Why We Shouldn't Settle DA BAG Case

It is evident from the hit count and comments this blog has received since Saturday and the posts on the Comet forum, as well as the talk on the street, that the Public has too many questions that remain unanswered, or unsatisfactorily answered, about the Parish's rental of the portable levees from U.S. Flood Control after Hurricane Rita.

Parish President Charlotte Randolph wants to desperately get the matter off the board no matter the cost. Whereas, the Council has tried to negotiate a better deal, with the assistance of DA Cam Morvant, and has asked for a Federal investigation of the entire matter.

TPRTK has taken the position that all negotiations should cease pending the outcome of the Federal investigation.

Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Unless we know how many bags were used, how can we know how many we owe rent on?
2. Why was a $5.3 million debt kept secret by the Randolph Administration for 10 months?
3. Why hasn't anyone from the Randolph Administration given the same answer twice on any issue in this controversy?
4. Why were the bags left in the field for 30 days?
5. Why was the particular location, in one of the remotest parts of the Parish, chosen to place the bags?
6. Why did U.S. Flood submit an invoice for 30 days rental 3 days after they were supposed to have gone into use?
7. Why did the invoice charge for two days before the Randolph Administration stated the bags were deployed?
8. Why did an employee or contractor of U.S. Flood complete the Parish's FEMA reimbursement request?
9. What did Parish Administrator Cullen Curole mean when he wrote the phrase "FEMA pricing" in a memo? Do vendors inflate the prices if there is a chance FEMA will pay the bill?
10. Why did the Randolph Administration begin to deploy the bags when photographs and water gauges show the water in Bayou L'eau Bleu had begun to recede?
11. Did anybody get a kickback or was anyone promised a kickback contingent on delivery of payment of the FEMA money?
12. What did Charlotte know and when did she know it?
13. Has anyone associated with the Randolph Administration communicated with U.S. Flood Pres. Paul Vickers or his attorney outside the negotiation sessions, since they have begun?
14. How did Vicker's attorney know the councilman from the district where the bags were deployed was not at the negotiation meeting where he asked the question, if there was no back channel communications between the Randolph Administration, or someone closely associated with it, and U.S. Flood Control or one of its agents?
15. Why did the Parish keep a running count for the sandbags used by the Public after Rita, but not for the number of Bags the Parish used?
16. How many times did Charlotte Randolph meet Vickers before Katrina? Didn't she think to ask how much those things cost during those meetings, you know, like before it was an emergency situation? (We know about the St. Charles Parish and Grand Isle meetings, Charlotte.)
17. Were the Bags ever stored on Parish property before or after the 30 days we were charged for their use? If so, have we submitted a bill for rental use of our property? If not, why not?
18. Isn't the only way we will get all these questions answered, and others the Public has, is through litigation or federal investigation?

I say, let's see what the Feds do before we fork over any money to U.S. Flood.

What do you say Daily Comet?