THE CLECO SETTLEMENT; QUESTIONS REMAIN

When one files a lawsuit for damages, such as the Cleco case, it is customary for the attorney to keep the client informed of the progress of the case, give the client an idea of how much it is worth, and a clear and concise statement of how much a settlement offer is. None of that has happened in the Cleco case.

Now I realize that their are some constraints on the mediation reports, which were agreed to under the Randolph administration, but now Mayor Jacques Roy is being intentionally vague about how much Cleco overcharged us. See this video of Rev. Green's question to the City Council of how much Cleco overcharged us:


Watch Cleco Rev. Green.mpg  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

That is a simple question that deserves a straight forward answer. Rev. Green did not, in my opinion as a lawyer, get good advice.

Next, see these excellent comments from Mr. Patrick Lacour:


Watch Cleco Patrick Lacour.mpg  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Mr. Lacour also brought up the fact that there are companies willing and able to give the City a bid on our electricity. I have heard no indication where the City has yet even tried to get bids from anyone other than the proposed Cleco Power agreement.

Over a month ago, I sent Mayor Roy some questions concerning Cleco, which have not been answered as of yet. What i am beginning to fear is that the City is going to enter a deal with Cleco where we, the citizens, will not get our damages which is the amount of overcharges to us.

Chuck Johnson told the people that Cleco owed us $60 million dollars, see here:



What I am afraid of is that we are getting nothing for the Cleco overcharges. I fear that all we will get is the $29 million in rent for the D.G. Hunter Power Plant, as Mr. Lacour said, and about $50 something million in future power savings from Cleco. That means that we citizens will get absolutely nothing for Cleco overcharging us. It possibly should have been openly and clearly explained to us that, in turn for giving up our lawsuit against Cleco, Cleco would rent D. G. Hunter from us and we would get a $50 million reduction in future rates. Without Mr. Lacour's suggested bids from Cleco's competitors we will never know for sure if those rates could be beat.

Also, I don't know of any good lawyer that would settle a case with letting a client know about the exact amount of attorney fees due and the effect of any other pending lawsuits. See this video:



It may be ill advised in not settling Larry English's pending lawsuit, that also seeks the overcharges from the City. also, a relatively minor thing, Bridgett Brown and the other contingency fees have not been settled yet. We also have, to the best of my knowledge, a 50% fee on all the City recovers from Cleco due to Entergy Management services.

Mayor Roy says that there will be a discussion of drainage and Cleco on Friday. Perhaps then we can get the following questions answered:

1. Is the settlement to be $29 million, which may or may not be rebated to the citizens, or will it be an additional $60 million to be rebated?
2. How are we supposed to know whether this is a good deal or not without knowing how much we were overcharged by Cleco?
3. Were any other bids obtained from other companies, besides Cleco, on their supplying electrical power to the City? Why not?
4. If we are getting $29 million for the D.G. Hunter overflow, what are we getting for Cleco overcharging us?
5. How much will Entergy Management Services get, and when?
6. When will Larry English's filed lawsuit be decided?
7. Is it possible, although not probable, that the English lawsuit could result in some rebates owed to the citizens by the City of Alexandria?
8. What are the total amount of attorney fees due out of the Cleco settlement?

Until we get an answer to these questions, in plain and straight forward talk, can we, or our City Council, accept this offer. As we filed the lawsuit, we are in the drivers seat and there I see no need to let Cleco dictate any terms of settlement to us. This includes when we must settle.

See Also:

SEE THE DENIAL OF YOUR RIGHTS BY MAYOR ROY

A LACK OF TRANSPARANCY FOR SOME IN THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

LAMAR WHITE ANSWERS FOR THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

ATTORNEYS FEES AND THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

CONFUSION OVER THE CLECO DEAL

REQUEST FOR SOME CLECO INFORMATION
ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL OF 1-27-09

CLECO: "SHOW ME THE MONEY"
TOWN TALK STATES WHAT IT BELIEVES ON THE CLECO DEALTHE CLECO DEAL AND THE DOWNTOWN HOTELS OF THE 12/30/08 COUNCIL MEETING
MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATIVE BRIEFING OF 1/7/09
TOWN TALK EDITORIAL ON THE CLECO SETTLEMENT
CLECO OFFER & COMPROMISE

THE CITY'S BEST CHANCE AT GETTING TO THE TRUTH WILL BE DASHED WITH THE CLECO SETTLEMENT