In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures in New Orleans, voters statewide came together in 2006 to create the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, passing a constitutional amendment aimed at putting the focus squarely on flood protection with an overwhelming 82% of the vote.
Now a stunningly generous under-radar contract for the agency’s police chief is just the latest indication that it is veering from its core mission of safeguarding the floodwalls in Orleans, East Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes.
The board’s president, Peter Vicari, recently signed a three-year deal with Joshua Rondeno that would pay him as much as $250,000 by 2029 if he is granted 6% raises each year, with substantially stronger job protections than any other employee at the agency, most of whom serve at will. The deal more than doubles the salary Rondeno’s predecessor earned…