Our Views: Mayor should release names

We never cease to be surprised by the degree to which elected officials can treat public assets as private property.

The latest case in point is Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden, whose office received 30 tickets, collectively worth about $9,000, to a luxury suite at the Bayou Country Superfest in May. Holden refused to name the recipients of those tickets, saying it’s his “privilege” not to disclose who benefited from the mayor’s generosity.

Some $200,000 in funds given to the city-parish by BP’s Louisiana Tourism Recovery Program were used to subsidize Superfest. Visit Baton Rouge, the city-parish’s tourism agency, also provided a $200,000 subsidy to the festival.

Holden’s office got the luxury-level tickets because of his official role as mayor. The public should be able to know who is enjoying these public assets. They are, after all, useful perks that a public official can use to reward friends and court new ones. Holden said “some” of the tickets were given to people to encourage business development in Baton Rouge.

We see no reason why the names of those who benefited from these tickets should be kept secret. Holden noted that Gov. Bobby Jindal has refused to make public the names of people who sit in his suite at Mercedes Benz Superdome events.

We’re dismayed that Holden is looking to Jindal as a model to follow in matters of government transparency. Jindal has successfully supported legislation to shield more documents from public view. His administration has acted in other ways to hide its activities from public scrutiny.

Holden’s mention of “privilege” to defend his secrecy seems more like the comment of a king, not a public servant.

We expect a higher standard of transparency from the mayor of Baton Rouge.

Comments

1) Comment by Attila - 21/07/2012

DMJ, once again you dodge the issue and attempt to muddy the waters. All one has to do is read your posts to understand that you, again, have proved that if not for double standards, Democrats would have no standards at all.

2) Comment by phil - 20/07/2012

How about they give EVERYONE in EBR Parish or the state a ticket since we are the ones who are paying the taxes to subsidize this event. Where was my free ticket?

3) Comment by Elderly Man - 20/07/2012

I don't care whether our mayor gives away tickets but I paid for them. He needs to tell us who got what we provided. .

4) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

@DMJ: As usual, you have run out of legitimate arguments and have resorted to calling the entire debate stupid, and belittling the other participants.

5) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

Ugh...what a stupid debate. One guy unable to understand that different things are judged by different standards, another guy saying that the ridiculous birth certificate witch hunt was NOT racially motivated. Happy Bizarro Friday everyone!

6) Comment by gman70726 - 20/07/2012

CountryAttorney: You are correct with the idea that if you run on a platform, you should stand by those words. I remember the demonization Bush SR for "Read my lips, No New Taxes.." and the left crucified him because he raised taxes. Which, by the way, was part of a deal with them if they cut spending (never happened). DMJ is a race baiter. It would be one thing to point the finger at the "right wing" but in his statement he said it was obviously "racially" motivated. I don't think that race is the factor that some people crave it to be. Holden, Romney and Obama should release the documents requested because they either work for the People or are asking to.

7) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

Additionally, if you run your campaign with transparency as one of your major platforms, it seems disingenuous to consistently conceal information to the public. Examples: 1) Birth Certificate; 2) the Rapid Passage of ACA; 3) Fast and Furious - despite a congressional subpoena; and now 4) college transcripts. Those are just the ones off the top of my head, I'm sure more examples could be found with minor effort.

8) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

I don't care to see either's transcripts or tax returns. I just think it is hypocritical for one side to as for the release of personal records and not extend the same courtesy to the other. And correct me if I'm wrong, but Mitt Romney is running for president, not his father. So I don't much care what his father did or didn't do. And it seems like if there is nothing to hide, it's a much bigger waste of time and effort to not release transcripts. Just put the issue to bed, much like he should have done in the first place with his birth certificate, which, as a matter of fact, was a much bigger issue since citizenship is not merely an issue of public debate, but a requirement for qualification for the office. Again...Double Standard.

9) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

Also, I don't want to see Romney's transcripts. I don't care what grades he made. It's not relevant. Any of this starting to sink in?

10) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

I think the tax return inquest is a little more than something to bash him with. Tax policy is a major issue in this election, is it not? Tax returns are relevant; transcripts aren't. Maybe...just maybe the reason he's not releasing them is because it doesn't matter and it's a giant waste of time. If Obama hadn't released over 10 years of tax returns, I'd want to see them as well. But he did. Romney should do the same, like his father did.

11) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

And lets be honest...Republicans want Obama to release his transcripts so they can bash him about something, and Democrats what Romney to release his returns so they can bash him about how much money he makes and how he makes his money. Neither side has a good or noble reason for requesting such documents. They merely want to use them as ammunition in their campaigns in an effort to manipulate voters. That's the truth and everyone with any sense must know it on some level.

12) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

Yes I know what transcripts are. I hold a doctorate...I've seen a few sets of student transcripts in my life. I also know that different universities put different information on the transcripts they produce. Typically it's only grades with a student's name, maybe his address, and a few other pieces of identifying information. I'm just trying to figure out what he could be so ashamed of. Like I said, the president is obviously a very intelligent man. I know that if people cared, I'd be flashing my law school transcript to everyone who asked! And I only graduated from Southern. If I had graduated from Harvard Law and made even half decent grades, I'd post it on a billboard!

13) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

Sometimes double standards exist for a reason- typically, when judging two completely different things like apples and oranges or say....college transcripts and tax returns. Ugh...

14) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

Transcripts wouldn't show what kind of financial aid he got. Do you not know what transcripts are? And I remain thoroughly unconvinced that transcripts and tax returns both have implications for the laws of this country. Clearly, you didn't read my entire post either.

15) Comment by CountryAttorney - 20/07/2012

@DMJ: Like I said, I don't think the president his hiding his grades. I think he's hiding some kind of foreign student aid scholorship or something like that. That would make his transcript a matter of public concern. I don't argue that Romney needs to release his return (you clearly did not read the entirety of my previous post), but Obama is hiding something, and if he isn't...then why not release it? I just hate the double standard...Romney is evil for not releasing his returns, but Obama has every right not to disclose his birth certificate (obviously a matter of public concern since citizenship is a requirement to hold office) and his transcripts.

16) Comment by DMJ - 20/07/2012

Is there a difference between tax returns and transcripts? Yes, obviously. One has to do with grades, the other has to do with taxes. One has implications for the tax code of this country, the other doesn't. Basically, one matters...the other doesn't. If you think this is a "both sides of the issue" issue, then you're delusional. Romney made some of his money by shutting companies down, firing the employees and liquidating their pensions. He avoided paying taxes by sheltering his money in offshore accounts (how patriotic of him). He's hiding his tax returns (at least those of the years before he was running for President, for pete's sake) because he doesn't want the people to see that being incredibly wealthy, as he is, gives him opportunities to exploit the tax code (and pay a smaller tax rate than me or you) that normal Americans don't have. His tax returns perfectly expose the deep-rooted fundamental unfairness of Romney's brand of capitalism. They matter. What could we possibly learn from Obama's college transcripts that would have real implications for the laws of this country? Was it not enough that he was made to suffer the obviously racially motivated indignity of producing his birth certificate, which he had already done when first filing with the Federal Election Commission?! Jesus F. Christ, I hate false equivolence arguments.

17) Comment by Chucky - 19/07/2012

Being_Stupid good post not that you need any kudas . but a i agree

18) Comment by CountryAttorney - 19/07/2012

@DMJ: I think I've seen you hit on Romney's tax return thing more than once, and I agree with you that he should release them. But I question your motives since you do not seem to care that the president has refused to release his college transcripts. Nor do you seem to care that he took over two years from his taking office to release his long form birth certificate. I'm all about government transparency, but I believe in transparency on BOTH sides of the aisle. You seem to give politicians with certain political persuasions a pass, while giving those with beliefs opposed to your own a hard time. I legitimately ask you, is there a difference between one's personal income tax returns and their birth certificate or transcripts? The president certainly can't be concerned about what his grades must reveal. I mean he graduated from Harvard Law...his grades surely would not call into question his aptitude. He's a very intelligent man, he should have nothing academically of which to be ashamed. And the same goes for Romney...he should have nothing to be ashamed of. I understand the hesitation on both sides since the media will spin whatever if finds, but this should not be an excuse to hide something of such interest to the public. If everything is legitimate, certainly both Romney and the president have to media resources to explain the contents of their respective documents.

19) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 19/07/2012

That Holden sure knows how to conduct a campaign. If for no other reason than to not seem like he's hiding something 2 months before an election, he should have released the names. What a dumb move. This is the equivalent of him sending out a fake picture of himself with a black eye.

20) Comment by Being_Stupid - 19/07/2012

"It ain't what you don't know that'll hurt ya, it's what you "know" that ain't so." - Will Rogers. Unless you are a kid that licks lead paint, or eating a cantaloupe infected with e-coli, or playing with a turtle that has salmonella, or been bitten by a mosquito with west nile virus, or if that big lucky 4 leaf clover you just found in a patch of 3 leaf clovers is actually a rare 4 leaf poison ivy leaf you just found in a patch of poison ivy, or if you have cancer.... then and only then, what you don't know might hurt you. But not knowing who Kip Holden invited to Bayou Fest, won't hurt you. Ignorance is bliss.

21) Comment by Being_Stupid - 19/07/2012

What we don't know, won't hurt us.

22) Comment by phil - 19/07/2012

ScotB - I personally believe If people want to discuss business they can meet at the Mayor's office where it is nice and quiet and talk about business. If taxpayers have to pay this much out of their own pockets for events like, this then I actually expect COMPLETE disclosure and nothing less.

23) Comment by phil - 19/07/2012

We keep pumping tax money into this event and people KEEP on getting free tickets and the financial information for this event is STILL being kept secret. People are getting what the deserve I think, because nobody in BR seems to want to say the obvious - something stinks in BR other than the sewerage (and the sewerage project.). How many more "privileged" people can taxpayers afford to pay for in BR?

24) Comment by DMJ - 19/07/2012

I also agree with ScotB. Still...I don't like it when elected officials try to hide things. Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure... Kip (eventually) should say who got the tickets. Congress should pass the Disclose Act and Romney should release more tax returns, like his father did. Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure... If politicians have nothing to hide, then why are they hiding it?

25) Comment by Being_Stupid - 19/07/2012

ScotB's comment below makes a good point.

26) Comment by Being_Stupid - 19/07/2012

Give us the goop.

27) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 19/07/2012

King Holden doesn't answer to his minions, they answer to him.

28) Comment by lovemykids - 19/07/2012

Why doesn't the Advocate send reporters to such events to find out who was there?

29) Comment by Chucky - 19/07/2012

Shows not shoes ( i need coffee)

30) Comment by Chucky - 19/07/2012

“operate under an expectation of privacy.” Then do not take tickets to a public event . And for Holden doing the child thing of “ He Did It, He Did It To “ just shoes how wrong he is.

31) Comment by Cousin Dave - 19/07/2012

I am still waiting for the advocate to reveal who got the other tickets that Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Visit Baton Rouge gave away to the conference. I don't see much difference between the advocate keeping those tickets secret after they were supposedly revealed, and what Holden is doing. The hypocrisy here is really hard to swallow.

32) Comment by The_Host - 19/07/2012

So they can afford to expand their business and move locations but they can't afford a concert ticket. Got it!

33) Comment by Elderly Man - 19/07/2012

We paid for those tickets. We deserve to know who got them.

34) Comment by ScotB - 19/07/2012

Let's say that the mayor was entertaining company executives that were considering a relocation or expansion in Baton Rouge. Most companies that reveal plans that are under consideration (but not finalized) operate under an expectation of privacy. Would you still want the mayor to reveal who got the tickets? It would be a serious setback on firms willingness to divulge location or expansion plans to the mayor's office and economic development officials. How specific does the information need to be to satisfy the people who want more complete disclosure?