All Levee Board Employees Fired; New Job Created August 9, 1928 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kelly Assenheimer Long and Günther Assenheimer January 5, 2007 The Times Picayune August 9, 1928 Incumbents are expected to be kept in some minor posts PLUM GIVEN FRIEND OF GOVERNOR LONG Secretary under hall, Parker coming back as assistant All employees of the Orleans levee board were ordered discharged Wednesday night when the board ws reorganized. Joseph Haspel who served as president during the administration of Governor O. M. Simpson was re-elected president by a unanimous vote of the other commissioners. After the election of officers, Abe L. Shushan commissioned last Saturday by Governor Huey P. Long introduced a resolution calling for the dismissal of all levee board employees. The secretary was directed to notify all employees that their services would not be required after August 15. The resolution said only those employees shall be retained as may be determined by the employment committee. It is understood a number of employees are to be retained by the new administration. One of the first acts of the new board was to create the position of superintendent of forces at a salary of $400 per month. This job was awarded to Scott P. Assenheimer of the Fourteenth Ward, a personal friend of Governor Long. At the same time the board elected Charles J. Donner as assistant secretary to replace Joseph Ferguson. This postion pays $5000 a year. Mr. Donner served two terms of four years each as secretary of the board during the administrations of Governors Luther E. Hall and John M. Parker Mr. Haspel was the only member of the outgoing board at the meeting. He examined the commissions of Commissioners Waldo M. Pitkin, W. D. Gardiner, Sidney Freudenstein and Abe L. Shushan. After the new commissioners had qualified, Mr Haspel was re-elected president of the board. Mr. Shushan president pro-tem and Mr. Pitkin secretary. The selection of attorneys and engineers was delayed for several days on the suggestion of the president. James Wilkinson general counsel it was said, will be retained in that position. Former Governor Simpson is scheduled to replace Benjamin T. Waldo as special counsel and William J. O'Hara is expected to succeed Eberhard Deutsch as assistant general counsel. Richard B. Kohnke has been acting chief engineer of the levee board since Colonel Marcel Garsaud resigned to become general manager of the dock board some two years agao. This position, it was reported will be given to W. Beauregard Davey, one of the present assistant engineers. Mr. Davey is a brother of Senator John Davey and was chief engineer of the levee board when the late Thomas Killeen was the president. The appointment of the finance executive and employment committees was delayed at the suggestion of the president. The committees he said, will be named within the next few days. Mr. Haspel announced that there were 139 persons on the pay roll of the levee board. Neither Commissioner T. Semmes Walmsley, acting mayor, or Commissioner John Klorer, ex-officio mem- (text stops here)