Latest news with #Waguespack
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LDEQ employees slam Aurelia Giacometto's leadership in workplace culture survey
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Aurelia Giacometto (right) and Gov. Jeff Landry hold a press conference on July 1, 2024, at the Denka neoprene plant in LaPlace, La., to speak against a new EPA rule they say is unfair to the company. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) More than three quarters of state employees polled at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said morale at the agency worsened last year, and nearly half had negative views about LDEQ leadership, according to the results of a workplace culture survey the Louisiana Legislative Auditor published Monday. Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack surveyed 712 LDEQ employees last July and received responses from 377, or nearly 53%. Waguespack's office initiated the review at the request of state lawmakers. Their directive followed reports of resignations and turmoil at the agency, with some employees complaining of harassment from LDEQ Secretary Aurelia Giacometto. The survey questions covered the period from January through June 2024, gauging LDEQ's workplace culture during Giacometto's first six months at the helm. An overwhelming 78.2% of the respondents reported that morale at LDEQ worsened over that six-month period. More than one-third said they work in a 'toxic environment,' and a roughly equal number have personally experienced or witnessed retaliation. Just over half, or 55.7%, reported being satisfied with their job, and less than one-fourth, or 22.3%, agreed or strongly agreed that LDEQ executive leadership treats them with respect and appreciation, according to the report. Nearly 14% of the sampled employees reported feeling pressured to do something against the law, in violation of department policy or in violation of state Civil Service rules. Their concerns included being pressured to disregard regulations or policies related to site closures, completing inspections, grant requirements and agency contracts. Some employees also mentioned issues with a temporary directive from Giacometto to not communicate with outside agencies. When Waguespack's office shared the survey results with Giacometto, she responded with a letter criticizing the auditor's procedures and dismissing the findings outright. 'You have admittedly (and inexplicably) chosen not to abide by Governmental Auditing Standards in issuing the report, and the report contains a lot of data, some of which is not particularly useful or relevant to the operations of LDEQ,' she wrote in the letter, which is included in the report. Giacometto was referring to a sentence in Waguespack's report that states it is an informational report intended to provide more timely information than standards-based performance audits: 'While these informational reports do not follow Government Auditing Standards, we conduct quality assurance activities to ensure the information presented is accurate.' Jenifer Schaye, general counsel for the Legislative Auditor's Office, explained in a phone call Monday that government auditing standards do not apply to these kinds of workplace culture surveys. Nevertheless, the auditors went to great lengths to choose the most objective and unbiased questions, Schaye said. An appendix to the report notes that the auditors met with LDEQ ahead of time to discuss the project and obtain feedback from Giacometto. When they provided draft survey questions and asked for feedback, LDEQ responded that it had none, according to the appendix. Alongside the digital survey, the auditors personally interviewed a subset of staff from all LDEQ sections and of various job titles and hire dates, ranging from newer employees to those with more experience. Additionally, an independent auditor with specialized training conducted a non-response bias analysis to ensure the respondent sample was representative of LDEQ's staff population, the report notes. Giacometto noted in her response letter that 'the business community' has rated LDEQ under her leadership 'as good as, and in some cases better' than her predecessor — Chuck Carr Brown, under former Gov. John Bel Edwards. Louisiana's top environmental official keeps cozy connection with NRA There are no actual ratings or survey results from the business community. What Giacometto calls 'the business community' was actually five industry stakeholders whom the auditors spoke with to gain their feedback on recent changes at the agency. Her implication that they rated her tutelage of LDEQ comes from a sentence on page 3 of the report that reads, 'Industry stakeholders we interviewed stated that LDEQ performance from their perspective was either as good as, or in some cases better, over the past six months (January through June 2024).' LDEQ did not answer specific questions about the report when asked for comment Monday, instead providing the letter Giacometto sent to Waguespack. Among the other survey findings, roughly 47% of the sampled employees indicated that they either disagree or strongly disagree that LDEQ executive leadership models qualities of accountability, professionalism, integrity, respect, empathy and leadership, with a larger share choosing the 'strongly disagree' option. Nearly one-third were neutral, saying they neither agree nor disagree. The sampled employees had far more positive feelings about their immediate supervisors than they did about LDEQ's executive leadership. More than 75% said they either agree or strongly agree that their managers, supervisors and administrators model those same leadership qualities. Similarly, 76.3% of respondents said their supervisors treat them with respect and appreciation, while only 22.3% said the same about LDEQ's executive leadership. More than 40% reported having personally seen unprofessional behavior such as yelling, demeaning comments, harassment or intimidation — either sometimes, often or always during the first half of 2024. Another 33.7% reported having personally experienced or witnessed retaliation at LDEQ, and almost 59% of the staff reported they rarely or never personally experienced or witnessed unprofessional behavior. In concluding her letter to Waguespack, Giacometto indicated she was unswayed by the survey's findings. 'I, as Secretary, am very proud of the hard working employees of the LDEQ and their dedication to the mission,' she wrote. 'And I am not going to allow some disgruntled employees to undermine the great work of this agency.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Reuters
07-02-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
New Orleans offers shelter for homeless during Super Bowl, Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Louisiana is providing shelter and services to around 170 homeless people from New Orleans' highest density areas as the city prepares to host Sunday's Super Bowl and conclude Mardi Gras next month. At the direction of Governor Jeff Landry, police in January cleared out homeless encampments in the tourist-heavy French Quarter and near the Superdome, where the Super Bowl will be held, and gave the people the option of going to a "transitional center." Located in a non-descript industrial building in the city's Pontchartrain Park neighborhood, the center provides temporary housing, food, laundry, medical, mental health and addiction services, haircuts and more, according to state officials. It is closed to the public and press and Reuters' attempt to view the facility and interview people staying there was unsuccessful. The site is expected to remain open for two months at a cost of between $16 and $18 million, according to Michael Steele, the communications director with the governor's office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. "The governor said that if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right," Steele said. "So there's an entire social worker network of assistance that's available as well as a lot of wraparound services." Steele conceded that the center got off to a rocky start due to heating and plumbing issues in its early days but said those issues have since been resolved. The center opened just days before an unprecedented winter storm that dropped eight inches of snow in the city and Steele said he believed the shelter saved lives. He pushed back on the idea that the center was an attempt to hide the city's homeless population amid an influx of tourists and said the staff there believe it will have a positive legacy that could serve as a model for other cities. "Our staff sees this as one of the brighter issues when it comes to all of the Super Bowl prep work because we were able to take this group out of harm's way and meet their immediate needs, like with the winter weather conditions," he said. "We're also looking for longer-term solutions that may provide them with a more stable housing option going forward." Jack Waguespack, the executive director and co-founder of Below Sea Level Aid, a local harm reduction organization, said people were moved out of the encampments under the threat of arrest and that some of their belongings were lost in the shuffle. "It's never a good situation when force is used," Waguespack said. "It absolutely could have been a good thing if it was done correctly." Reviews of the center varied, Waguespack said. "I've been getting mixed stories as to the status over there," they said. "It sounds like they are offering all of the services they said they would like case management, showers, meals. I just don't think it's up to par with what many of us want to see. It feels very makeshift and very rushed. "As if they were fixing this 'problem' before they had an actual solution." Steele said that while the expectation is for the center to run until about mid-March, that timeline could shorten if the people there are able to move into more secure housing before then. "Our staff and the vendors are doing everything they can to find best solutions for the crowd they are dealing with," he said.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In a first-of-a-kind move under a new zoning provision, developer will make last-ditch effort to gain approval for Lincoln Park towers
Sterling Bay, the developer behind dozens of projects in Chicago, launched a last-ditch effort earlier this month to secure City Council approval for a pair of apartment towers on the western edge of Lincoln Park, attempting an end-run around an alderman opposed to the project. The company plans to try to bypass Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, and take the project directly to the City Council, marking the first time a developer will use a 2022 zoning reform that ensures some builders get an up-or-down vote if local opposition delays approval. It's a challenge to Chicago's long-standing custom of 'aldermanic prerogative,' which typically gives local aldermen the final word on zoning decisions in their ward. The ad hoc tradition plays a powerful — yet controversial — role in determining which developments can proceed. Supporters of aldermanic prerogative say it ensures developers can't ignore local concerns, while opponents say the custom can squelch needed development or even help maintain historic segregation. The 2022 reform, known as the Connected Communities Ordinance, overhauled city zoning law and stands as one of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's legacies, and if Sterling Bay prevails it could put some limits on the tradition of aldermanic prerogative. 'We had seen too many examples of projects that never came to a vote,' said Marisa Novara, commissioner of Chicago's Department of Housing for Lightfoot. 'And to be clear, this doesn't mean developments get automatic approvals; it just brings some democracy to the process by saying a vote is required.' The $340 million Sterling Bay project was approved in June by the Plan Commission in an 11-1 vote over Waguespack's objection. But it failed to win an endorsement from the Zoning Committee in December. The project would involve constructing 16- and 21-story skyscrapers at 1840 N. Marcey St., near the CTA's Red Line and sandwiched between the Bucktown neighborhood and the Clybourn Corridor retail district. The complex would have 615 apartments, 124 of which would be affordable. 'This has been a four-year endeavor, and we feel it's time to move forward,' said Sterling Bay Managing Director Fred Krol, although the company would keep working with Waguespack to come up with a solution. Waguespack did not return a call seeking comment, but in December released a statement pointing out that many members of local neighborhood organizations, including the Ranch Triangle Community Conservation Association, say the towers would be out of scale compared with the community's mostly two- and three-story homes, and could cause more traffic headaches in an already congested area. 'Ranch Triangle Association supports residential development on that site, and we support affordable housing in our community because it's great to have diversity,' said Erma Tranter, the association's president. 'We're just asking Sterling Bay to reduce the height and density of the two towers.' Many major developments require zoning changes, and Connected Communities reforms the way those changes are pursued. It expanded the definition of transit-oriented development, adjusted bike parking rules and established maximum parking for residential projects. It also included a provision that allows developers proposing large amounts of affordable housing in high-cost, transit-rich areas such as Lincoln Park another way to secure approvals if they hit political roadblocks. Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, chair of the Zoning Committee, used a parliamentary maneuver in December to keep Sterling Bay's proposal alive after members initially voted it down. Under Connected Communities, Sterling Bay needs to send an official notice to Burnett requesting another vote but can't do so until April due to timelines specified in the ordinance. If a vote doesn't occur in 60 days after that, the proposal is sent on to the full City Council. Novara, now vice president of community impact at the Chicago Community Trust, said the 1840 N. Marcey St. project checks all the boxes for Connected Communities. If successful, Sterling Bay's challenge could set a precedent, helping other developers build affordable units in neighborhoods low- to moderate-income residents might not otherwise be able to afford. 'Chicago is an extremely segregated city by race and income, and that's why we should make decisions like this as a city,' Novara said. Mayor Brandon Johnson downplayed the dispute with Waguespack, saying after the Plan Commission vote in June that 'this is not some contentious, fake spat or rift between my presentation and others. This is about having a real conversation about how we have the vibrancy in this city so that we can recover.' The last such high-profile clash between an administration and local alderman over a development occurred in 2021 when then-Mayor Lightfoot convinced City Council to approve a 297-unit project on the Far Northwest Side over the objection of Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st. All developers using the Connected Communities ordinance must first hold at least one public meeting. Sterling Bay held its meeting Jan. 15 at 1840 N. Marcey St. in a vacant building that would be torn down to make way for the development. More than 100 people showed up, and most of the crowd appeared to be in favor of the new development. Krol gave credit to neighborhood groups such as Ranch Triangle for pushing the company to boost the percentage of affordable housing. Sterling Bay initially called for 15% of the units to be affordable, but by the time it went before the Plan Commission in June, the company had agreed to make 20% affordable. Hitting the 20% benchmark means Sterling Bay could qualify for the state's 2021 Affordable Illinois property tax reform, which secures deep assessment cuts and lower taxes for property owners if they keep units affordable. In his December statement, Waguespack said that with city homeowners facing possible property tax increases, a tax cut for Sterling Bay might not be the best use of resources. 'This property tax break will reduce their property taxes by about $44.7 million that will be shifted to other property owners,' he said. But Krol said at the meeting that without the proposed development, the property would generate $69 million in property taxes over 30 years, while a new 1840 N. Marcey St. would generate $248 million. 'I don't know anyone in this room who would consider $248 million a giveaway,' he said. Sterling Bay also agreed — in advance of the June Plan Commission — to slightly cut the height of both towers and reduce the number of parking spaces from 360 to 275, after negotiations with Waguespack and other neighbors. But 275 is still far too many, Tranter said. Introducing hundreds of new cars will further choke Clybourn Avenue, already packed during rush hour, and nearby Cortland Street, often backed up for blocks throughout much of the day, she said. 'Marcey Street is only 21 feet wide, and traffic already gets pinched at the bridge over the river where it funnels down from two lanes to one,' Tranter said. 'So, it's not a sustainable development in any way.' Luay Aboona, principal of KLOA, a traffic consultant advising Sterling Bay, said at the meeting the developer will include some minor upgrades to the neighborhood's road infrastructure, such as improved sidewalks and crosswalks. But he added that what often clogs the surrounding streets are shoppers and drivers from outside the neighborhood. 'We understand the concerns, but (1840 N. Marcey's) impact on Cortland will only be incremental,' he said. 'It won't be significant enough to make the roads worse than they are now.' Krol also said significantly reducing the towers' size wasn't an option. 'We have looked at that and looked at that, and we simply can't make the changes you're talking about,' he said. 'Ultimately, we have to convince a lender to finance the project, and we have to demonstrate that the project will be able to pay back a loan.' Many attendees said the city needs more development to combat Chicago's rising homelessness, and to raise the funds needed to sustain its falling credit rating. 'I'm grateful this project is moving forward,' said nearby resident Richard Day. 'If we cannot build more housing in the city we're screwed.' Some speakers said the neighborhood was impossible to afford, especially for young residents. And the new ground-floor retail Sterling Bay wants to create at 1840 N. Marcey St. could give a much-needed jolt to the area's stagnant shopping district. 'There have not been any changes during the last five years I've been living here,' said Joshua Chodor, a graduate student. Others said Sterling Bay should build the proposed residential complex on its stalled $6 billion Lincoln Yards development site nearby along the North Branch of the Chicago River. The company unveiled Lincoln Yards six years ago, with plans for offices, retail, riverfront parks, massive improvements to the neighborhood's transit infrastructure, entertainment venues and apartments, including skyscrapers of nearly 600 feet. But it has struggled to finance construction, leaving most of the land empty and the transit improvements undone. Local resident Scott Nations said 1840 N. Marcey St. could be a buffer zone between the neighborhood and Lincoln Yards, with a smaller apartment complex instead of Lincoln Yards-sized buildings. 'This is out-of-scale with the two- and three-story buildings around it,' he said. Krol said preparing the 53-acre Lincoln Yards for development is much trickier than 1840 N. Marcey St. The city did designate Lincoln Yards a tax increment financing district in 2019, but before the company can reap any benefits, it must spend hundreds of millions upfront to reconstruct the site's infrastructure. 'The (1840) project is not being triggered by Lincoln Yards,' Krol said. This isn't the only apartment project Sterling Bay wants to build near Lincoln Yards. In May, the Plan Commission approved its plan for a 25-story, 355-unit building at 2033 N. Kingsbury St., two blocks north of the Marcey site in Ald. Brian Hopkins' 2nd Ward. It was approved by City Council over the summer. Tranter said conversations between the developer, neighborhood groups and Waguespack will continue. 'We want this project to be the best it can be, well thought out and sustainable,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
26-01-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
In a first-of-a-kind move under a new zoning provision, developer will make last-ditch effort to gain approval for Lincoln Park towers
Sterling Bay, the developer behind dozens of projects in Chicago, launched a last-ditch effort earlier this month to secure City Council approval for a pair of apartment towers on the western edge of Lincoln Park, attempting an end-run around an alderman opposed to the project. The company plans to try to bypass Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, and take the project directly to the City Council, marking the first time a developer will use a 2022 zoning reform that ensures some builders get an up-or-down vote if local opposition delays approval. It's a challenge to Chicago's long-standing custom of 'aldermanic prerogative,' which typically gives local aldermen the final word on zoning decisions in their ward. The ad hoc tradition plays a powerful — yet controversial — role in determining which developments can proceed. Supporters of aldermanic prerogative say it ensures developers can't ignore local concerns, while opponents say the custom can squelch needed development or even help maintain historic segregation. The 2022 reform, known as the Connected Communities Ordinance, overhauled city zoning law and stands as one of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's legacies, and if Sterling Bay prevails it could put some limits on the tradition of aldermanic prerogative. 'We had seen too many examples of projects that never came to a vote,' said Marisa Novara, commissioner of Chicago's Department of Housing for Lightfoot. 'And to be clear, this doesn't mean developments get automatic approvals; it just brings some democracy to the process by saying a vote is required.' The $340 million Sterling Bay project was approved in June by the Plan Commission in an 11-1 vote over Waguespack's objection. But it failed to win an endorsement from the Zoning Committee in December. The project would involve constructing 16- and 21-story skyscrapers at 1840 N. Marcey St., near the CTA's Red Line and sandwiched between the Bucktown neighborhood and the Clybourn Corridor retail district. The complex would have 615 apartments, 124 of which would be affordable. 'This has been a four-year endeavor, and we feel it's time to move forward,' said Sterling Bay Managing Director Fred Krol, although the company would keep working with Waguespack to come up with a solution. Waguespack did not return a call seeking comment, but in December released a statement pointing out that many members of local neighborhood organizations, including the Ranch Triangle Community Conservation Association, say the towers would be out of scale compared with the community's mostly two- and three-story homes, and could cause more traffic headaches in an already congested area. 'Ranch Triangle Association supports residential development on that site, and we support affordable housing in our community because it's great to have diversity,' said Erma Tranter, the association's president. 'We're just asking Sterling Bay to reduce the height and density of the two towers.' Many major developments require zoning changes, and Connected Communities reforms the way those changes are pursued. It expanded the definition of transit-oriented development, adjusted bike parking rules and established maximum parking for residential projects. It also included a provision that allows developers proposing large amounts of affordable housing in high-cost, transit-rich areas such as Lincoln Park another way to secure approvals if they hit political roadblocks. Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th, chair of the Zoning Committee, used a parliamentary maneuver in December to keep Sterling Bay's proposal alive after members initially voted it down. Under Connected Communities, Sterling Bay needs to send an official notice to Burnett requesting another vote but can't do so until April due to timelines specified in the ordinance. If a vote doesn't occur in 60 days after that, the proposal is sent on to the full City Council. Novara, now vice president of community impact at the Chicago Community Trust, said the 1840 N. Marcey St. project checks all the boxes for Connected Communities. If successful, Sterling Bay's challenge could set a precedent, helping other developers build affordable units in neighborhoods low- to moderate-income residents might not otherwise be able to afford. 'Chicago is an extremely segregated city by race and income, and that's why we should make decisions like this as a city,' Novara said. Mayor Brandon Johnson downplayed the dispute with Waguespack, saying after the Plan Commission vote in June that 'this is not some contentious, fake spat or rift between my presentation and others. This is about having a real conversation about how we have the vibrancy in this city so that we can recover.' The last such high-profile clash between an administration and local alderman over a development occurred in 2021 when then-Mayor Lightfoot convinced City Council to approve a 297-unit project on the Far Northwest Side over the objection of Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st. All developers using the Connected Communities ordinance must first hold at least one public meeting. Sterling Bay held its meeting Jan. 15 at 1840 N. Marcey St. in a vacant building that would be torn down to make way for the development. More than 100 people showed up, and most of the crowd appeared to be in favor of the new development. Krol gave credit to neighborhood groups such as Ranch Triangle for pushing the company to boost the percentage of affordable housing. Sterling Bay initially called for 15% of the units to be affordable, but by the time it went before the Plan Commission in June, the company had agreed to make 20% affordable. Hitting the 20% benchmark means Sterling Bay could qualify for the state's 2021 Affordable Illinois property tax reform, which secures deep assessment cuts and lower taxes for property owners if they keep units affordable. In his December statement, Waguespack said that with city homeowners facing possible property tax increases, a tax cut for Sterling Bay might not be the best use of resources. 'This property tax break will reduce their property taxes by about $44.7 million that will be shifted to other property owners,' he said. But Krol said at the meeting that without the proposed development, the property would generate $69 million in property taxes over 30 years, while a new 1840 N. Marcey St. would generate $248 million. 'I don't know anyone in this room who would consider $248 million a giveaway,' he said. Sterling Bay also agreed — in advance of the June Plan Commission — to slightly cut the height of both towers and reduce the number of parking spaces from 360 to 275, after negotiations with Waguespack and other neighbors. But 275 is still far too many, Tranter said. Introducing hundreds of new cars will further choke Clybourn Avenue, already packed during rush hour, and nearby Cortland Street, often backed up for blocks throughout much of the day, she said. 'Marcey Street is only 21 feet wide, and traffic already gets pinched at the bridge over the river where it funnels down from two lanes to one,' Tranter said. 'So, it's not a sustainable development in any way.' Luay Aboona, principal of KLOA, a traffic consultant advising Sterling Bay, said at the meeting the developer will include some minor upgrades to the neighborhood's road infrastructure, such as improved sidewalks and crosswalks. But he added that what often clogs the surrounding streets are shoppers and drivers from outside the neighborhood. 'We understand the concerns, but (1840 N. Marcey's) impact on Cortland will only be incremental,' he said. 'It won't be significant enough to make the roads worse than they are now.' Krol also said significantly reducing the towers' size wasn't an option. 'We have looked at that and looked at that, and we simply can't make the changes you're talking about,' he said. 'Ultimately, we have to convince a lender to finance the project, and we have to demonstrate that the project will be able to pay back a loan.' Many attendees said the city needs more development to combat Chicago's rising homelessness, and to raise the funds needed to sustain its falling credit rating. 'I'm grateful this project is moving forward,' said nearby resident Richard Day. 'If we cannot build more housing in the city we're screwed.' Some speakers said the neighborhood was impossible to afford, especially for young residents. And the new ground-floor retail Sterling Bay wants to create at 1840 N. Marcey St. could give a much-needed jolt to the area's stagnant shopping district. 'There have not been any changes during the last five years I've been living here,' said Joshua Chodor, a graduate student. Others said Sterling Bay should build the proposed residential complex on its stalled $6 billion Lincoln Yards development site nearby along the North Branch of the Chicago River. The company unveiled Lincoln Yards six years ago, with plans for offices, retail, riverfront parks, massive improvements to the neighborhood's transit infrastructure, entertainment venues and apartments, including skyscrapers of nearly 600 feet. But it has struggled to finance construction, leaving most of the land empty and the transit improvements undone. Local resident Scott Nations said 1840 N. Marcey St. could be a buffer zone between the neighborhood and Lincoln Yards, with a smaller apartment complex instead of Lincoln Yards-sized buildings. 'This is out-of-scale with the two- and three-story buildings around it,' he said. Krol said preparing the 53-acre Lincoln Yards for development is much trickier than 1840 N. Marcey St. The city did designate Lincoln Yards a tax increment financing district in 2019, but before the company can reap any benefits, it must spend hundreds of millions upfront to reconstruct the site's infrastructure. 'The (1840) project is not being triggered by Lincoln Yards,' Krol said. This isn't the only apartment project Sterling Bay wants to build near Lincoln Yards. In May, the Plan Commission approved its plan for a 25-story, 355-unit building at 2033 N. Kingsbury St., two blocks north of the Marcey site in Ald. Brian Hopkins' 2nd Ward. It was approved by City Council over the summer. Tranter said conversations between the developer, neighborhood groups and Waguespack will continue. 'We want this project to be the best it can be, well thought out and sustainable,' she said.
