Louisiana Press Association Cox, Not Dukes Himself As Dukes to Add Items to the Agenda
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May 2016 THE Serving Louisiana Newspapers since 1880 LOUISIANA PRESS LPA’s Convention is June 17-18 LPA’s Annual Convention will take place June 17-18 at L’Auberge Lake Charles. The Room rate is $199 per night. For Calendar individual reservations:, please call 866- 580-7444 and use Group Code: SLPA16.. Speakers this year include Tim Smith talking about “Bundling Print with May 2016 Digital” and Lisa Tackett Griffin giving a 12: Webinar: Three-Call Sales “Newspaper Technology Update” and also System: Proven process for talking about “InDesign: Favorite Features.” closing sales quickly There will also be a “Hot Topics” Panel 19: Webinar: Creating focus on Discussion featuring Billy Gunn of The enterprise news: Best practices for Advocate, discussing the police shooting digging deeper in Marksville; Christiaan Mader of The Lafayette theatre shooting. Independent (Lafayette) discussing the As always, the Silent Auction will be June 2016 Lafayette City Marshall given jail time open and the convention will close with 3: Webinar: How to market and community service for not honoring a the annual Awards Luncheon. and sell in brutally compeitive public records request and Calie Taylor of See page 9A for the complete environments The Advertiser (Lafayette) discussing the convention schedule. 9: Webinar: Interactive storytelling tools; Enhance your readers’ experience Legislative Wrap-Up 16-18: LPA Annual Convention: On a TV morning show recently, House committee and is awaiting Lake Charles a political commentator said of the action on the House floor. There is a presidential races for party nominees, systematic national effort to do away For more information on the fat lady hasn’t sung yet, but she’s with this publication in every state. upcoming events please visit: walking up the stairs to the stage. Hayes is to be commended for this www.LaPress.com That’s sort of where the LPA work. The reason the notice came lobbying team and the publishers to be in Louisiana in the 1980s, was who have been helping the team are because the storage management The LPA Mission at this stage of the legislative session. folks wanted to avoid having the To unite Louisiana newspapers The bill, SB 112 by Senator Danny inconvenience and expense of going as a cooperative association Martiny, that would have done away to court to dispose of perceived which creates and fosters an with publishing the notice that the abandoned property in the storage economic, political and legal self-storage management was about units. environment where newspapers to dispose of private belongings due To lose this notice would set a can compete and flourish as to non-payment. After extensive terrible precedent for disposing of providers of information and lobbying efforts by Kevin Hayes, LPA’s private property and the requirements information services. governmental services representative, for public notice in general. and others that provision has been Another particularly onerous deleted from the bill. The bill has 4 See WRAP-UP, page 8A passed through the Senate and the EDITORIAL: Editors: The More The Merrier1B LEGAL NEWS: No Constitutional Right To Record Police Activity 1C ADVERTISING: How To Write Award Winning Advertorials 1D 2A The Louisiana Press LAPRESS.COM MAY 2016 404 Europe St. In my years here at LPA, we’ve spent many an hour in Board of Directors various legislative committee President rooms at the state capitol Thomas B. Shearman III debating how items can be added American Press (Lake Charles) to the agenda of a public body President Elect for discussion. We’ve debated Garland Forman unanimous consent. We have The Bunkie Record debated the use of a consent Secretary/Treasurer agenda in large parishes. We’ve Renette Dejoie Hall debated what the agenda items Louisiana Weekly (New Orleans) have to itemize. A brief excerpt BY PAM MITCHELL from R.S. 19 is below. Past President EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Norris Babin The Plaquemines Gazette (Belle Chasse) R.S. 19: Notice of meetings The St. Bernard Voice (Arabi) A.(1)(a) All public bodies, designee shall read aloud the except the legislature and its description of the item except as Will Chapman The Daily Iberian (New Iberia) committees and subcommittees, otherwise provided in Subitem shall give written public notice (dd) of this Item. Clancy DuBos of their regular meetings, if (cc) Upon unanimous Gambit (New Orleans) established by law, resolution, approval of the members Darrell Guillory or ordinance, at the beginning present at a meeting of a public Louisiana State Newspapers of each calendar year. Such body, the public body may take notice shall include the dates, up a matter not on the agenda. Sam Hanna Jr. times, and places of such Any such matter shall be The Ouachita Citizen (West Monroe) meetings. identified in the motion to take Suzanne Nelson (b)(i) All public bodies, up the matter not on the agenda Southwest Daily News except the legislature and its with reasonable specificity, committees and subcommittees, including the purpose for the Wilbur Reynaud The News Examiner (Lutcher) shall give written public addition to the agenda, and notice of any regular, special, entered into the minutes of Dan Shea or rescheduled meeting no the meeting. Prior to any vote The Advocate (Baton Rouge) later than twenty-four hours, on the motion to take up a David Specht Jr. exclusive of Saturdays, matter not on the agenda by Specht Newspapers Sundays, and legal holidays, the public body, there shall before the meeting. be an opportunity for public Judy Terzotis (ii)(aa) Such notice shall comment on any such motion The Daily Advertiser • include the agenda, date, time, in accordance with R.S. 42:14 Legislative Committee Chair and place of the meeting. The or 15. The public body shall Sam Hanna Jr. agenda shall not be changed not use its authority to take Hanna Newspapers less than twenty-four hours, up a matter not on the agenda LPA Foundation President exclusive of Saturdays, as a subterfuge to defeat the H. Miles Forrest Sundays, and legal holidays, purposes of this Chapter. LPA Past President prior to the scheduled time of the meeting. We have not ever, that I can Governmental Services Representative C. Kevin Hayes (bb) Each item on the agenda recall, debated how an item can shall be listed separately and be taken off the agenda. Thusly, General Counsel described with reasonable a clip of a story from the Pointe Scott L. Sternberg specificity. Before the public Coupee Banner (New Roads) body may take any action on an item, the presiding officer or his 4 See 404 EUROPE, page 3A MAY 2016 LAPRESS.COM The Louisiana Press 3A 404 Europe: Continued... From Page 2A discussion continued but as it sees fit. No rules to the eventually the Police Jury contrary, incorrect to say “the written by long-time journalist unanimously approved a review president sets the agenda. “ Tommy Comeaux caught my of its parliamentary procedure. For the record, all LPA board eye. The story goes: About a month prior, the jury members are asked if they have Police Juror Justin Cox had had adopted Roberts Rules any items for the agenda. But placed an item on the agenda for of Order, a parliamentary admittedly we have never had the Tuesday meeting to discuss procedure guide, to dictate how a policy one way or the other. what he called,”A multitude meetings are conducted. So glad, we’re in concert with of complaints” from his Police Jury policy would with Robert’s Rules which is our constituents about their solid dictate how items are removed guide according to the bylaws. waste service. At the meeting from the agenda, attorney Hopefully the Point Coupee Cox discovered the item had Danny Garret told the Police Police Jury will work out its been removed from the agenda. Jurors. The state open meetings difference. And as one staff Cox claimed the President of law does not address removing member reports, they are ahead the Police Jury Cornell Dukes items from the agenda, “he said. of one group. The staffer was had improperly removed the He certainly appears to be at a meeting where a discussion item. Dukes insisted the item right. We’ve debated adding broke out about parliamentary needed to go before the Public items and what the items have procedure. A fellow attendee Utilities Committee prior to include ad nauseum over the leaned over and asked, “Who is to coming to the Jury. The years but never, ever the removal Robert and why does what he discussion grew heated with Cox of items from the agenda. says matter?” calling Dukes a liar and storming So out of curiosity I turned from the meeting. Apparently to Robert’s Rules. According the jury Secretary Gerrie Martin to what I read, if no policy/ THE had communicated to Cox that procedure rules are set by the LOUISIANA PRESS the item was coming off the body, all board members (in this © Copyright 2016 agenda but, at least according to case police jurors) have a right Louisiana Press Association Cox, not Dukes himself as Dukes to add items to the agenda. At was claiming at the meeting. He the beginning of the meeting, The Louisiana Press is a monthly publication of the said/he said. the body can adopt the agenda Louisiana Press Association The somewhat heated and then deal with each item Executive Director Pamela Mitchell, CAE [email protected] Hurricane Season Editor Mike Rood [email protected] Is Coming Contributing Writers Doug Fisher Hurricane season begins June 1. John Foust Ed Henninger Don’t be caught unprepared. Chuck Nau Erin Palmintier A Disaster Preparation Checklist Kevin Slimp for Newspapers is available at Jim Stasiowski www.lapress.com • Contact LPA 404 Europe St.