Citizens of New Orleans had a lot to choose from last Monday night: a town meeting on utility bills at a local church, a seminar on the proposed privatization of the Sewerage & Water Board at the University of New Orleans, and the Final Four basketball championship on television.

  The game netted many New Orleanians. But for a Monday, the activists did not do too badly. "We had 140 people," says Gary Groesch, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, of the watchdog group’s April 2 seminar at St. Stephen’s Church in Uptown. The two-hour seminar advised citizens how they can obtain refunds from Entergy New Orleans and void "disconnect" notices from the local utility during the energy crisis.

  About 50 people turned out at UNO for the panel discussion on privatizing the S&WB, sponsored by the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. Panelists included City Councilman at-large Jim Singleton; Marcia St. Martin, assistant executive director of the S&WB; Melinda Nelson, a S&WB worker representing the employees’ alternative to a private contract; and city personnel director Mike Doyle.

  Privatization of S&WB management operations could take place in November, if not earlier. At the meeting, Doyle began his address by turning off the lights in the room to illustrate his point that the public is "completely in the dark" about the proposed privatization. Doyle then discussed how privatization would affect the future of 1,300 public employees at the S&WB.

  Mayor Marc Morial was in Israel "on city business" and unable to attend. His administration was not represented at the seminar, though a League spokesperson said they made several requests for a proxy.

  This week, the Alliance for Affordable Energy is marshalling support for a proposed ratepayers’ "bill of rights," which will be reviewed by the City Council utility committee beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday (April 12). The Alliance is also planning a demonstration of community support Tuesday (April 17) for an estimated 25,000 residents who face energy cut-offs after Monday (April 16). Entergy has extended the payment deadline for customers who have received "disconnect notices" until that date. The company is also urging ratepayers with concerns to contact ENO at (800) ENTERGY.

Morris Reed got some good news from overseas during his campaign for judge of Civil District Court in last Saturday’s (April 7) elections. The Kingdom of Lesotho, a landlocked African nation about the size of Maryland, has elevated the former Criminal District Court judge from "honorary consul" to "honorary consul general."

  Surrounded by South African territory, Lesotho, formerly Basutoland, won independence from British rule 35 years ago this Oct. 4 and celebrated only the eighth anniversary of its constitution on April 2.

Reed was first appointed honorary consul to Lesotho in 1991. His honorary consul distinction appeared in his campaign advertisements for judge.

  "We indeed feel privileged to have been associated with a person of your caliber for so long," Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, minister of foreign affairs for Lesotho, wrote in a recent letter addressed to "His Lordship Judge Morris Reed."

  Minister Thabane will be in New Orleans on April 21 to present Reed with his official papers at a reception, says Reed’s wife, Hazel Reed.

  The promotion makes Reed one of only three out of 35 honorary consuls in New Orleans to bear the enhanced title of "general," according to Eugene Schreiber, managing director for the World Trade Center in New Orleans. Honorary consuls are unpaid and have no specified duties, though their job descriptions can vary from country to country. Reed has been actively involved in hosting visiting dignitaries to New Orleans from Lesotho, says Schreiber.

  "I don’t want to comment on Morris’ campaign or any politics, but he really did an outstanding job of promoting Lesotho," Schreiber says.

  Last year, Reed took Lesotho’s ambassador to the U.S. on a five-day tour of Louisiana that included visits with students, faculty and administrators at LSU, Tulane, Southern University and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette; a tour of a replica of a Cajun village; and a visit to Reed’s own high school, Joseph S. Clark.

  "I think it would be great if other public officials became honorary consuls," Schreiber says. "Now, we’re not going to have a lot of trade with Lesotho, but a lot of what an honorary consul does involves cultural and educational relations and tourism. He or she creates a greater awareness of the world for our citizens."

  Other local honorary counsels include businessmen James J. Coleman Sr. (Korea) and Erik L. Johnsen (Norway). Attorney Roy Rodney (Surinam) works closely on city business with his longtime friend, Mayor Marc Morial. Currently, there are local vacancies for honorary consuls for Bolivia, El Salvador, Finland, Mexico and Venezuela.

Sara Liasson, White House correspondent for National Public Radio, will address the annual luncheon of the Public Affairs Research Council on "The Bush Presidency and its Impact on Louisiana," beginning at noon Tuesday (April 24) at the Radisson Hotel in Baton Rouge.

  The speech will follow a 90-minute mid-term report and panel discussion on the 2001 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature.

  Panelists are PAR President Jim Brandt, President and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana Nancy Jo Craig, and journalists John Maginnis, Carl Redman, John Hill and Jack Wardlaw. Tickets are $75 by reservations for nonmembers; $85 at the door. For reservations, call (225) 926-8414.