Ethics Board loses two more

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 28, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Mass resignations from the Louisiana Board of Ethics will bring to a halt the policing of conflicts of interest, nepotism, campaign finance and other state ethics laws, a legislative floor leader for Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday.

Meanwhile, the 11-member Ethics Board lost two more panelists Friday. That leaves two members, only one of whom says he is certain to stay on a board stripped by Jindal and the Legislature of its power to decide whether laws have been violated.

Baton Rouge board member Dolores Spikes said she will say what other board members won’t: “The governor after receiving that $2,500 (Ethics Board) fine was a bit revengeful. … He wanted to get his own board.”

Prior to Jindal’s ethics special session in February, the board levied a $2,500 fine against Jindal for failing to disclose $118,264 in campaign spending done on his behalf by the Louisiana Republican Party.

Jindal made ethics the cornerstone of his administration. The new laws already are starting to go into effect.

It could be four months before the vacancies are filled because of the process set out in law.

In the meantime, the board cannot meet to transact regular business, such as, giving advisory opinions to those uncertain of how ethics laws apply to them. The board also cannot launch investigations into allegations of ethical misconduct.

“Basically, they — for the most part — are in a holding pattern. I don’t want to say shutdown because the office (staff) is still there, but there’s no ability to function whatsoever,” said House and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston.

Gallot shepherded many of Jindal’s ethics law changes through a February special legislative session and handled measures to clean-up problems in the just-ended regular session.

Of the 11-member board, seven are governor’s appointees. The other four are appointees of the Legislature — two each from the House and Senate.

The governor and Legislature must pick from lists of nominees provided under law by Louisiana’s private college presidents. The presidents have 60 days from the date of resignations to provide lists of names for each vacancy. Then the governor and Legislature have 60 days to act or the top person on the college presidents list becomes the automatic appointee.

“It will be a hard task not only because of getting the right people but the sheer volume,” said the Rev. Kevin Wildes, president of Loyola University in New Orleans and chairman of the nominating panel.

The presidents must submit a minimum of three names per vacancy.