Lawmaker's father, uncle got $108 million FEMA trailer contract [LA]

AP via NOLA ^ | 11/14/2005 | JOHN SEEWER

[ncountylee]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The uncle and father of a Louisiana lawmaker have won three no-bid contracts worth $108 million to provide temporary housing for Hurricane Katrina evacuees even though their motorcycle shop didn't have a license to sell new trailers until after the first deal was signed.

Recreational vehicle dealers in Louisiana are angry, saying they've been shut out of what they call a sweetheart deal. One is threatening to sue the motorcycle shop's owners for violating the dealer's franchise rights to sell RVs.

No-bid contracts awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for temporary housing in trailers and on cruise ships have come under question by state and federal lawmakers and businesses complaining of favoritism.

The Homeland Security Department, which oversees FEMA, had pledged to reopen four of its biggest no-bid deals, but it said last week the contracts won't be awarded again until February.

Louisiana lawmakers, meeting in special session, are debating a bill that could require state officials to inform the state ethics board when they or their family members profit from federal disaster-related contracts. An alternative version would limit reporting to just officials and their spouses.

The New Orleans-area motorcycle shop owned by Rep. Gary Smith's family has received FEMA contracts to provide 6,400 trailers to the agency to house those who lost their homes.

[Semper Paratus]

NO is back to bidness as usual.

[vbmoneyspender]

Should I assume that because this is an AP story and the lawmaker's name is not mentioned until the 6th paragraph of the story that the lawmaker is a Democrat?

[martinidon]

Bingo!

[angelsonmyside]

Goodness, why does this NOT surprise me?
Here's the goof's site.

http://house.louisiana.gov/H-Reps/members.asp?ID=56

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

They ought to have a reality show on television to decide who is most corrupt--New Orleans, The United Nations, or The Clintons.

[vbmoneyspender]

Gary Smith, a Democrat elected to the Legislature in 1999, also denied that his position as lawmaker had anything to do with the contract. "FEMA doesn't even know I exist," said Smith.

The AP never fails to live down to my expectations of them.

[ncountylee]

Yep...a democrat feeding.

[kentj]

What corruption in NOLA - hell - dam - where are the roops we more roops - hell - dam and other swear words (sarc off)

[sinclair]

Rep. Gary Smith, D-Norco

[WhiteGuy]

So I guess we all agree, no-bid, sweetheart crony deals at the taxpayers' expense is unacceptable. Right?

[kentj]

Ya they could call it the Great American Rape

[Criminal Number 18F]

You have to go ten paragraphs deep into the story to find out what party the rep at the center of all this corruption, Gary Smith, belongs to.

So you know just from that what it is...

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[lawdvd]

I had the same reaction. By the time I got to the second Paragraph and didn't see a party affilliation, I figured he must be a Democrat. About 5 paragraphs down, bingo.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

FEMA might not, but somebody sure as he*l does (and is getting the appropriate kickback)..

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The MSM always telegraphs their moves.

[brytlea]

Is that sorta like the husband of a CIA employee being hired for a job that was out of his area of expertise and really just going and drinking tea?
susie

[Old Professer]

Do they look like this?

[airedale]

It even mentions in the article that he's a Democrat in the 10th paragraph. If he had been a Republican it would have been mentioned repeatedly. He's also on the LA House Special Committee on Disaster Planning and Crisis Management, Recovery and Long Term Revitalization. He's also on the LA House Committee on Disaster Planning. Why's it surprising that some how his family would get a no bid contract just like the former head of the LA Democrat Party did.

[Boazo]

I'm beginning to think there's something shifty going on.