Email from Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy
to Matthew Issman (LSU - Alexandria Police Captain
& former LSP Trooper) and copied to
LSPRB
Executive Director Irwin Felps, Jr. and
Members of the LSPRB relaying his
conviction that public comment should NOT be
curtailed and also that the meeting should
be streamed live over the internet
From: John
Kennedy <jkennedy@treasury.state.la.us<
mailto:jkennedy@treasury.state.la.us>>
Date: August 28, 2014 at 8:54:59 AM CDT
To: Matthew Issman <MIssman@lsua.edu<
mailto:MIssman@lsua.edu>>
Cc: "ifelps@lsprs.org<
mailto:ifelps@lsprs.org>" <ifelps@lsprs.org<
mailto:ifelps@lsprs.org>>, "frank.besson@dps.la.gov<
mailto:frank.besson@dps.la.gov>" <frank.besson@dps.la.gov<
mailto:frank.besson@dps.la.gov>>, "kevin.marcel@dps.la.gov<
mailto:kevin.marcel@dps.la.gov>" <kevin.marcel@dps.la.gov<
mailto:kevin.marcel@dps.la.gov>>, "mike.edmonson@dps.la.gov<
mailto:mike.edmonson@dps.la.gov>" <mike.edmonson@dps.la.gov<
mailto:mike.edmonson@dps.la.gov>>, "charlie.dupuy@dps.la.gov<
mailto:charlie.dupuy@dps.la.gov>" <charlie.dupuy@dps.la.gov<
mailto:charlie.dupuy@dps.la.gov>>, "guillorye@legis.la.gov<
mailto:guillorye@legis.la.gov>" <guillorye@legis.la.gov<
mailto:guillorye@legis.la.gov>>, Amy Mathews <AMathews@treasury.state.la.us<
mailto:AMathews@treasury.state.la.us>>, "slafargue1214@gmail.com<
mailto:slafargue1214@gmail.com>" <slafargue1214@gmail.com<
mailto:slafargue1214@gmail.com>>, "kristy.nichols@la.gov<
mailto:kristy.nichols@la.gov>" <kristy.nichols@la.gov<
mailto:kristy.nichols@la.gov>>, "andrea.hubbard@la.gov<
mailto:andrea.hubbard@la.gov>" <andrea.hubbard@la.gov<
mailto:andrea.hubbard@la.gov>>, "thurman.miller@la.gov<
mailto:thurman.miller@la.gov>" <thurman.miller@la.gov<
mailto:thurman.miller@la.gov>>, "pearsonk@legis.la.gov<
mailto:pearsonk@legis.la.gov>" <pearsonk@legis.la.gov<
mailto:pearsonk@legis.la.gov>>, "bobby.smith@dps.la.gov<
mailto:bobby.smith@dps.la.gov>" <bobby.smith@dps.la.gov<
mailto:bobby.smith@dps.la.gov>>, "kgann@lsprs.org<
mailto:kgann@lsprs.org>" <kgann@lsprs.org<
mailto:kgann@lsprs.org>>, "executive@ag.state.la.us<
mailto:executive@ag.state.la.us>" <executive@ag.state.la.us<mailto:executive@ag.state.la.us>>
Subject: Re: Open Meeting Law requirements
Fellow Trustees: Limiting the number of speakers and the time each has to
speak to 2 minutes seems unfair to me. No legislative committee does this.
Nor do the State Bond Commission, the Board of Regents, the LSU Board, the
Southern Board, the UL Board of Trustees, the LHC, the PSC, BESE or any other
state board or commission that I am aware of. I suggest that a better rule
would be to allow our Chairman to use his discretion to allow everyone who
wishes to speak to be able to do so, while asking the speakers to make their
points succinctly and respectfully and not to repeat themselves. Most of
the speakers will likely be our System members, whom we serve and who care about
the integrity of the System, as we do. To cut them off arbitrarily will
undermine people's confidence in the System, the Board of Trustees and the
Louisiana State Police as an institution, which we are all very proud of. Please
reconsider the speech limitation rule. It is a mistake. I am willing to stay at
the meeting as long as necessary to allow people to be heard, and I'll bet the
other Trustees feel the same. Thank you. John Kennedy, member, Board
of Trustees, Louisiana State Police Retirement System.
P.S. I
also think it is only fair to stream the meeting on the internet, like the
legislature, so people who can't be there in person can watch it, especially the
rating agencies in New York who are concerned about the state's pension
liabilities and are watching all this closely. The only way we can remove
the taint on the State of Louisiana and the Louisiana State Police Retirement
System that this legislation has caused, and to regain people's and taxpayers'
confidence, is to deal with the problem openly, honestly and rationally.
PLEASE do not give the impression that we are trying to hide something. I am
very proud of our Louisiana State Police--we all are--and as Trustees we should
show the world why that pride is justified. JK
------------------------------------
John Kennedy
Louisiana State Treasurer
jkennedy@treasury.state.la.us<
mailto:jkennedy@treasury.state.la.us>