a lonesome serenade, a great blue heron stood erect on a piece of driftwood. A water-level check boded forewarning.

Dipping a tree branch into the swamp, Rogers, owner of the Cajun Encounters tour company, guessed that it was about 2 1/2 feet deep. Come summer, the bog will be about a foot lower, making it difficult to navigate his 20-foot boat through the slough, the main attraction of the tours that Rogers and three other Slidell companies offer visitors and nature enthusiasts.

“Beyond what it goes down now, I would not be able to navigate down here at all,” Rogers said.

A proposed flood-control project in Jackson, Miss., could make that hypothesis a reality. Environmental experts fear the project could send water pollution downstream and disrupt water levels, which could have disastrous effects on Louisiana’s swamp tour industry.

Promoted by John McGowan of McGowan Working Partners, the project, called the “Two Lakes Plan,” entails damming and dredging the Pearl River 12 miles south of the Ross Barnett Reservoir to create artificial lakes spanning 4,900 acres and containing 90 miles of shoreline.

Within the lakes in downtown Jackson, minutes from Interstate 55, McGowan hopes to build 36 islands loaded with retail, housing and recreational opportunities. He says the plan will make Jackson virtually flood-proof and bring in revenue without affecting downstream communities.

“We want to create a place where people want to be, nature and development-wise,” said Robert Muller, a McGowan consultant.

Environmentalists, horrified by the project, say the Two Lakes Plan will wipe out almost 5,500 acres of wetlands and more than 3,400 acres of forest, jeopardize two threatened species and place residents in the middle of a floodplain.

Many local environmental groups assumed the project would quickly fade after McGowan introduced it 11 years ago, but growing support and the Water Resources Development Act, approved by Congress in November 2007, heightened alarm.

The act authorized a Pearl River flood-control project and told the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the Two Lakes Plan, referred to as “the locally preferred plan,” before deciding which project to construct.

American Rivers, a Washington advocacy group, cited that vote as “a key issue” in its decision to add the Pearl to its list of America’s most endangered rivers last month.

Melissa Samet, senior director for American Rivers, said the annual list highlights rivers that are at a crossroads.

“It’s this year where the public’s voice can make a huge difference,” she said.

Since a 1979 flood destroyed almost 3,000 Jackson homes and businesses and caused more than $200 million in damage, a number of flood-control projects have been proposed for Mississippi’s state capital and most populous city. They’ve received varying levels of support.

Last month, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted to approve a different version of the Two Lakes Plan, which calls for the river to be made into one 1,500-acre lake with $205 million in levees stretching north and south.

“I want to stop flooding, one, and, two, I want economic benefit, and anything that will provide that I will support,” said levee board member Con Maloney, who represents Hinds County, which includes Jackson.

Maloney, who voted for the one-lake plan, said the board, “would not intentionally do anything that will hurt people down the river.”

McGowan is nevertheless confident that his proposal will become a reality. In disagreement with the corps over the cost of the project, which he puts at $200 million, McGowan is in the process of contacting the area’s 90 landowners in hopes of financing the lakes as a private project.

“We believe we have a lot of support from other people in Jackson that truly believe this is the better project,” Muller said.

The 490-mile Pearl River extends from Winston County in Mississippi through the central part of that state and into southeastern Louisiana, draining 23 Mississippi counties and three Louisiana parishes along the way. West of Picayune, Miss., the river forks, with the East Pearl River emptying into Lake Borgne and the West Pearl flowing into the Rigolets.

One of the major problems with the Two Lakes Plan, according to critics, is that there’s no agreement on how it will affect Jackson residents and downstream communities.

Monticello Mayor Dave Nichols, whose community lies 60 miles south of the proposed development, said the lakes will bring 2 more inches of water to Monticello and neighboring Columbia.

“Two more inches floods my downtown. Naturally, I have a great concern,” he said.

Then there’s the opposite scenario, offered by Barry Kohl, a geology professor for Tulane University, that the lakes built up north would reduce water flow and “cause additional problems with water availability in the lower Pearl” during the dry season.

“What it could do is potentially starve the Pearl River basin, the part that’s in Louisiana,” Kohl said.

Additional oxygen reductions to the Pearl during the summer months could also impact the river’s larger ecosystem “and probably harm the productivity of fish and harm the population,” Kohl said.

“It’s an issue that the state of Louisiana should be looking at in terms of the impact,” he said.

Chris Piehler, senior environmental scientist for Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality, was not familiar with the plan, but he echoed Kohler’s sentiments about water flow and oxygen levels, saying the proposed developments “could have very significant impacts if they are not managed properly.”

In addition to jeopardizing ecosystems in Mississippi and Louisiana, environmentalists say, the Two Lakes Plan, touted as a flood-control project by McGowan, actually puts residents in Jackson and downstream in greater danger.

That’s because the development would erase nearly 5,500 acres of wetlands that provide natural flood control, said Samet, with American Rivers.

A single acre of wetlands can store up to 1.5 million gallons of water, and Jackson’s wetlands naturally provide about $6.8 million in stormwater-filtering services, she said.

The levee-board-approved single-lake plan, environmentalists say, provides even worse flood protection because, as history has shown, levees can fail.

Nestled in the trees of LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, near the Pearl River in Jackson, a white-eyed vireo and a warbler shared a musical exchange.

“Sounds like they’re talking about where they’re going to go,” said Kathy Shropshire, executive director for the Mississippi Wildlife Federation.

More than 300,000 people enjoy the 300-acre park’s fishing and camping sites and picnic pavilions every year. On a recent afternoon with Shropshire and Pearl River Basin Coalition member Tom Pullen, a handful of visitors picnicked among the water oak and sweet gum trees while a family of Canada geese meandered down Mayes Lake.

“If the lakes plans are built, it will all be permanently under water,” Pullen said of the area.

Shropshire said she and others are surprised that the proposal introduced more than 10 years ago is still alive. “Why anyone would want to live in a floodplain is just beyond me,” she said.

McGowan says his Two Lakes Plan is “100 percent effective on everything from a 100-year flood down,” and will have an “infinitesimal” effect on southeastern Louisiana and other downstream communities.

“That’s so far down there that it wouldn’t have an effect that would be significant,” he said.

McGowan said his plan would significantly slow the river’s rate of flow, and that water moving from the Ross Barnett Reservoir would leave the lakes purified after flowing across nearly 130 miles of grassy shoreline, unlike now, when it sits and stagnates in the river’s wetlands, he said.

And far from providing natural flood control as asserted by environmental experts, the wetlands in Jackson were actually responsible for 6 feet of the flooding during the 1979 flood, Muller said.

“There are lots of places where trees are very wonderful,” Muller said. “They’re a real problem here, and they flood people’s homes.”

Citing the corps’ unreleased feasibility study, McGowan said the agency agrees with the hydraulic benefits of his plan and disagrees only on its price. The corps’ project manager, Gary Walker, confirmed McGowan’s assertions that the Two Lakes Plan would reduce flood damage.

He said it is up the local levee board to determine which flood-control project to undertake. “We really don’t have a stance on it,” Walker said.

Muller said the corps’ study also revealed that the Two Lakes Plan will have no adverse impact on two threatened species: the ringed sawback turtle and gulf sturgeon.

McGowan anticipates that public support of the Two Lakes Plan will bring about approval from local officials, including levee board members needed to move the project forward. He will present his plan Thursday to Mississippi’s House Conservation and Water Resources Committee.

Environmentalists upset about what they might lose aren’t thinking about what the community stands to gain, Muller said.

“They can still have their picnic benches, they can still have their campgrounds, but it’s going to be on a lake,” he said. “It’s not going to have mosquitoes and bugs; it’s going to be beautiful, and people are going to want to be there.”

Cajun Encounters owner Jeff Rogers started his tour business 11 years ago. For his and other swamp tour companies, which provide the bulk of St. Tammany’s tourism industry, the Maple and Eagle sloughs are necessary to show out-of-towners the quintessential swamp.

“This is the highlight of my trip; this is what I sell to my customers,” said Rogers, who guessed that the four companies operating on the West Pearl see an average of 300 to 400 visitors a day.

“If this river goes down a foot more than it is now, my business would be impacted drastically,” he said.

As his tour boat glided through the Pearl’s waters, past the egrets, alligators and cypress trees for which the river is home, Rogers said one of Louisiana’s last untouched wetlands is at stake.

“This is really a jewel,” he said.

a tax holiday for hurricane season supplies

So now you can get a tax break when you head out on May 24 and May 25 to stock up on batteries, axes, generators…

…good gawd, its THAT time of year already?

Louisiana Sales Tax Holiday for Hurricane Preparedness May 24 & 25, 2008

Louisiana residents can purchase needed items free of sales tax as they prepare for the 2008 hurricane season.

The inaugural 2008 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday takes place on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. The holiday is an annual, statewide event created by the Louisiana Legislature to assist families with the important job of protecting their lives and property in the event of a serious storm.

During the two‐day holiday, tax‐free purchases are allowed for the first $1,500 of the sales price on each of the following items:

• Self‐powered light sources, such as flashlights and candles;
• Portable self‐powered radios, two‐way radios, and weather‐band radios;
•Tarpaulins or other flexible waterproof sheeting;
•Ground anchor systems or tie‐down kits;
•Gas or diesel fuel tanks;
•Batteries – AAA, AA, C, D, 6‐volt, or 9‐volt (automobile batteries and boat batteries are not eligible);
•Cellular phone batteries and chargers;
•Non‐electric food storage coolers;
•Portable generators;
•Storm shutter devices – Materials and products manufactured, rated, and marketed specifically for the purposes of preventing window damage from storms (La. R.S. 47:305.58).

The 2008 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 25.

The sales tax holiday does not extend to hurricane‐preparedness items or supplies purchased at any airport, public lodging establishment or hotel, convenience store, or entertainment complex.

For more information, visit www.revenue.louisiana.gov

Lee Zurik Appreciation Post

WWL-TV’s own Lee Zurik, dragonslayer extraordinaire gets high praise from the NOLA Blogosphere as a champion of all things right in this town.

Watching him on WWL-TV is a pleasure. His exterior is soft and non-threatening, and his voice is smooth, easygoing and peaceful - he never raises his voice to anyone. Unlike Dennis Woltering who is aggressive and goes for the jugular, when Zurik interviews his subjects he gains their trust and asks his questions so gently that it must be hard for them not to reply. It is a pleasure to watch Zurik, unlike Woltering who seems to have the ability to make his television viewer squirm in their seat during his stories. But don’t let the cool calm facade fool you, Zurik is the only TV newsman that has taken the time to dig deep into the corruption and pathetic apathy of the people in power who are shoveling this city into the ground and to attack their achilles heels in the name of fair play and justice for New Orleans.

Case in point are a few expose’ pieces he presented recently on WWL

First is his piece on the floodwalls in St. Bernard Parish stuffed with newspaper

and the second is his piece on a New Orleans city contract with a 311 vendor

and here is a follow up piece on New Orleans’ city contract with a 311 vendor

Friday morning on WWL radio, the city of New Orleans intergovernmental relations director Kenya Smith answered questions about an Eyewitness News investigation in which experts and city council members said the city was paying about $17 million for a 3-year contract for 311 non-emergency service.

Smith, who would not agree to an interview with WWL-TV before or after the report, contended that the city budget caps the money allowed to pay any contract for the 311 system at $3.7 million.

Friday afternoon ACS, the company contracted to provide 311 service told us they interpreted the agreement somewhat differently, saying the contract costs just under $7 million for 3 years, because they aren’t providing service currently for everything spelled out in the contract.

That contradicts Rutgers University at Newark professor Robert Schick, who in the Eyewitness News story said he interpreted the contract to be worth as much as $32 million for six years.

Mayor Ray Nagin walks away from the camera as a WWL-TV producer attempts to ask questions about the 311 service contract Friday.

“If he based it on us paying $23 or $28 million instead of the $3 million or so dollars, then that analysis is fundamentally flawed to begin with,” said Smith. “No professional can do an analysis without speaking with the people involved.”

City council members say they also still have many questions about the contract, including trying to find out just how much the city’s contractor was paid in 2007, how much they’ll earn in 2008, and what that money’s going towards.

Among other questions remaining: Why did city council members, the inspector general, a professor and an administrator of a major city’s 311 call center all interpret the contract to be worth as much as $28 million.

And that doesn’t explain the alleged under performance of the 311 system or why 311 operators send complaints to city departments and why some say complaints get lost.

“Why is it you can call the operator, you can give the information to her, she calls the department, and at that point it goes into a black hole,” asked Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell.

An Eyewitness News crew tried to ask Mayor Nagin questions about the program’s performance and price and as he walked away from the cameras, he said he would not comment.

“I ain’t helping you sensationalize nothing,” he said. “You can go and find that information somewhere else.”

After requesting an on-camera interview with a representative of the city for weeks on this story, the city issued a statement just before 5 p.m. Friday, blasting the report.

“It is apparent from the report that the contract was misinterpreted and misread, which is negligent and unfair to our citizens, especially during this time of recovery,” said the statement.

The city said that the contract states the maximum sum paid to the contractor in 2007 would be $3.2 million, $500,00 less than the figure Smith gave on the radio Friday.

The city said the 311 contract is for one year, with options for renewal every year after that. They have not said how much the contract is worth in 2008, nor for any renewal thereafter.

Here the teflon mayor high-tails it away from Zurik as he barks I ain’t helping you sensationalize nothing, you can go and find that information somewhere else.

And the latest expose’ on Jay Blossman, the Entergy employee “fund soliciting” Public Service Commissioner

He is quite impressive and I for one am thankful he chose to broaden his horizons beyond reporting sports to reporting the hard stories that just might keep New Orleans respectable and elevate it beyond the incompetence (note picture immediately above) she is mired in right now.

Thank you Lee Zurik, thank you so very much from the bottom of mine, and many other NOLA bloggers hearts…