VOL. 18, NO. 12 KENNER’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1991 dECEMBER 2009 Gregory Carroll, Mayor Muniz asks for additional funds now, members of Kenner District 1 Kenner City Council more inclined to wait Councilman elected. By ALLAN KATZ the $650,000 we lost when the millage was SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS rolled back. Several other agencies realized the In a state of the city speech to members of See page 28. problem and rolled their millages forward to the Kenner Professional and Business keep them revenue neutral. Among them were Association on November 17, 2009, Mayor the Jefferson Parish Sheriff and Coronor’s Ed Muniz insisted that with the nation in the erty tax millage adjustment a few months ago, Offices, the East Jefferson Levee Board, the worst recession in 70 years and with Kenner our governing authority – the City Council – Jefferson Parish School Board and the city of facing a major revenue crisis, the City made an inncoent mistake by rolling back the Harahan. While several government agencies Council should step forward in this crisis tax millage to 18.13 mills. I am now asking the rolled their tax millages forward, Kenner did and heed his proposals. city council to roll that millage forward by 1.4 not. Kenner rolled them back in an effort to See story on page 19. In his speech Muniz said, “During the prop - mills to make it revenue neutral and recapture continued on page 27 Santa Claus is at Kenner’s Christmas Can Rivertown be a money maker? Village, just waiting to greet all the good Mayor Muniz re-opens Heritage Hall as a reception and meeting hall boys and girls By ALLAN KATZ By ALLAN KATZ Mayor Ed Muniz has said for three years Kenner’s Christmas Village is once that Kenner needs to move Rivertown again a huge holiday success, filled from a venue that consumes revenues to with music, food and fun. Families are one that produces revenues. flocking to Christmas Village to get in His administration took a step in that the holiday mood and Santa Claus is at direction recently with the re-opening of the former Wildlife and Fisheries Museum as his jovial best, laughing it up and pos - Heritage Hall, an historic facility that is ing for pictures with boys and girls. available to be rented for weddings, busi - “Christmas Village is one of ness meetings, catered luncheons and din - Kenner’s best and most special holiday ners, musical venues and other events. Built traditions,” says Mary-Sharon in 1907, the two-story brick and masonry Howland, director of community serv - building is considered a preservationist ices for the city. treasure, having been admitted to the “We opened Christmas Village on National Register of Hi storic Places. December 4 and it will remain open Located at 303 Williams Boulevard, the building was a key lo cation in the old continued on page 8 Heritage Hall is available for weddings. continued on page 20 Photo by Barry Sprague Muniz administration installs fleet management Generous Kenner residents donate more than department for Kenner’s eight tons of edibles to city’s food bank vehicles By ALLAN KATZ By ALLAN KATZ City officials and Kenner Food Bank officials expressed gratitude to generous Kenner residents who donated more The administration of Mayor Ed than eight tons of food for those in need. Muniz has implemented a fleet man - “It is just amazing how, in this time of recession and anx - agement program that includes preven - iety, that Kenner residents dug so deeply to give help to the tive maintenance for every one of food bank,” said Mary-Sharon Howland, director of com - Kenner’s 322 pieces of equipment. munity services for the city. She also expressed the gratitude Ronnie Vitellaro, who heads the fleet of the entire city to the Local 4342 Branch of the National management department, said, “We Association of Letter Carriers who picked up the donations estimate that by assigning vehicle in bags distributed by the Kenner Star and the postal offi - maintenance to a group that really cials who endorsed and encouraged the entire effort. understands vehicle maintenance, the Along with the postal carriers who donated their time, city is saving hundreds of thousands of Local postmen Sal Candilora, John Brehm, Ryan dollars. The added benefit is we’ve Stuprich and Adam Ronquillo, members of the Local Howland also acknowledged the food drive’s generous Branch 4342 of the National Association of Letter sponsors, the Kenner Professional Business Association, extended the life of every vehicle in the Carriers, helped collect food during the 20 th annual November food drive for the Kenner Food Bank. Kenner District 3 Councilman Ben Zahn, Kenner Central continued on page 30 continued on page 8 2 dECEMBER 2009 KENNER ST H R KENNER ST H R KENNER ST H R dECEMBER 2009 3 4 dECEMBER 2009 KENNER ST H R KENNER ST H R dECEMBER 2009 5 H From the Editor Is there a consensus in the making as Kenner ponders its serious financial crisis? By ALLAN KATZ As I make my way through Kenner’s How did that happen? ern police department and develop a Lakeside Shopping Mall, which cut political, business and civic leaders – As he intended, Mayor Muniz has recreation department that offered some sales volume drastically at the store in along with a lot of just plain folks met at stirred up quite a storm in Kenner. From of the best organized sports of any city Kenner. The city’s sales tax revenues for restaurants and the supermarket – it the time he took office over three years of Kenner’s size in the nation. The city’s the past 17 months have been at a short - appears to me that among those who pay ago, Muniz – who has a deserved repu - financial situation seemed so good that fall and below projections. It is almost attention to the news there is a growing tation for being a very smart guy when it the Kenner City Council rolled back certain the city will not be receiving the consensus that Mayor Ed Muniz is right comes to money – has contended that property tax millages because they said kind of income it has in the past, from when he says the city is facing its worst the city was too dependent on fluctuat - they weren’t needed at that time. And no any of its sources, at any time in the financial crisis since the days of the ing sales taxes and was collecting a property owner was going to turn that foreseeable future, maybe never. great Depression some 80 years ago. lower amount of property taxes due to tax decrease down. As if that weren’t enough, a national At the same time, folks are still think - rolled back millages, providing no safe - But, then, some things happened that, recession hit Kenner and the entire ing this thing through. Lots of smart, ty net in case sales tax revenues fell unfortunately, made Muniz more of a southeastern u.S. That has meant that well-informed people in Kenner are still through the floor. prophet than he wanted to be. First of all, hundreds – perhaps more – jobs have trying to sort the city’s fiscal situation If you studied the last 15 years of of course, there was Hurricane Katrina been lost. understandably, we’re all out. How, after all, could Kenner be in Kenner history, you would have to con - smashing and bashing. The results of the watching our spending, which further financial trouble? What about the clude that Muniz is wrong. Sales tax rev - storm included the facts that the cuts city sales tax revenues from retail income from the Treasure Chest gaming enues, along with monies from the Treasure Chest has had fewer patrons, sales. casino? What about all the money the Treasure Chest and the airport, made the airport had fewer flights and passen - Mayor Muniz is hoping that a politi - city used to get from the Armstrong Kenner the envy of municipalities gers and The Esplanade still hasn’t cal-civic-business consensus will International Airport? And isn’t it a throughout the gulf South. There was recovered. Macy’s came back, but other emerge that will make it possible for shame that the number of stores at The money in Kenner’s coffers, enough to mall stores were lost and the Macy’s Kenner to revamp the city’s revenue Esplanade shopping mall has decreased? fill all the potholes, build a strong, mod - organization built a bigger store at continued on page 8 H Political Review New Orleans mayor’s race taking shape dECEMBER 2009 Vol. 18 No. 12 By JEFF CROUERE Kenner Star is a monthly newspaper and is distributed by direct mail free to all 20,700 registered voter households After a very the second biggest campaign war chest in scheduled over the next few months. If in Kenner. An additional 2,000 copies are distributed in over 100 high traffic locations. slow start the race the race, next to Democrat businessman she can convince voters that she can han - Publisher for mayor of New John georges. dle all of the major issues facing New TROy BROuSSARD Orleans is finally taking shape. Because she is making such a large Orleans, not just education, then Jacobs Editor Currently, there are six serious candi - personal investment in the race, Jacobs will in the top tier of candidates with a ALLAN KATZ dates: businessman John georges, busi - will not have to spend as much time and fighting chance to make the run-off and Managing Editor/Marketing Director CANDy LOVITT nessman Troy Henry, former Orleans effort as the other candidates fundraising.