Written by Walter Pierce
Wednesday, 21 April 2010

A smoke-free Festival International is a good idea whose time has come.

When a blog ignites five times as many words in reader commentary as the blog itself, you know you’ve struck a nerve. But it was somewhat surprising that last week’s blog, “Festival International aims to become smoke free,” became, per capitals, the most talked-about item to appear on our Web site in a while.

Written by Walter Pierce
Wednesday, 14 April 2010

April 20, 2010, could turn out to be one of the most important dates in the city of Lafayette’s history.

I wish I could take back the observation in last week’s column that deconsolidation is dipping on our civic thermometer. It’s not for many in the city of Lafayette. The danger in writing for a weekly newspaper that goes to press Monday night and hits the street Wednesday morning is the matter of Tuesday evening. That’s when the Lafayette City-Parish Council throws up the big tent and stages its weekly political circus, and April 6 was of Ringling proportions.

Written by Walter Pierce
Wednesday, 7 April 2010

It’s falling right now, but a meeting of mayors could have it on the rise.

Lafayette Parish is not going to deconsolidate any time soon — voters will not be given an opportunity to make that decision in 2010 and likely won’t in 2011, the same year as city-parish council elections. Because of a state law that prevents an elected official’s term in office from being shortened due to a change in government, if the parish doesn’t vote on deconsolidation by spring of next year, the parish likely wouldn’t be able to deconsolidate, assuming a groundswell of support for returning to two governments emerges, until 2016.

Written by Walter Pierce
Wednesday, 31 March 2010

I knew Kent Hutslar only well enough to envy his talent, and to marvel at the remarkable ease with which he moved through the world. He could bend your ear for 30 minutes about the latest photographic technique he was drawn to or the music he was digging before you could get in a word edgewise. Just nod, smile and let Kent ramble.

Written by Walter Pierce
Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Lafayette has it, but will the chamber of commerce buy it?

If this journalism thing doesn’t work out, I may seek employment in the federal Office of Acronyms. The feds love acronyms, and I evidently enjoy a facility for creating them. Over the last few weeks as we tried to get our arms around this Cool Town issue, I, out of thin air and with great aplomb, personal fanfare and self congratulations, came up with an acronym that I believe perfectly encapsulates what it is about Lafayette that has us poised to become a hip, sophisticated city that attracts the creative class — the writers, artists, engineers, architects, planners and other professionals who are drawn to a city because of its festivals, its restaurants and museums, its parks and public spaces, its employment opportunities and cultural amenities.