"The people of District A have spoken loud and clear, and over half voted for change. Come March 2, with the help of Our Pal Sal and the citizens of District A, we will return independence and accountability to the City Council." Jay Batt, quoted from 2002

Well said, Mr Batt!

For politicians, the statements and promises made in earlier elections often have an unpleasantly familiar ring four years later. We've reprinted some 2002 election-related quotes that strike us as both ironic and relevant this time around...

From the Louisiana Weekly:
Palmisano did not wait long to announce whom he would support. He has endorsed Batt in the Runoff election slated for March 2. "I am endorsing Jay Batt because when I entered the race for District A I felt that change was needed. I still feel that way," stated Mr. Palmisano, "Jay Batt will bring the changes needed to District A and the City as a whole. He will address the issues of patronage and police protection, of new business development issues that have gone unaddressed for far too long."

Jay Batt greeted the endorsement with the words, "I am honored and delighted to have the support of Mr. Palmisano in the runoff election. The people of District A have spoken loud and clear, and over half voted for change. Come March 2, with the help of Our Pal Sal and the citizens of District A, we will return independence and accountability to the City Council."

Thanks to reknowned blogger Ashley Morris, for his reaction to Jay Batt's new anti-Shelley Midura flyer that started raising a stink in District A mailboxes this week.

Jay Batt is just pure evil

Man, I thought maybe the guy was just a typical crony-loving puppet.

No, he’s evil. Lying through his porcelain-veneer teeth evil.

Today, I got a flyer from "stopshelley.com." This thinly veiled Jay Batt propaganda piece made me laugh hysterically.

The flyer says "The most frequently asked question in District A is “Just who is Shelley Midura and why are so many Out of Towners contributing to her campaign?”"

Yeah, right. The most frequently asked question in district A is really “Have you been slimed by Batt, too? Yeah, slimed. Like in Ghostbusters. He’s that slippery and oozy.”

So the propaganda goes on to say that Midura has hired “Out of Town Consultants, an Out of Town Campaign Manager, an Out of Town Photographer and an Out of Town Direct-Mail Operator”. They then encourage us to “JOIN THE STOP SHELLEY TEAM”.

They must think we’re as clueless as Batt.

After the 2002 primary election, Jay paid Sal Palmisano a $1500 "consulting" fee, right around the same time his Pal Sal endorsed him for the runoff in that race. Why didn't anyone make a fuss about this at the time, you may ask? Because the campaign finance report that showed Jay's payment to Sal wasn't filed until December 5, 2002, well after the March runoff election dust had settled.

Considering the anti-Morial climate then as now, a fuss may certainly have been raised about some of Batt's other "endorsement payments", if anyone had known about them at the time. Jay's 10-day campaign report from the 2002 election, also belatedly dated 12-5-02, shows a $15,000 payment to Marc Morial's political organization LIFE.

Ironically, Batt made a campaign issue out of accusing Scott Shea of both LIFE and Morial's support!

Batt also made payments of $15,000 to BOLD (the Black Organization for Leadership Development), $6,000 to Bill Jefferson’s Progressive Democrats, $6500 to the Treme Improvement Political Society, and $4000 to the Regular Democratic Organization.

So the next time you read about Jay Batt's "endorsements", consider their price tags. But don't hold your breath: we probably won't know what they really cost him until maybe... December?

2002 Campaign Report

2002 Election 10 Day Report

In 2000 and 2002, Scott Shea loudly publicized Batt's "history of driving offenses, gambling and arrests, one of which resulted in a reckless driving conviction."

"One of them was a reading of .18. That would make him drunk enough for two people," Shea said. "He thinks there are two sets of rules, not only in politics but in life." (T-P, 4/12/00)

Jay Batt was a very lucky man, however, as reckless and drunk driving weren't the only offenses from which he managed to escape serious repercussions as a twenty-something "youth".

He was claimed as an "aider and abettor" by Harahan bookmaker Buddy Kollin (See the page here) in his 1988 federal trial in which Kollin also claimed Batt was "part of his gambling operation." Despite being one of Kollin's heaviest "plungers", Batt was not indicted and ended up testifying for the prosecution against his long-time bookie (See the page here).

Republican District A council candidate Tom Wagner has chosen to endorse Shelley Midura in the runoff rather than fellow Republican Jay Batt.

Mr. Wagner said: “Following the primary, I have had an opportunity to sit down with both Jay Batt and Shelley Midura and discuss the issues I consider critical to our district, city and region. I ran for the District A seat with a firm conviction that our council must place neighborhood integrity and protection first in all considerations and the council must play a leadership role for good, effective, responsible government.” "With those important goals in mind, I wholeheartedly endorse Shelley Midura in the run-off. She represents an opportunity for a new direction for our district with an emphasis of neighborhood-friendly growth, not quick deals and unwanted commercial encroachment. It is also time to unite behind new leadership, untethered by past mistakes and committed to reform, streamlined public services and a vision for the future of our entire region. Shelley is committed to those goals and I am happy to support her in this runoff.”