Dirty Politics and the Campaign for the Next Assessor

You know what, you've got to hand it to them. For the longest time, New Orleans' 7 Assessors had it made. Cushy job with a big paycheck and full benies. They never had to work to raise campaign funds. All they had to do was send out a few suspiciously low property assessments and campaign funds would roll right in.

The assessors sat back and relaxed. The assessor seats would even be passed down from generation to generation, because nobody bothered to challenged a sitting assessor and they would just pull out of the reelection campaign hours before the deadline, so the next generation would have it without any competition. Claude Mauberret's family has controlled the 2nd District for 100 years!!!

And then the voters had to go and fuck the whole thing up for them! How could they do that! Who do these 1 Citizen and I.Q. People think they are, ruining the gravy train?!?!

The race for the next assessor is critical for the future of New Orleans. It's a battle between old nepotistic assessors that flout the law and back the vampires of the city and a new system that will actually treat everyone fairly, regardless of political connections. A shocking revolution, I know. Oyster has been beating on this particular issue for quite a while, actually.

Anyone looking for who to vote for should read these two fantastic articles:

N.O. Property List Prices, City Values Often Far Apart. From Thursday's Picayune.

Janis Lemle for Assessor.

Janis Lemle is the best hope to reform the system. The race is getting nasty. I recently got this libelous flier:

Click to Enlarge

Looks like someone is getting nervous they'll lose their cushy position. Anyone want to bet that "Citizens for Fair Assessments", with their scare-tactic (OMG! DREADLOCKS! THE JEFFERSON DRAGONS!) "tax woman" ad is really Mauberrey?

The only ones getting their taxes raised are the ones who've bribed assessors into illegally low assessments. Nobody's taxes are getting raised that don't deserve it. Also, thanks in no small part to Nancy Marshall's work in Uptown, property taxes were rolled-back and, with the exclusion of the old-money vampires, taxes went DOWN!

The best thing you can do a week from today is put Claude Mauberret and all the other crooked assessors in the unemployment line.

UPDATE- Eli has more background. "Most Consequential Race Flying Under The Radar"

UPDATE 2- More tantalizing details here: "Mystery of the Shadow Unsolved". Nagin and Riley go hilariously conspiratorial on WBOK. At the end, though, it's noted that the Lemle ad is by an unregistered Political Action Committee and strongly hinted that Mauberret is behind it. Crooked bastard.

UPDATE 3- Janis Lemle's latest ad:

(H/T Chris K)

UPDATE 4- Keep the ad on the air:

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