Posted on 11/18/2005 6:47:07 PM PST by caryatid
The first thing Jerry Luke LeBlanc does after shaking hands and offering a weak smile is grab a bottle of pills for his fiscal migraine. There are dark circles under his eyes and he's moving a little slow. "I'm having an Excedrin moment," he jests, shaking the bottle and exiting his office momentarily. It's understandable.
In 2004 LeBlanc vacated his seat in the House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Appropriations Committee, to become Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's commissioner of administration . . . As the state's new chief financial officer, LeBlanc was looking forward to overseeing a $17 billion state budget. More important, he would get to dole out millions in capital-outlay projects -- the much-desired pork that lawmakers bring back home ... if they earn the governor's favor.
In the early days, LeBlanc looked like a perfect fit for the job. Having chaired the House budget-writing committee, he had great connections and tons of respect among lawmakers. During the governor's race, the Lafayette native was among Blanco's most trusted and dependable advisers, and she rewarded him by making him one of the most powerful men in the state.
None of that matters now. Today, LeBlanc, 49, looks and sounds tired. Everyone he sees is on edge. A special legislative session opened last Sunday with news of massive budget cuts and layoffs. Once a master of the universe, LeBlanc now sits in the belly of the political beast, and the beast is eating its own.
. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at bestofneworleans.com ...
* Louisiana PING *
If you would like on or off the Louisiana Ping list please FReepmail me and your name will be added or taken off of the list.
Looks like a nice guy. What's he doing in New Orleans?
Looking at his photo....I wonder what he is thinking!!??
Despite what New Orleanians would have the world believe, New Orleans is only one of many cities in Louisiana. New Orleans is not the state capitol. Baton Rouge is the state capitol.
Presumably, Jerry Luke LeBlanc is in Baton Rouge [not New Orleans] as the state Legislature meets in Baton Rouge and LeBlanc's "boss" Gov. Blanko inhabits the governors' mansion there.
Don't worry ... many others make the same mistake. LOL
He is probably thinking something like ...
The party's over. It wasn't supposed to end like this. Why did I leave one of the most influential positions in the Lege and cast my lot with Gov. MeMaw? I thought that would be the springboard to higher office!
>Despite what New Orleanians would have the world believe, >New Orleans is only one of many cities in Louisiana.
I know what you mean. When I tell people I'm originally from Illinois they almost always ask me if I'm from Chicago.
New Orleans has a tough struggle ahead of it. It is no longer the largest city in the state ... only 1/3 or fewer of its citizens have been able to return to the city. In the foreseeable future it is predicted that N.O. will have a population no larger than half its pre-Katrina size ... settling at about 250,000 ... maybe.
New Orleans has always been exotic, international and urban. Baton Rouge, on the other hand, despite the size of its population, has always been an overgrown, suburban, sprawling town.
With the huge influx of new residents as a result of the Hurricane, perhaps now Baton Rouge will finally grow up to become a real city.
I'm not sure what happened to the picture of Jerry Luke LeBlanc ... it has turned into a picture of a helicopter now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
![](http://scd.mm-c1.yimg.com/image/1171951933"/img)