Political Illusions of the Cajun Mafia

By Johnathan Manning
jmanning@americanpress.com
A Moss Bluff man was
sentenced Monday to mandatory
life in prison for the 2010
death of his wife.
A jury voted 11-1 in February
to convict Jon Wray
Baumberger, 52, of seconddegree
murder, which carries
a life sentence. Baumberger
LOCAL l STATE
killed his wife, Treasa Williams
Baumberger, on Dec. 5,
2010. Williams died of asphyxiation.
Baumberger was drunk
when he killed Williams, according
to court testimony.
A test found he had a bloodalcohol
level of .29, according
to court documents.
Baumberger blacked out
and when he came to, Williams
was dead, defense
attorney King Alexander
said. Baumberger, who called
911, acted in self-defense after
being hit in the head with a
space heater, Alexander said.
Prosecutor Tara Hawkins
said there was no evidence
that it was self-defense and
that Baumberger was a mean
drunk.
Alexander filed motions
asking Judge Michael Canaday
to reverse the verdict and
to grant a new trial. Canaday
denied both.
The motion to reverse the
verdict claimed that viewed
in the light most favorable to
the state, the evidence supported
a conviction of a lesser
offense (negligent homicide
or manslaughter).
Baumberger did not have
Tuesday, april 21, 2015 aMeriCaN press A3
Moss Bluff man sentenced to life for wife’s murder
the specific intent to kill Williams,
Alexander argued.
Among the reasons Alexander
argued for a new trial
was that although the trial
continued after the courthouse
locked its doors at 4:30
p.m. on Feb. 27 (the day the
trial concluded), when Baumberger’s
sister and sister-inlaw
left to get food, they were
not allowed to re-enter the
courthouse.
Alexander said security
told him they would not be
allowed to return after hours
without prior notice.
“Their absence at the end
could give the impression to
jurors that they had become
convinced of his guilt and
no longer supported him,”
Alexander wrote. “This was
prejudicial to (Baumberger).”
CORE
Continued from A1
because his name was on the
list, parents felt that testifying
before the committee was
pointless.
“Perception is reality,”
Geymann said. “Most of these
moms are already nervous
about testifying and coming
to the Capitol. Now, they just
feel like it’s not even worth the
trouble.”
Carter said any legislation
dealing with Common Core
“will get a fair hearing” this
session. He said that parents
and teachers will have the
chance to speak before the
committee when the legislation
is debated.
Carter said he has “always
tried to be fair,” even being
criticized at times. He and
other lawmakers who opposed
Geymann’s move said the
education committee spent
hours last year hearing testimony
and debating legislation
filed by Geymann that sought
to scrap Common Core. The
committee voted down that
measure.
Rep. Nancy Landry, R-
Lafayette, said that committee
chairs have the right to take
BATON ROUGE — Despite
the state’s $1.6 billion shortfall,
the Louisiana Legislature’s
spending isn’t on the
chopping block.
A panel of legislative leaders
Monday recommended a
$98.4 million budget to finance
the House, Senate and other
legislative agencies in the
2015-16 fiscal year that begins
July 1. That’s the same amount
the Legislature received this
year.
The proposal comes as colleges
and health services are
threatened with deep cuts and
most state departments are
slated for reductions next year.
House and Senate officials
say they’ll have expenses for a
longer legislative session next
year, plus an organizational
session after the fall elections.
“We’re going to move
money around and make it
work,” said Jerry Guillot, the
Senate’s chief of staff.
Senate President John
Alario, R-Westwego, said the
budget proposal reflects what
is needed for the Legislature to
fulfill its constitutional duties.
“We have to have adequate
staff,” he said, when asked
why legislative leaders didn’t
propose a reduction amid the
state’s budget troubles.
House Speaker Chuck
Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, said
it would be difficult to make
reductions because 90 percent
of the annual budget pays for
the legislative staff.
The legislative budget
a stance on any bill, and that
lawmakers should respect the
legislative process.
“Chairs are not judges,” she
said. “The legislative process
works.”
Rep. Bob Hensgens, R-
Abbeville, said after receiving
hundreds of phone calls and
emails, he believes those who
oppose Common Core won’t be
heard.
“The well has been poisoned
on this issue, no doubt
about it,” he said.
Despite the vote, Geymann
said there are more lawmakers
who support his measure but
didn’t want to vote to move it
to the House floor. He said his
next move is “whatever I can
find in the rule book.”
Southwest Louisiana lawmakers
voting against moving
the bill to the full House
were House Speaker Chuck
Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, Mike
Danahay, D-Sulphur, A.B.
Franklin, D-Lake Charles.
Geymann, Hensgens,
Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek,
John Guinn, R-Jennings, and
Frank Howard, R-Many, voted
to move the bill from the education
committee to the House
floor.
Rep. James Armes, D-Leesville,
was reported as absent.
legislative leaders
propose standstill
budget for themselves
By The associated press
still needs House and Senate
approval. Its first stop will
be in the House Appropriations
Committee. But it rarely
changes from the leadership’s
recommendation.
The legislative budget has
grown from $86 million allocated
for the 2008-09 fiscal year.
And the standstill proposal
comes after legislative agencies
got a $6 million boost to
their budget in the current fiscal
year, a more than 6 percent
increase that paid for increased
retirement obligations
and pay raises for legislative
employees.
Under the recommendations,
the House budget would
remain at $29 million and the
Senate budget at $21.8 million.
The Legislative Auditor’s
Office, which audits government
agencies and reviews
state spending, would continue
to receive $35 million.
The Legislative Fiscal Office,
which analyzes the costs of
bills and performs other financial
reviews, would stay at a
$2.9 million budget.
The Legislative Budgetary
Control Council, which covers
certain expenses shared by
the House and Senate, would
keep getting $8.6 million. And
the budget for the Louisiana
State Law Institute, which
studies various legal issues for
lawmakers, would stay at $1.1
million.
The panel of legislative
leaders spent little time discussing
the proposal before
signing off on it at Monday’s
hearing.
Accident in Moss Bluff
Kirk Meche / special to the american press
A two-vehicle accident late Monday afternoon on La.
378 in Moss Bluff had traffic backed up to Phillips road
and almost to Pinderosa Park in Westlake. Passengers of
the car pictured above were taken to the hospital.
NOTES frOM ThE SESSiON
SWLA Military Officers Association
of America meeting: 11
a.m. saturday, april 25, at pat’s
of Henderson restaurant, 1500
siebarth drive, lake Charles.
Call 337-526-2699 or email
rwusafret@suddenlink.net.
St. Theodore Holy Family
Catholic School’s Golf Classic:
1 p.m. saturday, april 25,
at The National Golf Club in
Westlake. sponsorships are
needed, $100 a t-box or $320
for a four-person team. entry
and sponsorship forms available
at: www.sthfcs.com or by
calling 855-9465.
WhAT’S AhEAd
By The associated press
Inventory tax
repeal bill pulled
BATON ROUGE — Plans
to start moving the pieces of
a budget-balancing package
of tax changes this week got
derailed Monday.
The Senate Revenue and
Fiscal Affairs Committee
was scheduled to consider
a bill by Sen. Robert Adley,
R-Benton, that would repeal a
local property tax on inventory.
The repeal would save
the state an estimated $500
million a year on a tax credit
tied to that inventory tax.
But at the last minute, Adley
pulled the bill (Senate Bill
85) from consideration.
He said there were questions
about the financial
analysis, which showed no
savings from the repeal in
the upcoming budget year.
He also said questions were
raised about possible implications
on education financing.
“I don’t want to move forward
unless I’ve got accurate
numbers,” Adley said.
No follow-up hearing date
from the Senate committee
has been set, and Adley’s
proposal faces strong resistance
from parishes and
municipalities that rely on
the inventory tax revenue to
pay their bills.
With that proposal temporarily
shelved, the House
Ways and Means Committee
then scrapped plans to hear
legislation Tuesday that
would scale back tax break
programs and raise the cigarette
tax.
Ways and Means Chairman
Joel Robideaux, R-
Lafayette, said lawmakers
on his committee don’t want
to vote on “revenue-raisers”
without the Senate advancing
the inventory tax piece of the
legislative package.
Lawmakers are trying to
find a way to raise new dollars
to help close a $1.6 billion
budget gap in next year’s
budget.
Affordable Care Act seminar:
The Jeff davis Chamber of
Commerce, Jennings Kiwanis
Club and daly Williams agency
will host a free affordable Care
act seminar 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Wednesday, april 22, at the
meeting room adjacent to
Mike’s seafood restaurant, 919
lake arthur ave. in Jennings.
Michael Bertaut, a healthcare
economic, exchange coordinator
with Blue Cross Blue shield
of louisiana will be guest
speaker. lunch is dutch tree.
deadline to register is april 20.
To pre-register contact the Jeff
davis Chamber of Commerce.
Bill would cut police access
to Transportation Trust
By John Guidroz
jguidroz@americanpress.com
BATON ROUGE — The
House Appropriations Committee
approved legislation
Monday that would restrict
how much Transportation
Trust Fund money would go
to the Department of Public
Safety and Corrections, the
Office of State Police.
House Bill 208 by Rep.
Terry Landry, D-New Iberia,
would limit the money to $40
million for fiscal year 2015-16,
$25 million for 2016-2017 and
$10 million for 2017-18 and
each fiscal year thereafter.
The measure heads to the full
House for consideration.
Landry said a common
theme is for legislatures to
raid the Transportation Trust
Fund for other needs. Lawmakers
have voiced concerns
over the last few years of state
police using too much transportation
money, while the
state has a $12 billion highway
and bridge backlog.
Landry, a former state
police superintendent, said
he does not want to hurt state
police, but wants to ensure
the transportation money is
spent in its intended place.
“The old cliché of robbing
Peter to pay Paul is not the
best way to do our business,”
he said. “(This bill) is the
fundamental right thing to do.
This is about bridges being
closed and roads being closed
in your area.”
Landry said the public
safety department generates
$1 billion per year, but has
an operating budget of $400
million.
Barry Dussé, with the State
Budget Office, said the state’s
proposed budget includes
about $65 million from the
transportation fund for state
police.
Rep. Walt Leger, D-New
Orleans, said the state needs
to address its infrastructure,
like roads, bridges and
the state’s ports. He said he
wants to continue and find
new sources of revenue for
infrastructure.
Leger said he is troubled
with claims that the fund is
raided by state police when
the state constitution allows
state police to use it for traffic
control purposes.
Toll credits
The House Transportation,
Highways and Public
Works Committee voted 12-3
to approve a measure that
would require the state Department
of Transportation
and Development to use toll
credits generated by a tolled
transportation facility solely
for highway projects on or in
the vicinity of where the toll
is collected.
House Bill 645 by Rep. Patrick
Connick, R-Marrero, was
approved with amendments.
It heads to the full House for
consideration.
Connick said there are
about $24 million in toll credits
still available for DOTD.
Voting for the measure
were Reps. Terry Brown,
I-Colfax, A.B. Franklin, D-
Lake Charles, Jerry Gisclair,
D-Larose, Dorothy Sue Hill, D-
Dry Creek, Dalton Honoré, D-
Baton Rouge, Frank Howard,
R-Many, Bernard Lebas, D-
Ville Platte, Christopher Leopold,
R-Belle Chasse, Sherman
Mack, R-Livingston, Jerome
Richard, I-Thibodaux, Karen
St. Germain, D-Plaquemine,
and Terry Landry.
Reps. Sam Jones, D-
Franklin, Barbara Norton,
D-Shreveport, and John
Guinn, R-Jennings, opposed
the legislation.
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