Conflicting studies to be aired Feb. 2
A truck dumps its load as a compactor spreads garbage at the River Birch landfill in 2002.Having stated its case in the news media, that Jefferson Parish should close the public landfill and send household garbage to River Birch Inc.'s private dump, the company put its message in residents' mailboxes Tuesday.
On one side, above an image of the United States Constitution, the River Birch mailer states:
"2 credible reports apparently reach opposite conclusions involving millions of our taxpayer dollars ... we need to have an open and transparent public discussion about our tax dollars."
On the other side, the mailer quotes a River Birch-sponsored economist's study that concludes Jefferson taxpayers would pay less by sending garbage to River Birch than they would with the parish landfill. It also seeks to undermine a parish-sponsored accountant's study that concludes Jefferson would pay more under the River Birch plan.
The mailer doesn't identify its sponsor, but company spokesman Glenn Smith confirmed Wednesday that River Birch sent it.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to make sure the public knows the truth and that all the facts are known to the public and the decision makers," Smith said.
The mailer urges recipients to call Parish President John Young and Parish Council members to "demand a transparent and open airing of the facts."
Smith would not say how much River Birch spent on the mailer or how many copies were sent.
In one sense, River Birch's new mailer is a wasted effort. Chairman Tom Capella has already agreed to schedule a special Parish Council meeting to reconcile the two studies and weigh the financial viability of the parish landfill. His statement came three days after Young instructed parish attorneys to review options for cancelling the River Birch contract.
In a larger sense, however, the mailer represents a direct effort by River Birch backers to seize the public agenda and win converts to its position.
The Parish Council agreed in 2009 to close its landfill for 25 years and send its garbage to River Birch. The deal was recommended by the administration of then-Parish President Aaron Broussard.
Only later did it come to light that Broussard's chief administrator, Tim Whitmer, owned a private insurance agency working for River Birch and that Broussard was on the agency's payroll. Broussard and Whitmer resigned in January 2010, followed by parish attorney Tom Wilkinson, who negotiated the River Birch contract.