Yes, GrandAdmiral, the same Jeff Landry who played politics on the bonding commission.
See Jeff Duncan's take in post 52. My fear is that Duncan is correct--that the real story is that the Benson business structure and the State are no longer working as a team. I don't know the politics involved because Tom Benson's politics were always to the right and I am sure Gayle Benson made hefty contributions to Landry. But with Jeff Landry, everything is perception, culture wars, and political power. Were this a different forum, my stated views would be stronger.
And people forget that 20 years ago there was in the Manship-owned Advocate the infamous editorial titled "Go, Saints, Go," which opposed any State assistance to the team and actually welcomed the team leaving, ostensibly because it would benefit LSU and Baton Rouge. This state has an entrenched zero-sum mindset.
In 2004, Kathleen Blanco thought it was politically wise to publicly make fun of Tom Benson. Before Katrina hit, Tom halted all negotiations with the State. His closest friends, his Texas cronies who later ironically supported Rita in her legal battles, were urging Tom to relocate. I firmly believe that but for Katrina, Tom Benson would have moved the Saints. If anyone deserves a statue in the front of the Superdome, it is Paul Tagliabue. That, of course, can never happen because it would diminish the legacy of the person who does have a statue outside the Superdome.
Even before Landry, I did not see that there was any chance of the Pelicans getting a new arena, but I believed substantial renovations to be possible. I now believe the Pelicans relocating in the future remains a distinct possibility--they could leave without causing a political earthquake. Let's hope that the city's next mayor can build relationships with the other parishes in the metropolitan area and with Baton Rouge. And let's hope that, regardless of record, the Saints organization can prove to doubters like me that it is being capably run and that the arrow for the future of the team is pointed upward. Continued mediocrity not only will hurt the team at the box office but also in political support for any future stadium enhancements.