Month: January 2025

Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) Executive Director Jason Hannaman, who is alleged to have engaged in, “nothing short of direct lobbying” for the reappointment of one of his then-bosses, Jared Caruso-Riecke.  That allegation arises from a December 5, 2024 letter from Hannaman to Dillard University President Monique Guillory informing her of the vacancy created by Riecke’s term expiring the same day of the letter (12/5/24).

It has been quite some time since we’ve had the intense interest in a Sound Off Louisiana series to compare with that which has been generated by the vacancy on the LSPC as a result of long-time Commissioner Jared Caruso-Riecke’s term expiring on December 5, 2024.

We’ve learned plenty since we began the series on December 16, 2024.

Perhaps no discovery is more revealing than former Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough making it crystal clear that University Presidents are, “simply cover for these appointments,” together with his emphatic statement that, “defying a Governor’s choice is political suicide.”

In making his revelations, Dr. Kimbrough provided irrefutable evidence of what many individuals (including us at Sound Off Louisiana) have theorized for a long time:  that the whole nomination process by University Presidents is nothing short of a total and complete sham!

It was on Sunday, December 22, 2024 that we published this feature outlining the many controversies of Riecke.  The feature even contained a lead photo of he and his wife displaying obscene gestures on Facebook at a Mardi Gras Ball in 2024.

Perhaps it’s not coincidental then that, the very next day, Monday, December 23, 2024, which was also two days after being named Dillard’s permanent President, Monique Guillory drafted this letter to Gov. Jeff Landry indicating that her nominee for the position is Mr. Stephen L. Guidry, Jr.  Gov. Landry previously appointed Guidry to the  Louisiana Highway and Safety Commission earlier in 2024, and he serves as Chairman of that Commission.

In conformity with Kimbrough’s contention about University Presidents, “serving as cover” for appointments that are, in reality, dictated to them by the Governor, Guidry’s name was the only one submitted by Guillory.

Guillory also supplied a brief paragraph about Guidry that would serve the dual purpose of making an easy copy and paste whenever Gov. Landry’s Office formally announces Guidry’s appointment.

From President Guillory’s 12/23/24 letter (which was received by the LSPC on Thursday, December 26, 2024 @ 4:53 p.m.):

Mr. Guidry is an established business owner in the community, supporter of local charity organizations and dedicated public servant. He has served as a Commissioner for the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission since 2016, and in 2024 was named Chairman of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

With Guidry’s appointment, Gov. Landry has essentially placed his own footprint on the LSPC by his near complete overhaul of its composition.

The only Edwards holdover on the LSPC is Commissioner Mark “Aubrey” Cole, whom then-WBRZ reporter Chris Nakamoto aired this feature entailing, “racism claimed by an employee of Cole.”

[Note:  Monty Montelongo serves as the elected active LSP Trooper representative and is thus not appointed by the Governor.]

Speaking of Nakamoto, his non-compete agreement with WBRZ is now up.  In fact, on Monday, January 6, 2025, his first feature on WAFB is being touted.

That feature entails former St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain and the fact that he has been receiving his $11,000/month pension while serving in prison for his conviction on molesting a number of young boys.

We’re anxious to see Nakamoto back on air in the Baton Rouge market, and he’ll also be anchoring WAFB’s 5 p.m. newscast.

We wish the very best to Gov. Landry’s new appointees to the LSPC because, God knows, they can’t possibly be much worse than those of Gov. Edwards.

Furthermore,  we know from all the emails, phone calls, and the social media shares of our series on Riecke’s vacancy that he had a massive level of opposition to any reappointment of him by Gov. Landry.

Accordingly, we strongly commend Landry on not making a Riecke reappointment despite many folk, including former Dillard President Kimbrough, assessing LSPC Executive Director Hannaman as having engaged in “lobbying” to Dillard University President Guillory for Landry to make such a reappointment.

Former Dillard University President Walter M. Kimbrough.

In 1991, Louisiana voters approved, in the form of a Constitutional Amendment, permitting the Louisiana State Police (LSP) to have its own civil service department, and that department is the Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC).

An important sales pitch made to voters for the formation of the LSPC was that its Members would be “independent” of the Governor and would instead be comprised of individuals who were recommended by private university Presidents across Louisiana.

Many folk have quietly contended that the entire process for obtaining nominees for these appointments is essentially a sham and that the Governor merely tells the University Presidents who should be nominated, and that’s who makes the list.  Nevertheless, until this week, there has been no way to supply definitive proof that voters’ assurance that these selections are independent of the Governor is being violated and that Louisiana’s Constitution is being blatantly violated by Governors choosing to circumvent both the letter and the spirit of that Constitutional provision.

Sure, we saw it essentially play out when former LSPC Executive Director Cathy Derbonne allegedly got told to,  “shut the f— up” by former Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Office.  She got that alleged directive from Gov. Edwards’ Office after she complained that the Constitution was not being adhered to.

Nevertheless, the alleged action by Edwards’ Office to Derbonne is just that:  an allegation.  Thus, even though the allegation got formalized in pleadings filed in court as Derbonne sued the LSPC asserting a “constructive discharge,” her allegation doesn’t constitute authoritative proof that this entire process is a complete and total sham.

All that changed this week, however, when former Dillard University President Dr. Walter Kimbrough responded to our most recent feature  by indicating that University Presidents are, “simply being used as cover” for the appointments and that, by appointing anyone other than the one the Governor tells them to appoint, they would be committing “political suicide.”

In the video for today’s feature, Sound Off Louisiana‘s founder, Robert Burns, expresses his heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Kimbrough for exposing the raw naked truth of this entire sham process for precisely what it is:  a sham!  Here’s the video:

 12/31/24:  Burns expresses his heartfelt gratitude to former Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough for exposing the, “raw and naked truth of the sham nature of these LSPC appointments.”  Regarding Kimbrough’s reference to Congressman Fields, beginning at the 6:45 mark, we replicate Fields’ ditching of his bill to abolish the LSPC and the fact that Fields actually had the bill, “withdrawn from the files of the Senate.”

Click here to see Dr. Walter Kimbrough’s email in its entirety, which we are also incorporating into this feature.  Here’s Dr. Kimbrough’s email:

Mr. Burns-

Thank you for including me after you published your blog without getting my insight. Since you found my email address, clearly you had a motive for the approach you took.

I found it interesting that you made me the subject of your hit piece (picture included) when over the past decade there have been scores of issues with this commission. I can’t find you attacking the school that nominated Sabrina Richardson (who was it anyway?) and she has been in the news the most.

Your post is misleading. We submit names for consideration- the Governor decides. And while you were able to access written communication, you did not have access to all communications.

You then conveniently left out the fact that over 70% of citizens voted in 2022 to give the Senate veto authority on any nominee. In essence, Senator Cleo Fields raised the same issues I had, created a constitutional amendment, and it passed. This now provides a great check and balance so that any Senator can prevent a problematic nominee from being confirmed. This now removes universities from the politics of this appointment, which is good.

Louisiana Amendment 3, Senate Confirmation for Appointees to State Police Commission Measure (December 2022) – Ballotpedia

The fair thing would be to include this fact. But again, you had a motive. And your attempt to pit me against the Black community and the Ronald Greene tragedy was insulting.

In the end, university presidents are simply being used as cover for these appointments. I stand by my letter that we don’t have the time to thoroughly vet positions that ultimately we don’t select, and as even you figured out in Hannaman’s December 5th letter to President Guillory, lobbying is and has been done to ensure preferred candidates are one of the 3 nominees. Asking people to send her nominees is great, but understand that if any Governor wants a particular candidate as one of the 3, they will be included. There is no incentive for any president to defy a Governor over a matter that does not directly impact their operations. That’s political suicide.

So again, tell me why anyone should waste time and energy to find nominees, especially if a Governor has a preferred candidate and they ultimately choose?

Don’t attack the presidents. The process is broken. The 2022 amendment is a good step forward.

Walter M. Kimbrough

Interim President

Talladega College

It probably comes as no surprise that we’ll remain on top of this whole process of filling the vacancy of LSPC Member Jared Riecke, whose term expired on December 5, 2024, in real time.

Happy New Year!