re: LaToya Cantrell rips story about S&WB owed $134M: 'What do you want to do, screw the city?

quote:

---

“What do you want to do, screw the city?” Cantrell asked in a phone call hours after the newspaper posted an online story about the questions over unpaid bills. “Is that what you want?”

---

Intimidating the press to kill a story. Gotta love NOLA.

The SWB is a massive clusterfrick and has been for years.

Their inability to maintain drainage flooded the city a year or two back during the tail end of Mitch’s tenure as mayor because they were lying about the operational capacity of the pumps for the city, then coincidentally had an early morning fire shortly after the storm that supposedly did millions in damage to the pumps.

That sounds like having your pick of herpes over AIDS and gonorrhea.

quote:

---

Detroit tried that and the deadbeats started trying to claim human rights issues by being denied water.

Try paying your fricking bills, assholes.

---

Yeah, I remember them saying they were going to call in the UN to force them to turn the water back on

Some news or tried to do a sob story piece. They picked some woman who said she didn't have water because she couldn't afford her bill. Of course, she had full hair, makeup and freshly done nails. The definition of "poor" in this country is laughable.

quote:

---

Detroit tried that and the deadbeats started trying to claim human rights issues by being denied water.

---

There's a big ole river with trillions of gallons of water in it right by us. If you can't pay the $20/month for the water to come through the pipes at your house/apartment, then go get your free water in the river.

quote:

---

Why the hell is water and sewage service such a difficult experience in NOLA?

---

Just a hunch, cronyism is involved

quote:

---

Amazingly, I still prefer her over Broome and Mitch

---

I will say that she at least seems to be trying to take care of the problem in a somewhat transparent way. This was exacerbated under Mitch and he just covered it up.

quote:

---

So the S&WB fricks up everyone's bills. As a result, neither the poors, or the people with money pay their debt. NOLA ask the state to step in with cash infusion.


So basically the entire state is now subsidizing water usage for NOLA residents.

---

Now, now. I'm sure these people will pay their bills from now on.

She was such a shitty candidate but she was probably the best of the assholes that decided to run. Sydney Torres backing out crippled the city for another decade.

Now, let's talk S&WB. These mother frickers are the most bloated, corrupt public works department on the planet. They turn small leaks into 30 man, 4 week projects. They routinely show up on weekends to collect "emergency" pay on leaks that have been constant for months. The send $1,000 bills to single 90yr old lady households then tell them to file a claim. I bet at least half of that $134 million is tied up in bills being disputed. That single 90yr old lady in my neighborhood received $1000+ bills 5 months in a row. She then spent another few thousand having plumbers dig all over the place and put holes in her walls trying to find leaks because S&WB told her she must have a leak. The plumbers found nothing. S&WB then told her she probably had a "slab leak." Her house is 3ft off the ground ( ). I spent 2 months patching her sheetrock for her. That entire dept and Cantrell can get fricked.

quote:

---

How do they have $134M in unpaid bills?

You don't pay the water bill, shut the water off. If you don't have consequences to not paying a bill, then why would you pay it?

---

Because they weren't billing correctly. Customers were getting incorrect bills numbering in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. They aren't charging or cutting off water if your call and tell them your account isn't correct.

In October of last year, I received 4 bills in a two week span. 3 different amounts listed on the 4 bills, totaling over $1500. When you call they put your account on hold until they can correct it. Mine still hasn't been corrected, I just pay what I usually pay.