Louisiana Voters to Vote on Levee Board Reform

by Daniel Kotler, Editor at Large
On September 30, slightly over a year after Hurricane Katrina burst the levees protecting the New Orleans area, Louisiana residents will vote to radically overhaul the system of levee boards charged with maintaining the levees. The current system, which was in place during Katrina, entails a series of local levee boards. These boards, whose members are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the governor, have been accused of being seats of patronage and political corruption who failed in practice to keep the levees maintained. Interestingly, one commentator claims the problem was not corruption, but the cleaning up of corruption, which kicked out so many of the sitting board members. Constitutional Amendment 3 on the September 30th ballot would consolidate these local boards into just two. Although board members would still be appointed by the governor, the amendment would require most of them to be experts in relevant fields. The consolidated boards would also be stripped of responsibilities other than levee reform.
Amendment 3 has apparently faced little organized, public opposition, despite some reports of 'underground' opposition."