Profile of a Jacques Voter 2010.02.28

TT reports:

Alexandria Police Department detectives are looking into the theft of a vehicle, which was stolen Thursday evening after the owner’s fiancé allegedly lent it to a guy he only knows as “Pooh.”

This is obviously a Jacques voter.  Just like the TT, he took a man's word and got played.  If the TT called up the po-po and reported Jacques for lying about the deal and promising rebates that don't exist, would the APD investigate?  The story would go something like this:

APD detectives are looking into the theft of the TT's credibility, which was stolen Sunday morning after the TT editor lent it to a guy who pretends to be a mayor.

TT: The Journal of Yesterday's News

TT has published another "opinion".  Here are some real laughers:

Then from that perspective the city wasted five years and millions of dollars of taxpayer money over nothing.

That is not exactly our take on the matter.

JB Staff:  Show us the money!

The fact is, in the end, Cleco paid to make the case go away before trial. And it paid dearly.

JB Staff:  Show us the money!

Mayor Jacques Roy, who took office in December 2006, inherited the fight and put the litigation on track.

His administration has certified the city got the best deal it could -- quite possibly more than the city would have gotten with a win in court.

JB Staff:  Show us the money!

Since the city is still in business with Pineville-based Cleco Corp., we must hope that the company will not repeat whatever "controversy" about charges and bookkeeping errors that they claim were all that was at issue.

JB Staff:  Hope is dope!  The audacity of hope!

Once everything is final, eventually much of the information from the city's work on the case -- data, assessments and such -- should become public record.

When that time comes, The Town Talk will be there to demand the information.

ROTFLMAO!  Do ya'll still have a telegraph machine up there?  TT, you make the pony express look like the fax machine.  And stop snorting Jacques crack.

Stand Up and Be Counted

Thank you to all of our readers.  We seem to have gotten very popular lately and the google searches from Capitol Hill are kinda impressive, but what Cleco employee was so scared that they ran down to the Pineville library at lunchtime Friday to look us up?  What kind of society do we live in when people fear the truth?  We should never forget the lies that our politicians and city "leaders" have been telling us for years.  Do you really like the fetal position?  Do you really like getting kicked in the stomach everyday?  Do you really like driving to the library because you are scared that your employer will fire you for the truth?  We at Jacques Barack invite everyone to rise up out of the corner and be counted.

Maybe they aren't telling us to sit at the back of the bus or spraying us with fire hoses.  Maybe they aren't unleashing dogs on us or beating us with police sticks.  But they are keeping us down.  White or black, they are keeping us down.  And we're letting them.  Do you want the truth?  Do you want a better Alexandria for everybody?  Do you have the courage to sit at the front of the bus when you're told not to?  Do you have the courage to sit at the lunch counter when you're told not to?  Do you have the courage of a 12 year old to walk through an angry screaming mob of people spitting on you just so you can get an education?

We at Jacques Barack love Alexandria and we don't like where it is headed.  Really, we don't like where it's been the past 50 years.  But we have friends and family there and it's home, whether we're there or not.  Family is one good thing about Alexandria.  The other is we don't have to fight traffic like some of us do in Dallas, Atlanta, Houston or St. Louis.  But we've got to change the lazy do-nothing mentality that has let a group of rich families and their media accomplices suck the life blood out of Alexandria.  Nothing has changed in the last 50 years except now folk can live anywhere they want in town and go to the same schools.  That was a positive change but we need a lot more.  Ask yourself, are you the problem or the solution?

Jacques: Poster Boy For Tort Reform

If anyone has been listening to Jacques Roy over the last week, they could learn a lot about lawyers and lawsuits.  Jacques says the Cleco lawsuit would have taken 10 years to finish.  He says it could cost upwards of 9 to 10 million in attorney fees.  We advise everyone to think twice before they hire a lawyer.  We advise that no one ever hire Jacques Roy as their lawyer as he has given us every reason not to.

Bienvenue! Part Deux! (Removed after Peer Review)

Somebody was having too much fun last night.  Don't give the keys to your car to a 15 year old.

Boo-Yah! Cleco Already Bragging

Looks like Mike Madison moonwalked all over Jacques face.  Check out page 124 of Cleco's report.

City of Alexandria Settlement 

February 23, 2010, the Alexandria City Council approved a settlement of the case which included a $3.0 million litigation expense reimbursement to the City and a new five-year, energy-only power supply agreement. The supply agreement may be extended, at Cleco Power’s option, for two additional one-year terms. If the City performs its obligations under the new power supply agreement, then Cleco will pay a one-time $6.5 million performance bonus at the end of the five-year term to the City.  The court dismissed the case with prejudice on February 24, 2010.

There Will Be Rebates!

We have received reports that the Roy administration met through the night and is working on an audacious plan for the utility rebates.  Jacques is pulling out all the stops on this one.  Details are sketchy, but at the moment, the plan is to issue $5 coupons redeemable at all Alexandria Popeyes locations.   Residential and industrial customers will receive rebate coupons based on the size of their house or building. Each $5 coupon will be good towards purchases of $50 or more.  Our apologies to Chuck Johnson, who was said to be visibly shaken at having to miss the women's figure skating finals.  Story developing....

A Belated Bienvenue!

Now that the Mayor and Cleco have settled their differences, we thought it appropriate to say hello to our Cleco neighbors and invite them to spend some of their big earnings in our fine city.  Everyone shown here, except for Russell Davis, are Alexandria residents.  Maybe you've seen them around town?  If not, they were probably spending their money in Dallas, Lafayette or New Orleans.  If you do see them around town, we invite you to offer a welcoming hand and get to know them better.

This is Mike Madison, Cleco's chief executive officer:

Mike joined Cleco in 2003.  Cleco shareholders have given Mr. Madison over 100,000 shares of Cleco stock.  He made $2,758,911 in 2008.  He lives in a big house in Tennyson Oaks.


This is Dilek Samil, Cleco Power's chief operating officer:

Dilek joined Cleco in 2001.  Cleco shareholders have give Ms. Samil over 70,000 shares of Cleco stock.  She made $1,589,494 in 2008.  She lives in a big house down the road from Mr. Madison.


This is Russell Davis, Cleco's chief accounting officer:

Russell joined Cleco in 2000.  Cleco shareholders have given Mr. Davis over 33,000 shares of Cleco stock.  He made $844,324 in 2008.  He lives in a big house in Fairway East.


This is George Bausewine, Cleco's senior vice president of corporate services:

Cleco charholders have given Mr. Bausewine over 42,000 shares of Cleco stock.  He made $870,187 in 2008.  He lives in a big house in West Pointe.


This is William Fontenot, Cleco's vice president of regulated generation development:

His father was a Cleco executive.  Bill joined Cleco in 1986.  Cleco shareholders have given Mr. Fontenot over 42,000 shares of Cleco stock.  He made $654,195 in 2008.  He lives in a big house in a gated community.


This is Alexandria's Mini Mayor:

Alexandrians foolishly elected him in 2006 and he makes a base salary of about $100,000 per year.  He lives in a big house in the Garden District.  He drives a $60,000 BMW.  He is currently day dreaming of applying for a Cleco attorney position once he leaves office this December.

Cleco Party Begins in 3 - 2 - 1

Cleco will be announcing it's 2009 fourth quarter financial results shortly.  Let's see what Cleco says about the Alexandria deal.

UPDATE:  No details about Alexandria in this afternoon's Cleco announcement. At 11:00 a.m. EST (10:00 a.m. CST), Friday, February 26, 2010, management of the Company will host a conference call to discuss the Company's results for the quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2009. The call will be broadcast live on the Internet, and replays will be available for 12 months. The web cast may be accessed through the Company's website at www.cleco.com by selecting "For Investors," and then "Cleco Corporation Fourth-Quarter 2009 Earnings Conference Call."

Is It Really Over? No.

Now that Judge Dread has granted both parties their motion to dismiss, we await Mini Mayor's triumphant signing ceremony.  We also await our (cough) rebates.  But is it really over?  What is it about the Roy Administration that everything must be litigated and mediated?  Now they're going to mediate payments with Bridgett Brown and EMS.  Whatever happened to honoring contracts, Jacques?  Oh, wait, we're talking Pinocchio Roy here.  We will probably get those rebates when Ms. Brown and EMS get paid.  Never.  And what about the Franklin case?  And Cleco?  We await what they will say tomorrow.  We doubt Cleco will lose any money on this deal.  Thanks, Jacques.

Coco on KAYT 88.1 FM

In case anybody missed the Tony Brown Show, Steve Coco was on.  Welcome to a good radio station, Mr. Coco.  Sounds like Mr. Coco is leaning towards a run.

You can listen to KAYT 88.1 FM live here.

Pants on the ground, Pants on the ground

LOL. What do you get when you put Donald Trump, Kanye West and Vern Troyer (Mini Me) in a blender? The current mayor of Alexandria!

Things just got a lot more interesting for white Alexandrians. Steve Coco says maybe. Looks like Jacques is whispering sweet nothings in Coco's ear. This is a job for Ken Luneau. Are there any adults at city hall? Oh, wait, Jacques probably fired them all. What we do know is that only one candidate has shown the leadership to announce her intentions for the job. Only one candidate was at council meeting last night. And that candidate was also fired by Jacques after she exposed his web of lies.

We here at Jacques Barack encourage everyone to rethink their preconceived notions of Von Jennings. You see what Jacques did to Steve Coco? What if you reported directly to this freakazoid? You think Von stood a chance with him? A lot of whites around town were angry at Bridget Brown for holding a sign while Jacques was lying in front of the council. People, don't be haters. Listen to the message, not the messenger. Ms. Brown was right and she was warning everybody. Whether you vote for Von or not, at least we agree it's time for Mini Mayor to peace out.

Pants on the ground
Pants on the ground
Mayor like a fool with you pants on the ground

Another Day, Another Lie Exposed

Why are we reading this in the TT today?

The Alexandria City Council started the ball rolling today to funding a solution for the decertification of the Red River levees.

The council introduced an ordinance that allows the city “to share equipment, resources, promote jointly favorable legislation, seek funding” and maintain that funding jointly with the Rapides Parish Police Jury, city of Pineville and other governmental entities related to the decertification issue.

The ordinance will lay over until the next City Council meeting, when it will be discussed by the Legal Committee on March 9.

Mayor Jacques Roy said the ordinance also creates a city capital project known as “Re-certification of the Rapides Area Levees Alliance” to create an intergovernmental alliance with the Police Jury and Pineville City Council.

The city of Alexandria will immediately put forth $100,000 to investigate claims by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the levees along the river can’t be certified.

Wasn't Jacques the Goat giving us all English lessons last week about the difference between accreditation and certification? Didn't he tell us on the radio that the levees had not been de-certified? Then why is his ordinance called re-certification? Does anybody think it's harder to eat spaghetti with a forked tongue? For the second time in two days, we at Jacques Barack are calling out Jacques Roy and insisting that he apologize for his lies.

Ole Miss Votes on New Mascot

Colonel Reb reminds us of David Crutchfield after a rough night. Ole Miss sucks anyway so who cares if they have a half-racist whatever. Ole Miss sucks so bad, we nominate Jacques Roy for mascot. Boo-yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is the Nightmare Over Yet?

Everybody on the council except for Ed Larvadain voted to stroke Jacques ego. We commend Mr. Larvadain for staying off the plantation. Jacques wasted even more time explaining that the vote last night and the vote a month ago were a waste a time since the vote on Dec. 30, 2008 was all he needed. Then Jacques explained it was Trey the Parrot's idea. Ka-kaugh! Ka-kaugh! Trey needed some billable hours this week, so the council had to vote a third time. Ka-kaugh! Ka-kaugh! Chuck Johnson spoke about the saving in avoided costs. Can we avoid the cost of Trey the Parrot? Now we'll have to eat $200,000 of the attorney costs. Where's the public apology from Jacques? Last week he said every dime of attorney and expert witness fees would be covered by Cleco? What the hell happened? We want to know. Where did the $200,000 come from and why didn't you mention it last week? Is this why you hid the tapes of the Friday meeting, Jacques? We don't believe a word you say Jacques. In another year, when we're paying beaucoup money to Cleco and folk are freezing in their houses, you'll be saying that you didn't say what you said when you did say exactly that and then said exactly the opposite before reversing yourself again. If that sounds stupid, that's how you sound. Adam and Eve had a better chance against the serpent than most folk here have against your forked tongue. Lord deliver us from this hairy nightmare.

Male Enhancement Pills Can Help Small Men

We here at Jacques Barack have a public service announcement for some in our audience (you know who you are). We can't help but feel bad for some men who were born with, uh, a lot less than some other brothers. If we've heard Mo'Nique say it once, we've heard it a thousand times - men make up for their lack of endowment by taking it out on others. Are you less endowed than you'd like to be? Are you frequently bitchy and irritable? Do you have feelings of inadquacy? Have you caused anyone to be fired because of these feelings of inadequacy? Have you driven to a radio station more than 3 times in the last 2 weeks?

If so, you probably need male enhancement. We highly sugggest googling about male enhancement or visiting your family doctor and you too can be like Bob.

A Positive: Mentoring to Save Our Kids

We at Jacques Barack may be scribes to the Alexandria Apocalypse, but we do harbor hope for our hometown. When we have a moment to celebrate the audacity of hope, we honor it. We have one. Michael Baisden has launched the One Million Mentors Campaign to Save Our Kids Tour. The goal is to inspire one million caring adults to become responsible mentors. He is traveling to over 70 markets nationwide to promote his mentoring message and he has committed $5,000 to each of his markets. Cenla residents are invited to match or beat his contribution, so let's step up and represent! Mr. Baisden will be recognizing the work of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cenla and will be speaking about the importance of mentoring on young people today. The event starts a 7 pm tonight and the public is invited for free.

What Rebates?

Bret McCormick reports on Jacques thoughts on rebates in Inside City Hall: Rebate question in Alexandria is pressing and complex:

Residents who might be expecting rebate checks for several thousand dollars may be very disappointed.

Roy said he supports returning to the ratepayers any money they are owed, if that is what they want. It was their money to begin with, he says.

Roy says a better use of a settlement would be to invest it in the fuel savings projected in a seven-year energy contract worked out by the city and Cleco and now being vetted. Doing so would help all current ratepayers, but it might not satisfy people who were overcharged and are no longer city ratepayers.

Jacques can contradict himself in the same sentence. What is it? Are you for the rebates are not? But we are left wondering what rebates you are talking about. There isn't any money for rebates! How are you going to pay something you don't have? Like they say on ESPN, C'mon Man!

Shani Davis Inspiration

Slow news day here. It's the winter olympics people! Which got us to thinking. If Shani Davis could overcome so many barriers to become a gold medal winner, then maybe there still is hope for Jacques. Then again, maybe it's a sign that Alexandria could elect its first lady mayor. At this stage, our money is tilted to Ms. Von Jennings. She's a lot easier on the eyes and the hair is no contest.

Would You Buy a Used Car from This Guy?

Bret McCormick reports Alexandria says contract with Cleco includes at least $50M to settle fraud lawsuit.

If this image doesn't just sum things up. Jacques with his Boss Hog look. This brothers got some chops. And cocky Quasimodo with his script in hand. Trey the Parrot lurking in the shadows, racking up billable hours and careful to poop on the left side of the cage.

OK, but would you buy anything this guy says? What is that old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Shame on Alexandria if we accept this crap. There ain't no money, Jacques! Rebates? Are you serious? In the next 5 years, Cleco will pay this blog as much money as they pay Alexandrians and that's a low down crying shame.

Worse may be the councilmen circling the wagons just for Jacques. Ro said it was "extraordinary" because Cleco's going to pay 5 years worth of bullshit bills. Hey, Ro, Cleco was the cause of the bills. Are you gonna run against Jacques or be his waterboy until a real man (or woman) steps up and represents. And Myron, you seriously think this is the best we can do? What, was that in the script that Jeff Hall gave you?

Jacques and Crutchfield were trying to outdo each other on how much the attorneys would cost. Uh, 4 million. No, easily 9 million! Sick. Hell man, they sold the Silverdome for less than a million. Hey, Jacques, we don't think you were ever here to fight Cleco. We think you were here to collect $100,000 a year, live large on the city expense account, take extravagant trips and buy yourself $60,000 BMWs.

Live Blogging (Removed)

We started Jacques Barack to be something different and to give Alexandria residents an alternative view.  Many in our camp found the original post to be very funny.  It did contains some bad language and some people who we really respect did not think some of the words were appropriate.  As someone pointed out, if we resort to foul language, we are no better than Harry Silver.  That was devastating to our original view.  After praying on it, we have decided to pull the entire post and offer our sincere apology to our readers.  We thank our readers and want them to know that we here at Jacques Barack are just getting started.  We want to make a positive difference and sometimes that means being outrageous.  We hope that we make that difference with style and taste.  If you want an alternative to the sludge the local media serves up, keep visiting Jacques Barack.

Von Jennings First to Announce

Congratulations, Ms. Jennings. We have our first official candidate for Mayor of Alexandria, as reported by Mike Magnoli of KALB. One thing Ms. Jennings has going for her is that, being the first to announce, she probably wants the job more than sitting Mayor Roy or Councilman Johnson. Being the first to announce, she has demonstrated that she is more decisive than either Mayor Roy or Councilman Johnson. The other thing going for her is that, after hiring his cousin investigator, Jacques Roy fired her and since Jacques has not made a good decision that we can recall, we read that as a very, very bad omen for Jacques and a green light for Ms. Jennings.

Mayor Roy Announces Announcement About Potential Cleco Settlement

The Roy Administration has released a "public advisory" that purports that Mayor Roy will talk about the process for certifying the value of the Cleco settlement. Did you get that? It's kinda like saying that they're going to think about the steps involved to get started on something. Like everything Jacques does, he will have to release trillions of cubic feet of his own hot air before anything of real substance happens. Hopefully, generous amounts of coffee or other energy drinks will be provided to the media participants today. The advisory says that Mayor Roy could sign the "agreements" as early as Monday, February 22nd. There are many unanswered questions, such as what happens to the Armstead case, so let's see what softballs the local media lob to His Hot Airness.

Does Mayor Roy Own KSYL?

Is it our imagination, or has Mayor Roy become a fixture on KSYL's morning programming?

Mayor Roy's Take on John Sharp

Answering questions about the Cleco deal posed by local blogger Greg Aymond, Mayor Roy said that one of the lawyers (John Sharp) have been disbarred and he doesn't know what that will mean for collecting a contingency fee. Mayor Roy went on to say, chuckling, that he assumes it will be a problem. Mayor Roy, you assume it will be a problem? What are we paying you for? Aren't you supposed to have answers to these questions? What about your Legal Dream Team? The Mayor also told Bret McCormick, "You have a right to demand clear answers." It may be Bret's right, but he ain't gettin' none.

Mayor Roy Claims $300,000 is All City Will Spend on Fulton

In the dog and pony show that passes for Mayor Roy's Administrative Briefing of February 10, 2010, Jacques claims that once the city is done spending the UDAG money, it will spend no more to operate the Fulton and will walk away. Jacques also claimed that the city could sell the Fulton tomorrow, but that it would scuttle the downtown hotels taxpayer scam with HIP. Well, Mayor, we here think you should stop operating the Fulton now, spare us the bill for HIP and sell the Fulton to the highest bidder.

The Jacques M. Roy Show, February 10, 2010

Watching Mayor Roy's latest effort to add to his cult of personality, we at Krewe of Voo Doo were struck with Mayor Roy's loss of composure. We are considering a drinking game where participants are forced to drink each time the Mayor said, "Uh." And what of all of the st-st-stuttering? Maybe Mayor Roy finally knows that we know that he doesn't know anything? Welcome to the big show, Jacques, it's a lot harder than impressing a few wealthy family members.

Mayor Roy Shirks Responsibility Again

Alexandria has had a crisis of leadership for some time. The current leadership void is represented by Jacques Maurice Roy. Take note of this quote from today's Town Talk article, "Central Louisiana turns to Alexander, Landrieu and Vitter to fix levees":

"I do believe still and maintain strongly that the solution is going to occur on the congressional level," Roy said.

I'll bet he does. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right? Well, folks, we can keep waiting for the federal government to help us, like the people did in New Orleans, or we can try taking care of ourselves. It's a novel idea these days, but it works better than the alternative. Just ask the people in New Orleans.

Town Talk Ignores Incompetence of Local Politicians

If it were not for the advertisers and coupons, we doubt anyone but the politicians would read the newspaper. Today, for instance, the Town Talk had this to say about the Levee Problem:

Town Town Article

This circumstance, though difficult, is not unique to Rapides Parish. It also does not reflect the results of an inspection that found structural deficiencies. In post-Hurricane Katrina America, federal regulators are actually checking to see if communities have filed all of their levee reports. If not, no certification.

Notice how the Town Talk glosses over the paperwork issue with the brief, "If not, no certification." Central Louisiana residents may be paying more for insurance because the Red River Levee District and the City of Alexandria didn't do their jobs. Another black eye for investigative journalism in Alexandria.

Town Talk reprints Cleco News Release as "News"

Why are web logs important? Because the newspaper is slower and just a re-print of industry announcements. Don't believe us? Check out this corporate news announcement, issued Friday, from Cleco:

Cleco News Release

Cleco's Rodemacher Project in Commercial Operation

New rates implemented

PINEVILLE, La., Feb. 12, 2010 - Cleco Power LLC, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp. (NYSE:CNL), today announced that its Rodemacher 3 unit is in service and producing power that will benefit its customers today and into the future.

"Commercial operation of this plant is the culmination of six years of hard work," said Mike Madison, president and chief executive officer of Cleco Corporation. "Our focus, determination and resilience have brought us to a memorable point in our company's 75-year history."

The Shaw Group Inc. has met provisional performance guarantees to achieve commercial operation, and Cleco has accepted control of the unit. Shaw will remain on site to address miscellaneous items as well as to continue optimizing unit operation to ultimately meet performance guarantees.

"Shaw is pleased to have worked with Cleco to deliver the state-of-the-art Rodemacher 3 facility," said Fred Buckman, president of Shaw's Power Group. "We are proud to reach substantial completion on this important project that will benefit our client and its customers."

Commercial operation of the $1 billion project located near Boyce activates Cleco's new rate plan approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission in October 2009. The new plan allows for recovery of the unit's costs and is the company's first full rate restructuring in over 20 years.

The 600-MW generating unit will use circulating fluidized-bed technology that can accommodate multiple solid fuels to generate power. Initially petroleum coke, an oil refining byproduct, will fuel the unit; however, the plant's technology also allows for the use of renewable products like biomass as fuel. Cleco is currently researching woody biomass as a potential fuel since the new facility is located in a timber-rich area.

So the Town Talk gets around to printing this today, a day after the Cleco announcement:

Town Talk "Article"

February 13, 2010

Cleco Corp.'s Rodemacher 3 in service

Town Talk staff

PINEVILLE -- Cleco Corp. announced Friday that its Rodemacher 3 unit north of Boyce is in service.

"Commercial operation of this plant is the culmination of six years of hard work," Mike Madison, president and chief executive officer of Cleco said in a news release. "Our focus, determination and resilience have brought us to a memorable point in our company's 75-year history."

The Shaw Group of Baton Rouge met provisional performance guarantees to achieve commercial operation, the release states, and Cleco has accepted control of the unit.

Shaw will remain on site to complete work and meet performance guarantees.

"Shaw is pleased to have worked with Cleco to deliver the state-of-the-art Rodemacher 3 facility," said Fred Buckman, president of Shaw's Power Group. "We are proud to reach substantial completion on this important project that will benefit our client and its customers."

Commercial operation of the $1 billion project activates Cleco's new rate plan approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission in October, the company said.

The plan allows Cleco to recoup the unit's costs.

The 600-megawatt generator will use circulating fluidized-bed technology, which can burn multiple solid fuels to generate power.

Initially, petroleum coke, an oil refining byproduct, will fuel the unit.

The plant also can burn renewable products such as biomass as fuel.

Cleco said it is researching woody biomass as a potential fuel, in part because the plant is in a timber-rich area.

Word for word, vigilant reader. So, yeah, thanks TT for more original content and hard-hitting journalism. Care to give us an analysis of the rates? In other news, Mayor Jacques Roy is rumored to be reviewing more of Steve Coco's utility bills and may have an analysis on KSYL radio.