New Orleans Hospitality Companies, the company the Mayor and Board of Aldermen want to manage our Convention Center, seems to have some legal problems. Here are some excerpts, but read the whole article.
"Paddlewheels, which operates Mississippi River excursions on its Cajun Queen and Creole Queen vessels, is part of Hospitality Enterprises Inc., one of the city's largest locally owned tourism companies. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in May after the Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed a $2.8 million tax judgment in favor of the city of New Orleans in late April. "
"Another Hospitality Enterprises property, the New Orleans Tours bus company, also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization this spring after losing money for a number of years."
"Bankruptcy court is becoming the venue for resolving another long-running dispute: a family feud between the owners of Hospitality Enterprises. . . As questions mount about the extent of debts at New Orleans Paddlewheels Inc., the company's largest shareholder has called for U.S. Bankruptcy Court to either appoint a trustee to manage the firm's affairs or appoint a liquidator to dispose of its assets. "
"In October 2001, Reuther's nephew, lawyer Jim Smith Jr., locked Reuther out of his South Peters Street offices and ousted him, revealing that his titles of chairman and chief executive officer were a fiction because they didn't exist in the company's bylaws. Smith has run the company ever since as its president. . . Reuther's wrongful termination suit has languished in court for the past five years without resolution. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't hire this guy! Plus I'll have more disturbing info later.
Very troubling. Don't these dudes ever do any homework?
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9 comments:
I've done some research on Reuther, too. He has gambling written all over him. This should be of no surprise! We've known City Council wants another casino at Roth Hill for a long time. Walter Brown has long been quoted, at least 3 times, as the new hotel being a "catalyst for future riverfront development".
Bauer's their man! His cronies are there to help him push it through. Furthermore, why would Reuther, with huge connections in Louisianna and elsewhere, want to waste his time and money on a small convention center and hotel? These guys don't do favors. There has to more for him in all of this and a big-time boat at the bottom of the hill of our beautiful downtown may be the answer.
What's even MORE amazing is that no business people or the Democrat are demonstrating interest or curiousity.
Where are all our concerned citizens when it comes to casinos? Where are the church people? I know they talk about gambling on Sunday from the pulpits and in the pews, but no one seems to be speaking out. When our officials sign an agreement with a bunch of crooks it will be too late. Church pastors and the ministerial alliance group never breathe a word about it. How many welfare checks which should go to feed families are being thrown away in the hopes of getting something for nothing? I know about it personally. How many people will jump in the river next year when they sober up and realize what they've done? (really - this has happened). Come on folks. Do something - Quick! Speak up. Call your alderman!
Well natchezblues, let me complicate it a bit more. Walter Brown is STILL the atty for the CVB(NCPC). - and - It appears he is representing EVERYONE involved.
Roth Hill was reclaimed and redeveloped for another casino riverboat site. That's what needs to be there. It seems that the mayor and boa have done a wonderful job and taken in several proposals for the development. It's time to award a project and get it underway. Development in downtown has been stalled for too long. We have the opportunity for great projects right now and another casino to bring competition for the horrilbe one we have. Everyone had an opportunity to bid. They have the Lane group from Atlanta in here wanting to build. if we are fortunate enough to get them to come to Natchez, we should bend over backwards for them. That is a world class development company. Just look at there website and review the credentials. And why do you bimbos seem to think that no one in Natchez wants gambling here? We already voted on that. Gaming is in. If you didn't like a gaming community you should not have come here.
Black Jack! Why do you think casinos are the answer? And please call it like it is: casinos, not gaming. Gambling in New Orleans was a bit up not long ago and Warren Reuther (our new mgmnt. man) said the slight increase was due to all the migrant workers in the area post-Katrina. Those workers had cash in hand and took to the casinos. And, that's exactly what's going on around here. With cash in hand, our most needy are loosing it at the boat. When you look at the casino profits think of it this way: citizens lost x number of dollars. Those are dollars that could have improved quality of life for children, families, local business, community infrastructure. The big winner isn't the city; it's the out-of-town developers cashing in at our expense.
The land at the bottom of Roth Hill was reclaimed as a result of a project that was done at the same time or just after Bluff Stabilization. It had caved in previously. The road going down there was also rebuilt. It was not usuable for many many years prior to bluff stabilization. There are utilities under the street that terminate at the bottom of the hill in anticipation of additional casinos.
Will somebody PLEASE help me straighten this confusion out. Could the newspaper just publish a kind of "fact sheet" with a time line or something. When I read the reports of all the meetings of the aldermen, I can't tell what was done in what secret meeting, what was actually voted on and when, who the players are now, who the former? city attorney actually represents, how he can represent the city in the law suit I read about if he's not the city attorney. Also, I am further confused. I thought we were talking about Reuther. Now blackjack says we're talking about the Lane Company. I'm sure I missed something, but It sure is confusing. Couldn't the paper just sum it all up for us poor average citizens. They don't have to give an opinion if they are afraid to, but just tell what's actually happening. Everybody doesn't read blogs and have email.
"reclaimed by who?"
Some 13 acres (from just North of the new ramp to just North of the Roth's Hill road were reclaimed by the Corps of Engineers. This includes the old right of way of Water St.
Even though the land was reclaimed with Federal money by a Federal agency local landowners got property rights of this land and have a lot of say so on its use.
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