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About the Safe Streets for All Action Plan

I am one of the citizens who was appointed to help with the Safe Streets plan, and I am doing my best to provide whatever advice and local information I can to help the project be positive. It is a shame that so few citizens are stepping forward to help. It is not too late to put in comments, it is easy to do online. They are using a map full of errors and need help to understand the town. The railroad doesn’t run through town anymore, even if we do still have an ordinance with a speed limit for trains.
However, I want to say that I am absolutely outraged by this project. The town is spending $312,000 for pieces of paper. Somehow I had the impression when the grant was being sought that the project was to actually do something, like put in a sidewalk or pedestrian crossing or just something. Instead it is to hire outside consultants to make a glossy brochure telling us nothing new!
Our Mayor and Town Council should be held responsible for this. Although much of the money is a government grant, $63,000 is coming directly from the Town. $63,000 is a lot of money itself. And I resent the rest of the $312,000 because it is coming from other taxes that I help pay and now is being wasted in feeding not even bureaucracy but consultant companies to the bureaucracy. In so far as we needed a safety plan, it should have been done by the Town Council and the Planning and Zoning Commision. The Aldermen are paid even if the commissioners are volunteers. The Council has been approving large sums of money to pay consultants to do the Council’s job regarding this plan, the Master Plan, and revising the ordinances.
At this point the citizens of Abita Springs will not be doing their civic duty unless they clean house and elect a new Mayor and entirely new Town Council at the next opportunity.

About Our Streets

Just doing the same thing and expecting better results does not make sense. My five point plan is this: 1) Spray with polymer to increase the life of roads. This can achieve up to a seven year improvement. 2) Use new polymer materials for repair and replacement. There are many kinds, some are designed to be long lasting, heavy duty. 3) Reduce speed limit to 20 mph to reduce wear on the roads and improve safety (Portland City Council: “Twenty is plenty” People are twice as likely to die if hit at 25 mph as 20 mph) 4) Make town owned roads “no truck” roads to reduce wear, with certain exceptions (Such as Holly St and Railroad Ave, and with temporary permits) 5) Create a dedicated millage for road maintenance. Bonds should be for capital improvements not ongoing maintenance. Taxpayers don’t like taxes but are more amenable to dedicated purpose taxes when the purpose is clearly important.
Update: The 20 mph limit was actually passed by the Town Council, after about 5 years of my lobbying for it. It will help road wear, although the safety aspect is more important. It will also reduce damage to cars when the roads are below par. However, it's now 2024 and the town has not put up any signs to inform drivers of the new limit, even after two years! We can find ways to encourage through traffic to use the state highways through town, which are separately maintained by the state and parish. One possibility is making the curve between Level St and Hwy 435 one way, north.
We can enforce the speed limits using modern technology to the extent that people who want to speed avoid our town. This could include “Fines Doubled” traffic safety corridors in town. We could consider using cobblestone or brick paving in the central, business and cultural area.

More Information

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2024 Update

I don't give up easily, so I am running again for Alderman in the special election on November 5, 2024. This time I am on the ballot as #9 Stewart "ManyLIghtnings" Eastman (O). Most of the issues are the same, but there is now a major new threat to the town caused by the Master Plan produced by an outside consulting firm that is now also being paid to rewrite our ordinances. I will fight as best I can to prevent the overdevelopment that is proposed by this plan.

Community Activities

I am President of the Abita Springs Mens Club, on the board of the Abita Springs Friends of the Park, on the Board of Directors of the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum (which is an appointed municipal position), and member of the Abita Springs Garden Club. All these organizations from time to time organize or cooperate in anti-litter drives and/or natural beautification. In addition I participate in Keep Abita Beautiful anti-litter cleanups and their Adopt a Street program and the Glass Recycling with Lemon Tree. I am an active Life Member of the Deutsches Haus New Orleans, a German American cultural non-profit; and, also a member of Germania Society, a similar organization in Cincinnati. I am also a member of the Hungarian Historical Association in Albany, Louisiana. I I was a member of the Krewe du Vieux in New Orleans and marched in its annual Mardi Gras parade for 23 consecutive years; and have also been leading a group in the Abita Springs Mardi Gras parade for 12 years. I am also an active member of the St John’s Fools of Misrule in Covington and marched in its annual 12th Night parade for ten years. I was the 2020 Lord of Fools, an honorary position in the group and parade.

Media Release at from 2022

*** MEDIA RELEASE *** Stewart “Many Lightnings” Eastman announces his candidacy for Alderman Abita Springs, St Tammany Parish, Louisiana., release 7 August 2022: For Immediate Release Contact: mail@stewart-eastman.com 504 919-7236 Stewart “Many Lightnings” Eastman announces his candidacy for the office of Alderman, Abita Springs. Navy Veteran and Local and Environmental Activist Stewart “Many Lightnings” Eastman will campaign against unwanted development. Eastman is unusually well qualified for the office of Alderman. He has proven his concern for Abita Springs by attending and speaking out at a great number of the public town meetings over the last eight years. He has a post-baccalaureate certificate in paralegal studies from the University of New Orleans. He worked for 5 years as an Environmental Enforcement inspector for the City of New Orleans Health Department, which included being a licensed Sanitarian, a Special Police Officer, and a code enforcement inspector. His 9 years of active duty Navy service included a stint as Military Customs Inspector in Italy. Among other Navy awards he earned a Pistol Marksmanship ribbon. " Aldermen write and pass the zoning ordinances, and that is how we can best stop formula chains and PUDS from ruining our town. " Eastman said. Eastman has lived in Abita Springs for twelve years and been active in Abita Springs civic groups including the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum, the Abita Springs Friends of the Park, the Abita Springs Mens Club, the Abita Springs Garden Club, and Keep Abita Beautiful. He is running as a member of the smallest of the official political parties in Louisiana, the Green Party, and specifically the “Lime” faction which concentrates on Environmental issues. The election is November 8th. ###

Updates for 2022

It’s amazing, and rather discouraging, how little 4 years have changed the situation. We still need the same changes made and have the same problems. Not all came up in the Radio interview but a lot did. Some things said just need 4 years added, such as I have now lived in Abita about 13 years. But the biggest change, sadly, is just my ballot number.

2. Today the related issue is big chains trying to move in, specifically Dollar General proposing a second, bigger store. It is the same problem as PUDs, namely undesirable overdevelopment. We need to fight both and say not just “NO!” but “Hell NO! Go away and take the 18 wheeler you rode in on with you.” It’s up to the Aldermen and the zoning ordinances they pass and amend, and it has to be done in a timely fashion.

4. In 2022 they gave me #117. There must have been more candidates higher up on the ballot, governor and senator etc.

7. Since then I’ve been promoted to Vice President of Friends of the Park and President of the Abita Springs Men’s Club.

14. I actually achieved part of my 5 point plan on roads despite not being elected. The administration wrote the ordinance (I sent a sample) and the Aldermen voted to pass it; but, as far as I know I was the only one pushing for a 20 mph speed limit and I persisted in pushing for it for four years at every opportunity. The streets are now a little bit safer, and will wear out a little bit slower. If elected I could do more.

2018 Radio Interview Notes

Here are my notes for the Abita Radio interview. The actual questions were not quite the same. Radio questions:
1. What is your vision for our town? I see Abita as a small town with a big culture. We can keep it that way if we fight against overdevelopment, and encourage our music, art, and poetic heritage. PUD’s and large subdivisions should be stopped in their tracks.I believe our Historic District guidelines should be simplified; but, the Historic district itself should be expanded to most or even all of the town. The cultural district should be strengthened. We could actively invite unique businesses to our town to fill unused or underused properties. We can sponsor murals on some town properties. We can name a Poet Laureate. You know the nation and the state have poet laureates, but cities and towns can have them too. We are small but not so small as to be without poets.
2. What is the biggest crises facing Abita right now? How would you address it? Overdevelopment! A moratorium has been proposed on PUD’s, but that is not enough. We need to stop them, either by repealing the PUD ordinance or sunsetting it with an end date for new PUD’s of today’s date. The subdivision ordinance is almost as bad and should be strengthened to make sure any new buildings fit out town. There are many homes in Abita that are sitting empty, often needing renovation. We should offer incentives to renovate old buildings instead of clearing lots for new ones.
3. If elected, you would have the power to propose ordinance. Is there any one ordinance that you believe is needed? I will propose ordinances regularly, that’s what an Alderman ought to be doing. Perhaps the most important involves drainage and stormwater run off. There is a factor that engineers call runoff coefficient. The higher it is the more quickly water runs into the ditches and streams during storms. No new building or modification should be allowed if it increases the runoff coefficient without compensating with rainwater storage and retaining systems.
4. What’s your campaign slogan and , in the grand Louisiana tradition, do you have a nickname? I have a three barreled campaign slogan: “Protect Our Trees” “No More PUD’s” “Keep Abita Unique”. They’ve given me a number (88), but I’ve got a Louisiana nickname on the ballot: ManyLightnings. The historic Many Lightnings was a Lakota Sioux leader in Minnesota who took part in the 1862 uprising. He was captured and was among those sentenced to hang. But President Lincoln commuted his sentence, along with most of the others. While in jail he adopted the new way of life and took an English name, Eastman, from his wife and his father in law, General Seth Eastman, who was a frontier soldier and artist. So he became Jacob Manylightnings Eastman, and two of his sons also took Manylightnings as their middle name, as did later family members such as the recent Native American activist Fern ManyLightnings Eastman. They are all distant relatives of mine, and I decided to use the name as a way of bringing up and saluting our town’s Native American origins and the cultural values of living with and protecting the environment.
5. Accessibility to our representatives is a hot issue with voters. How will you be accessible to residents and what will be your specific response plan? Our current representatives seem to avoid social media. I am extremely accessible on social media, specifically Facebook. I also participate and will participate in public meetings, arriving early and leaving late so that residents can chat. And, I will continue to set up a table at the Farmers’ Market from time to time to sit and talk to anyone who cares to stop.
6. Cooperation between the Mayor and Aldermen are critical to our town’s functioning. What is your plan, if elected, to facilitate that cooperation? If the Mayor continues to have an open door policy, I’ll be going through it and talking to him about the issues that come up, as I have been doing the last few years. And if the Mayor asks whichever public committees I join to work on something, I will work on it and get it done.
7. What specific skills and experience do you bring to the office? To answer that, I’ll go through my career one part at a time, picking out the useful bits. I started out by getting a good amount of education, reaching a Master of Science in Zoology from U. Mass at Amherst. That not only gave me a solid background in science, the arts, and general knowledge but led me to continue my education through further courses and reading to this day. I spent a couple of years as a farm worker on tobacco and vegetable farms. That gave me the ability to appreciate the physical, outdoor aspects of life. I spent nine years in the Navy which brought more discipline and also appreciation for the rest of the world and its cultures. I worked for the City of New Orleans for five years in the City Department of Health. I was a licenced Sanitarian, an inspector, a Special Police Officer, and also expanded my computer skills to help automate our office’s paperwork. Those skills are relevant to what the town of Abita Springs does every day. I then spent 20 years in the Civil Service working with large computers to help the Navy manage its personnel and training, which included skills such as teamwork and planning and continuing to learn the latest software and methods. Since retiring, particularly, I have participated in our local civic groups and activities, including joining the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Park, the Board of Directors of the Trailhead Museum, and becoming Vice President of the Abita Men’s Club. These, along with attending and pushing new ideas at the Town Council, Public Committee, and Planning and Zoning meetings have familiarized me with the way the Town of Abita Springs works.
8. If you served the last term, what would you do differently? n/a
9. What would you do to honor the ACES commitment? Get the solar panels built on the municipal buildings. Encourage electric golf carts on the town streets. Encourage bicycling. Try to have a solar farm built owned by the town and sell electricity instead of gas. It would take financing; but, there are now banks that specialize in solar projects of the size we would need to power our town. I’ve estimated that the town could be powered by a twenty something acre solar farm costing roughly 3 million dollars; but, it should be remembered that a solar farm, unlike other power utilities, does not need to be built all at once, and can be built rapidly. For instance, if built in three stages the first stage could be generating revenue to finance the next stage within months.
10. What is your favorite Abita story?
My favorite is the story of Princess Abita herself. It is based on a 19th century, romantic poem set in the late 18th century. Abita is the daughter of the Choctaw chief and marries a Spanish gentleman from New Orleans who comes hunting here. Louisiana was Spanish at that time. She goes to live with him in New Orleans but becomes ill and the city doctors are unable to help her. But the Choctaw healer comes and brings her back across the lake to the springs. A month of rest and drinking Abita spring water miraculously revives her, and she and her husband are reunited and live happily ever after.
11. What is your understanding of transparency and the Sunshine Law? Probably the main point of this law is that issues must be discussed and debated before the public rather than in closed sessions. So, when an issue has been brought up and it gets no public discussion and debate, the Aldermen can’t claim that they actually discussed and decided in private. It means they didn’t do anything, and they should be held accountable for not doing anything.
12. What is your understanding of the way the Mayor Pro Tem is chosen? The Mayor Pro Tem is chosen by the Aldermen. That’s all there is to it. But they should consider what the job is. The Mayor Pro Tem runs the Town Council meetings if the Mayor is absent. Also, if the Mayor is incapacitated for a significant length of time, say by an illness, the Mayor Pro Tem acts as mayor. If the Mayor is permanently incapacitated the Mayor Pro Tem acts as Mayor until a new mayor is chosen.
13. What is your understanding of the Lawrason Act? The Lawrason Act spells out the roles of the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen, and some other municipal rules. I have heard it blamed for giving the Mayor too much power but I would dispute this. The Aldermen pass, reject, or repeal ordinances.That includes the budget ordinances, of which there are several every year. There is plenty for an alderman to do, if he is willing to make the time and put in the effort to do it. And a majority of the aldermen in concert can wield considerable power over the long term direction of the town, even though the mayor runs the day to day business.
13.Do you have a campaign song? If so, what is it and why? Yes, my campaign song is “If Ever I Cease to Love”. It is the historic song of Mardi Gras, picked by Rex, along with the colors Purple, Gold, and Green in 1872. These days it is usually performed in a jazz or brass band version. I’m a fanatic about Mardi Gras, and have marched through the Quarter in the Krewe du Vieux for 21 consecutive years.
14. How do you propose to deal with our towns deteriorating streets? Potholes and road edges Just doing the same thing and expecting better results does not make sense. My five point plan is this: Spray with polymer to increase life of roads. This can achieve up to a seven year improvement. Use new polymer materials for repair and replacement. There are many kinds, some are designed to be long lasting, heavy duty. Reduce speed limit to 20 mph to reduce wear on the roads and improve safety (Portland City Council: “Twenty is plenty” People are twice as likely to die if hit at 25 mph as 20 mph). Make town owned roads “no truck” roads to reduce wear, with certain exceptions (Such as Holly St and Railroad Ave, and with temporary permits) Create a dedicated millage for road maintenance. Bonds should be for capital improvements not ongoing maintenance. Taxpayers don’t like taxes but are more amenable to dedicated purpose taxes when the purpose is clearly important.

Eastman For Alderman Abita Springs